Beth Shean
The beautiful city of Beth Shean is located in the lush Jordan Valley not far from Mount Gilboa and close to the Jordan River, in the portion of land belonging to the tribe of Menasheh (Josh. 17:11). The rich soil and fresh water made Beth Shean one of the most desirable areas in ancient Israel.
Like many other cities that Joshua conquered, the children of Israel were not able to drive out the Philistine inhabitants of the city and so Beth Shean remained in the hands of the Philistines until it was eventual conquered by the tribe of Manasseh (Judges 1:27-28) The city remained under Jewish control until 300 years later when the Ten Tribes were conquered and exiled by the Assyrians.
When the Jews returned after the seventy years of the Babylonian exile, they were unable to recapture Beth Shean. The city was rebuilt by Alexander the Great, and then occupied by both Egypt and Syria after his death. The Maccabees captured the city in 140 B.C. and remained in Jewish hands until the Jewish Revolt in 68 A.D. when it fell into the hands of the Romans.
After Christianity was declared the official religion of the Roman Empire in the fourth century A.D., the lifestyle and architecture of the city changed. The amphitheater, the site of cruel contests between gladiators and wild animals, crumbled, but the theater, the bathhouse, and the fountains were maintained. Although churches were built in Beit She'an, the city center retained its pagan character. Over the years, churches slowly replaced the basilica and pagan temples.
In 409 A.D., Theodosius divided Israel into three districts. Beit She'an was chosen as the capital of the second, Palestina Secunda, which included the Galilee.
Over the centuries, Jews and Gentiles, pagan Romans and Christian Byzantines settled in Beth Shean. Beth Shean was a productive farming center with a strong Roman culture. The remains of a great Roman theater can still be seen in Beth Shean today. Other ruins that can be seen are the remains of a great pool and fountain, public bathrooms and bathhouses, shops, monuments, and the agora or public marketplace.
Muslim Arabs conquered the land of Israel in the seventh century A.D. and Beth Shean fell into a state of disrepair when most of the population moved away. A major earthquake hit Beth Shean in 749. Thousands were killed and the city was reduced to a pile of ruble. When the European Crusaders came in the twelfth century, Beth Shean was made into an independent state. The lord of the Beth Shean fiefdom lived in a castle surrounded by a moat. Ruins of the castle and its moat can still be seen today. But in 1263 the Crusaders were driven out of Beth Shean and the city was made part of the Syrian district of Damascus. Under the Syrians, Beth Shean once again flourished as a fertile agricultural center. The French Rabbi, Estori Parchi- author of Kaftor U'ferach, described the city as "blessed and pleasant, full of joy, it is surely the gateway to the Garden of Eden."
Beth Shean remained an Arab village until the Israel War of Independence, in 1949, when it was captured by the Israelis. The area was settled by Jewish immigrants from North Africa. Today, the ancient ruins of Beth Shean are a popular tourist site and attract hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
See the ruins of Beth Shean
Beit She'an National Park -- Israel's Pompeii
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