HIPPOS (SUSSITA)
The city of Hippos (Sussita) is another fascinating site to visit as it was the central city of the Golan during the Hellenistic and Roman/Byzantine periods and contains a number of churches. It is located on a diamond (or horse) shaped mountain which rises 350M (1148 feet) above the Sea of Galilee. Recent excavations revealed the impressive plan and structures of the city. Some 15 years ago, while on the trail of an elusive Byzantine- era synagogue, archaeologists at the ongoing Hippos- Sussita Excavations Project began excavating what appeared to be a public building that had been burned to the ground, but then moved on to other work. This summer, the settlement’s South-West or Burnt Church was revisited by archaeologists in search of firm dating for the conflagration that both destroyed and preserved the church. They revealed a plethora of interesting artifacts and mosaics — and a nearly illiterate artisan, who had been tasked with inscribing the names of donors and abbots for posterity. Instead, his grammar and spelling mistakes are preserved in a trio of ancient Greek mosaics. During the Byzantine period there were eight churches, indicating its importance for Christians. The city was devastated by a massive earthquake in 749 AD which left it in ruins. The city was an important Christian center during the Byzantine period, and was an episcopate - the seat of the Bishop - starting in the year 359. The majority of its citizens were Christian and the existence of eight churches indicates the city’s importance.
ACRE & CRUSADES
Aside from the sites that are a reflection of the life and teachings of Jesus, a number of other places in the region are of historical relevance to Christians that visit the Galilee. Of these, the Old City of Acre, a UNESCO “World Heritage Site,” is the most prominent, considered by a growing number of experts to be the world’s most significant Crusader site. The current Old City is essentially a second layer, built upon a subterranean level dating back to the Crusader period. Everything underground - the cavernous rooms, the catacombs through which one can pass from place to place - dates back to the knights of the order of Saint John de Acre, while the modern city of Acre sits atop the subterranean level of unseen history. For many years Acre’s city fathers were content with the few catacombs that had been unearthed. Recently, however, a major project to reveal
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