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Combined Caesarea

An amphibious research project that joins excavation of the terrestrial remains of Caesarea Maritima with underwater investigation of the site's ancient harbor.

From its foundation by King Herod to honor the emperor Caesar Augustus, Caesarea grew to be the metropolis of Palestine, a major seaport, the site of St. Paul's imprisonment, home of famous Christian and Jewish authors, and—much later—the place where the crusaders found the Holy Grail.  Excavations since the 1950s have uncovered the ancient city's streets, private dwellings, aqueducts, baths, circus, stadium, theater and other public buildings and religious shrines, and the artificial harbor, formed of giant breakwaters extending far out into the sea. A rich assortment of statuary, ceramics, coins, bone and metal objects and inscriptions in Greek and Latin is displayed in an exquisite small museum located at Kibbutz Sdot Yam, adjacent to the site.

The Combined Caesarea Expeditions continues explorations of the ancient city, combining excavations in the terrestrial remains of Caesarea with investigations of the site's ancient harbor. The University of Maryland and the University of Haifa sponsored the project, along with a group of distinguished participating institutions. The directors, Kenneth G. Holum of the University of Maryland and Avner Raban and Joseph Patrich of the University of Haifa, invite college and university students and other volunteers to explore with them the exciting, archaeological remains of Caesarea.

At this time, the Combined Caesarea Expeditions are no longer active.