Roman sites in Palestine, unlike those in Trans-jordania, have been continuously occupied. Successive occupants destroyed the buildings upon them and used the materials for their own purposes. It is probable that there was no period more destructive of Roman buildings than that of the Crusades. At Caesarea the Crusaders built their walls from stones taken from the Roman walls and used Roman columns as bonding stones. Gaza and Ascalon were treated in much the same way, and nothing now is left above ground level of these Roman cities. At Caesarea fragments of Roman masonry may still be seen on the seashore. Samaria (now called Sebastieh) was an important Roman city. Excavations have revealed the remains of a basilica. The monolithic columns, the capitals of Corinthian design and the details of the pedestals seem to show that the building may date from Herod the Great. The remains of a great temple built by Herod in memory of the Emperor Augustus may also be seen, together with the grand stairway which led up to it. Ascalon has for centuries been used as a quarry. Nothing remains above ground level, but excavations have disclosed what remains of Herod's cloister. Of Roman Gaza practically no trace is visible above ground level.
Mention may be made of the remains of Jewish synagogues in Galilee. At Capernaum[1] there is an interesting example. This building of the second or third century would seem to illustrate an imperfectly informed but interesting attempt at interpreting, by Jewish workers, the details of Roman architecture.
Christian Architecture in Palestine.—As an ample literature exists on the periods enumerated above, it has been thought sufficient to deal with them somewhat summarily in this Handbook. The Christian and Moslem architecture of Palestine, on the other hand, have hitherto received so little attention that rather fuller treatment here has been thought desirable.
At the beginning of the reign of Constantine the glorious
- ↑ See Fr. Meistermann, O.F.M., Capharnaum et Bethsaide, Paris, 1921,
