Israel is home to the ancient city of Caesarea Maritima, founded by Herod the Great.
Herod the Great developed Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast between about 22 and 10 BCE. He named it in honor of Augustus Caesar and built it as a major harbor city, giving the kingdom of Judaea a substantial artificial port and an important connection to Mediterranean trade.
The city included a harbor, palace, theater, hippodrome, temples, warehouses, and an aqueduct. Its engineering was especially ambitious because the harbor was constructed on an exposed coastline using underwater concrete technology. Caesarea later became an administrative center under Roman rule.
The site also appears in early Christian history. The Roman prefect Pontius Pilate is associated with an inscription discovered there, and the city became linked with figures such as the apostle Peter and the historian Eusebius. Caesarea Maritima should not be confused with Caesarea Philippi, a different ancient site in the region.