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History |
| Hippos
This city of the Decapolis derived its name from the greek word for horse. Excavation revealed a well fortified city on a naturally strategic height (350 in. above the sea) on the eastern shore of Galilee opposite of Tiberias. Coins of the city bear a horse head on the reverse. This city is now in Israeli-occupied territory. This fine walled city boasted a theater and public buildings. It was laid out around a central axis with a long, colonnaded street (Cardo Maximus) paved with black basalt flag stones laid along the ridge with a gate at the southeast end and a Nympheum in the middle. The basilicas/churches discovered at Hippos were constructed in the Byzantine period. The city had an adequate water supply because of its large internal reservoir and an aqueduct system. The system brought water into the city from springs near al Qanatir which is 4 km. away. These plentiful supplies provided water for the Byzantine baths in the city through pipes which were 30 cm. in diameter. Hippos enjoyed the economic boon of a docking facility on a route from the region of Galilee to Damascus. Fish products were among the region's exports. The city was founded by the Seleucids in the Hellenistic period. Few remains from that period have been found. The settlement was small due to the inadequate water supply. The city grew with the addition of the aqueduct. In Byzantine times, Hippos thrived. Four churches have been found. The largest, a triapsidal basilica (similar to the ones discovered at Abila), with an inscribed apse, measured 20 x 40 in. and had two rows of nine columns (5 meters high) of different colored marble and granite. The floor was laid in opus sectile of colored marble and the walls panelled with marble. There were three entrances at the west end. |
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