Veronica Morriss, 2023 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient
Caesarea is one of the best known and most researched sites in Israel. It鈥檚 famous for Herod the Great鈥檚 imposing harbor, the Roman hippodrome and theater, the grand Byzantine octagonal church, and its massive Crusader walls. Caesarea has an extensive history of groundbreaking archaeological research, and numerous excavation teams are usually working at the site at once, uncovering the ancient city, one meter at a time.
While the extensive Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader remains at the site have captured popular imagination and been the primary target for most excavations, the city鈥檚 role during the early Islamic era is not well understood鈥攁nd the port played a more important role in Islamic history than it is given credit for.