A few months ago, I was honoured to receive a request from historian and writer Lindsay Powell to write a short blurb to appear on the back cover of his latest book on Bar Kokhba, the leader under whom the Jews united in their war against the Romans between AD 132 and 136. I sent… Continue reading “Bar Kokhba: The Jew Who Defied Hadrian and Challenged the Might of Rome” by Lindsay Powell
In 2016, the Israel Museum in Jerusalem hosted an exhibition titled 'Hadrian: An Emperor Cast in Bronze'. The exhibition was curated by David Merovah (Curator of Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine Archaeology) and Rachel Caine Kreinin (Associate Curator) from the Israel Museum, together with Thorsten Opper (Curator of the Department of Greece and Rome) from the… Continue reading Exhibition: ‘Hadrian: An Emperor Cast in Bronze’ in Jerusalem
Caesarea Maritima is one of Israel's most famous archaeological sites. Its ruins are located by the seashore of Israel, about halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. It is the site of one of the most important cities in the Roman World, the capital of the Roman province of Judea. The city was founded between 22… Continue reading The Hadrianic Aqueduct of Caesarea Maritima
A stunning mosaic floor, known as the "Bird Mosaic," was discovered by accident in 1955 on the outskirts of Caesarea, Israel, outside the walls of the ancient settlement. With no budget available for its preservation, it was covered over again until the Israel Antiquities Authority and the Director of the Caesarea Antiquities Preservation project decided… Continue reading The Byzantine “Bird Mosaic” from Caesarea, Israel
With thousands of archaeological sites, Jerusalem is one of the most excavated cities on the planet, and walking its streets is like walking through a thousand years of history. This ancient city has been fought over more than any other place. It has been conquered, destroyed and rebuilt many times, and Hadrian played a significant… Continue reading Exploring Aelia Capitolina, Hadrian’s Jerusalem
About a year and a half after the discovery of the bronze statue of Hadrian in 1977 (see previous post here), six fragments of a monumental Latin inscription – the largest ever found in Israel – were discovered near the camp of the Sixth Legion in Tel Shalem. The inscription, inscribed in three lines, had belonged… Continue reading The inscription dedicated to Hadrian from the Tel Shalem arch
On July 25, 1975, an American tourist discovered a magnificent bronze cuirassed statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian while searching for ancient coins with a metal detector in Tel Shalem, located in the Beth Shean Valley, Israel. This site was once occupied by a detachment of the Sixth Roman Legion (Legio VI Ferrata). The statue… Continue reading Bronze statue of Hadrian from the legionary camp at Tel Shalem (Judaea), Israel Museum
