Aelia Capitolina Gate A fragmentary Latin inscription mentions “Aelia Capitolina.” It was discovered by R. W. Hamilton of the Antiquities Department of the British mandatory government near the Damascus Gate in the 1930’s. The Damascus Gate was built atop a gate built by Hadrian as part of his transformation of Jerusalem into a Roman city, […]
Nero’s police action against the Christians of Rome in 64 C. E. apparently set a precedent for executing Christians merely for being such, and by the time of Trajan (emperor from 98-117 C. E.), Christians who refused to curse Jesus Christ and to worship the emperor, along with the traditional gods, were liable to execution […]
Papyrus Census Order From Egypt, 104 CE, Ht. 22.2 cm. BL Papyrus 904. A papyrus document containing a command in Greek from the Prefect Gaius Vibius Maximus for all those in his area of authority to return to their own homes for the purposes of a census (apogaphēs). This illustrates a situation in the time […]
The Antiquities of the Jews is a work of the history of the Jews from the creation of the world until the revolt against Rome in 66-70 CE, written by Josephus Flavius in the last year of the emperor Domitian. As military commander of the Galilee during the Jewish revolt against Rome, Flavius Josephus was […]
Natural History, 1669 edition Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, (23 CE – August 25, 79 CE), better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient author, naturalist and naval and military commander of some importance who wrote Naturalis Historia (Natural History). Natural History consists of thirty-seven books including all that the Romans knew about the […]
The Jewish War describes Jewish history from the capture of Jerusalem by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 164 BCE to the fall and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE at the end of the First Jewish Revolt, or Great Revolt, against Rome. As military commander of the Galilee during the Jewish revolt against […]
Hammat Gadar (or Gader) Roman Baths Arguably the most important bath in the Holy Land, and one of the largest spas in the Roman world, is Hammat-Gader, near the Sea of Galilee. The emperor Caracalla came here (in addition to Hammei-Tiberias), as did Hadrian (117–138 A.D.), who had dermatological problems. The Greek biographer Eunapius (fourth […]
The Tyche of Dura crowned by Seleukos Nikator. Limestone cult relief from the Temple of the Gaddé. Found in 1932. Matheson, Susan B. Dura Euopos. New Haven- Yale University Art Gallery, 1982. See also- Social and Religious Life in Diaspora (332 BCE-7th century CE) How can an archaeological discovery change our interaction with the past? […]
Click here to view the original article. Of the thousands of limestone ossuaries, or bone boxes, found in and around Jerusalem, at least one depicts the facade of the Temple—this from a time when that magnificent structure still stood on the Temple Mount in all its splendor. For about 100 to 150 years before the […]
