The layers of civilizations are many!

We leave the Galilee very early this morning as we have a full day ahead. First stop is Maggido, the site of 7000 years of 25 continuous civilizations. This area served as a bridge between Egypt and Persia and the Mediterranean and who had control over it was very important. You could see at some areas of the site the layers of successive ruins with Sand in between. One of the unique things about this site as well is the alter found that served as a place of sacrifice and worship successively through many different civilizations albeit in different ways yet a testament to humanity's ongoing attempts to understand themselves in relation to the divine.

However, what is annoying about the place, is that is also the site the christian fundamentalists believe will be the site of the battle of Armageddon - a theological construct that is both ridiculous and offensive. There is also woven into the fabric of this site some more Israeli propaganda that is troublesome.

From here we head to the amazing city of Cesarea Philipi another of Herod the greats massive structures in the creation of this port city. When he finished it it had a ocean barrier wall and became a central hub for trade and boat traffic . Population swelled to over 100'000 which was a huge size I those days. It included port, huge markets, a massive palace overlooking and on top of the water, a race track for chariot and other sports and a massive theatre where a variety of artistic shows were performed. Because it was on the ocean, fresh water was challenging to find and so he had a raised series of aqueducts build to transport the water over 20 km distance. Like Meggido, successive empires took it over and either destroyed it or rebuilt it . The remnants that remain are many though and it is awe inspiring to see and comprehend actually.

From there we journey to the ancient city of Joppa. This is also a port city dating back to about 3000 bce. Even Nepolian tried to conquer this city and failed. We wind through many a street, taking photos, hearing stories from the guide and attempting to pour one more fact about an ancient civilization into our brains for the day. Two out of three of these cities I knew nothing about until today. Totally overwhelming . We arrive I Jerusalem which shall be our home base for the next week. We are staying just outside the Damascus gate of the old city wall in the east quarter . This is the Palestinian quarter and a Palestinian hotel. An early start in the morning for another full day.