Caesarea Maritima — Of Harbors and Hippodromes

 Guest post by Linda Dindzans

As a reader, I have never met a period of history that didn’t fascinate me. As an author, the stories that find me seem always to rise from the perilous, vibrant world of the Bible.

In 2019, my husband and I traveled to Israel, where we visited Caesarea Maritima along the Mediterranean shore. This ancient city—famed for its deep-water harbor and sweeping hippodrome—remains the largest Roman ruin in Israel today.

Herod’s Grand Vision: A Harbor in the Sea

Herod the Great took a modest Phoenician anchorage known as Strato’s Tower and transformed it into one of the marvels of the ancient world. Using volcanic ash called pozzolana, which hardens underwater into Roman cement, his engineers constructed a massive artificial harbor between 22 and 10 BCE. He named this harbor Sebastos—the Greek equivalent of “Augustus”—and it quickly became a major Roman port.

At the time, Sebastos was the largest man-made harbor ever built in open sea. Surrounding it, Herod constructed a magnificent city complete with a palace, theater, aqueducts, and a gleaming temple to Augustus.

The Hippodrome: Sport, Spectacle, and Survival

Caesarea’s hippodrome—stretching along the shoreline—held a prominent place in the city’s history. Here, crowds gathered for chariot races, athletic games, gladiatorial contests, and public executions.

As in Rome’s Circus Maximus, chariot racing in Caesarea was a war on wheels. Highly trained slave-drivers—aurigas—raced two-horse chariots (bigae) or four-horse chariots (quadrigae). They were assisted by an outrider on horseback and a man on foot who helped the charioteer manage treacherous tight turns and maneuver so rival teams would falter or crash. The dangers were many, often fatal. The rewards, if a driver survived long enough, included wealth, adoration, and—rarely—freedom.

As a biblical fiction author, I could not resist this setting of the hippodrome at Caesarea. Book Two of A Certain Future Series, A Certain Mercy, Scrivenings Press features several scenes in Caesarea including a life and death chariot race.

Rome Takes Control

By A.D. 6, Rome had annexed the region, placing it under the rule of governors or prefects. During the ministry of Jesus, the prefect was Pontius Pilate (26–36 CE), who resided in Caesarea—the Roman administrative and military headquarters. This relatively new capital bustled with Greeks, Jews, Romans, and travelers from across the Mediterranean.

In contrast, Jerusalem was ancient, holy, and volatile. Pilate traveled there only when politically necessary—during feast days or times of unrest.

The Pilate Stone: A Name Set in Stone

Before 1961, there was no physical evidence outside ancient texts that Pontius Pilate ever existed. That changed when archaeologists unearthed the now-famous “Pilate Stone.” Carved into this reused building block was a fragment of a dedication to Emperor Tiberius by Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.

Found embedded in a staircase near the Herodian theater, the inscription remains the only contemporary physical artifact bearing Pilate’s name. Until its discovery, he was known solely from literary sources: the New Testament, apocryphal writings, Josephus, Philo, and Tacitus.

Caesarea in the Book of Acts

Linda's book features this beautiful setting.
Click on the cover to check it out.

The city appears repeatedly in the early Christian writings:

• Cornelius and the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 10): Here Peter preached to the Roman centurion Cornelius and witnessed the Holy Spirit fall on Gentiles for the first time.

• The Death of Agrippa I (Acts 12:19–23): Herod the Great’s grandson died in Caesarea after accepting worship during games held—likely—in the hippodrome.

• Paul’s Travels: Paul sailed to and from Caesarea many times (Acts 9, 18, 27).

• Paul’s Imprisonment: Paul spent two years under house arrest in Caesarea, facing Felix, Festus, and Agrippa II before appealing to Caesar (Acts 23–27). Luke, traveling with Paul, would have had freedom to gather eyewitness accounts that shaped his Gospel and the early chapters of Acts.

• The First Jewish Revolt: The revolt ignited in Caesarea in 66 A.D. After Jerusalem fell in 70 A.D., Titus forced 2,500 Jewish prisoners to fight to the death in Caesarea’s stadium as part of his victory celebrations. The spoils of this war likely funded construction of the Colosseum in Rome.

A Launching Point for the Gospel

Caesarea’s strategic position as a major port city—and the place where Peter first preached to Gentiles—made it one of the most effective launching points for spreading the gospel to the wider Roman world.

About Linda

Linda Dindzans, M.D. is a writer with the heart of a healer who offers readers stories of redemption and restoration. Though her compelling characters inhabit the treacherous times of the Bible, Linda believes the struggles of her characters still speak to hearts today. Her debut novel A Certain Man was released in August 2024. Her  next novel A Certain Mercy (December 2025) features several scenes  set in Caesarea.

References:

1. Israel's Most Impressive Roman Ruin- Street Gems
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PUBzVup4nc&t=53s
2. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/historical-notes-pontius-pilate-a-name-set-in-stone-1084786.html
3. https://cbnisrael.org/2020/12/01/caesarea/ Biblical Israel: Caesarea by Marc Turnage 
4. https://cbnisrael.org/2025/07/01/caesarea-where-the-gospel-penetrated-the-gentile-world5.
5. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Israel_9-08_134_(2909864855).jpg photo of Pilate stone
6. https://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/3887-caesarea#0
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarea_Maritima: Bibliography see below
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesarea_Maritima#cite_note-Menachery87-25

• 24.Votruba, G. 2007. "Imported Building Materials of Sebastos Harbour, Israel." International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 36:325-335.
• 23.George Menachery, 1987 in Kodungallur, City of St. Thomas, Azhikode, 1987, Chapter II note 19 quotes the National Geographic article: Robert L. Hohlfelder, "Caesarea Maritima, Herod the Great's City on the Sea". The National Geographic, 171/2, February 1987, pp. 260-79.
• 21. Hohlfelder, R. 2007. "Constructing the Harbour of Caesarea Palaestina, Israel: New Evidence from ROMACONS Field Campaign of October 2005". International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 36:409-415.

Echoes of the Ancient New Testament Cities: Antioch of Syria

 Matthew James Elliott

Over the past several months, these articles have focused a lot on the darker side of history. With the holiday season upon us, I thought it would be a great opportunity to focus on some cities that have more of a positive history. Why? Well, because why not? We all need a little light in our lives this holiday season, don’t we? I know I sure could use some. 

Antioch of Syria was a more pleasant city to research as I was preparing for this one, and it is also one of my favorite cities in scripture. Where many other places were deep in the midst of struggle and persecution, Antioch served as an image of hope and light. It was a beacon in the darkness, not too dissimilar to the idea behind my publishing entity, Lanterns of Light PenWorks. 

Amid everything else that was going on in the world of the Early Church, Antioch served as both a physical and a spiritual refuge for those who followed “The Way”. It was in Antioch that the term “Christian” was first used, and it played a pivotal role in determining the identity of the early church as well as the mission‌ (Acts 11:26). After the stoning of Stephen and the resulting persecution, I spoke to when this series toured Jerusalem, believers were scattered in every direction. Many of them found a new beginning in Antioch. 

The Legacy that was built upon the hearts and minds of those who found themselves in Antioch during this season of the Early Church is nothing short of an overwhelming voice of hope in the midst of sheer terror. When people began to associate Christians with Antioch, it gave them a distinct identity that was not tied to the empire, but to Christ himself.  The city became that beacon of light, and remained that for centuries, so much so that the leaders of the church in Jerusalem sent people like Barnabas and, at the time, Saul, to figure out what was going on. 

Antioch of Syria (Not Pisidia)

Antioch’s church was filled with prophets and teachers like the two I just mentioned above. It didn’t stop there either. The book of Acts is very clear on the Influence several other leaders of the church had on the missionary journeys of Paul and his companions all throughout this period in history.  People like Simeon Niger (some believe could be Simon of Cyrene), Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, and even Luke, were all associated with the city at one time.  Their impact pushed the ministry of the early church out into the world, and their light burned brightly.

As more people began to flock to this ‘city upon a hill’, things only started shining even brighter.  When the believers who fled Jerusalem found themselves in Antioch, they preached to a community of multiple ethnicities, and the Growth in the city became more than physical (Acts 11:19-30). It became a spiritual haven filled with discipleship that flourished in a diverse setting of people from all different shapes and paths in life. The gospel thrived in more ways than one. 

Disputes that led to the council of Jerusalem in 50 AD, which opened the door to the gentile ministry of Paul, and others, became a testing ground for fostering unity and peace (Acts 15:1-35). Later on, when Paul confronted Peter in Antioch for withdrawing from the very people they were now ministering to, it opened hearts and minds in unexpected ways (Galatians 2:11-21). Harmony found life, and even amid deep personal conflicts, the power of faith was revealed. People found reconciliation, and it changed the world. 

Image of Antioch from Learn Religions

In the end, those who left the city in search of ministering to the lost in cities like Philippi, which is our next stop, always found their way back to the city of Antioch to share the stories of Testimony and grace that they experienced along the way.  Upon reporting all that happened, the good and the bad, people found strength and faith. Doors were opened, not from the Walls of Rome or the Harbors of Caesarea, but from the streets of Antioch. A light that was not dimmed by persecution but lifted high, lighting the way for the generation of believers to come. 

The L.I.G.H.T. Antioch cultivated throughout the history of the Early Church Era changed the game. It opened the way forward for many and became a testimony of grace and compassion. I believe that in the world we live in today, that same light is needed again. Where that light comes from is up to all of us. Each of us can be that light if we choose to be. So that's the challenge: how can you be a light this holiday season?

Let me know in the comments below. 

See you in the pages,

M.J.E.

(PS, our next stop, as mentioned in the article you just read, is Philippi. It was the first Grecian city Paul preached in, and likely where Luke gained more of a prominent role as the beloved physician.)

 ~ Biography ~

Matthew James Elliott (M.J. Elliott) is a passionate writer who loves to encourage and inspire others. He served in various ministry roles for over 15 years, which gave him a unique perspective on people and Biblical History. Matthew holds a degree in Biblical Studies from Oklahoma Wesleyan University, with a focus on Pastoral Care, Christian Education, and Worship.

Matthew is married and has three wonderful children who bring him immense joy and inspiration. One of his favorite things to do with them is to share stories they can someday learn from. When writing a story, he aspires to minister to others with love, equip them with encouragement, and use the gift God has given him as a writer to help readers experience God in a real and meaningful way.

Find Matthew on Amazon, Goodreads, Facebook, BookBub, and His Website. He has written Devotionals, An Episodic Series, Novellas, and even Commentaries for The Gospel Daily.

~ Highlighted Release ~

My Newest Biblical Fiction Novel, The Hope of Inheritance, came out on Father's Day and has received a ChristLit Book Award for excellence in Christian Literature. Grab it via Amazon. If you enjoy it, please let me know by posting a review.

One Story Still Untold. Four Unlikely Authors.

Together, their Message will speak to Many.

The city of Rome was a vast and beautiful place-- on the surface. That is, until a great fire burned and destroyed most of it. Deep in a world hidden from those who would strike against them, four unlikely men work together to share a message of truth. This truth was spoken by those who were cut down because of the calling to go forth and preach. 

The message has always been clear: The hope of our inheritance is Christ living within each of us. In the echoes of persecution, sorrow, and even death, this message still reigns supreme, but will the people listen? Only time will tell, but before anything, these four men must come together and unite a church separated by fear and suffering.

November 2025 Book Day

GREAT CHRISTMAS READS!

THE LADY’S MISSION

2023 SELAH Award Finalist!

The Quilting Circle (Book 5)

A Sweet Historical Romance Series

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BRIDE BY BEGUILEMENT

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CRAZY ABOUT CAIT

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Cait Sullivan can’t believe her father had the temerity to hire Jonas Hall to take over her job—training their famed horses. Cait understands the importance of selling their horses to offset the cattle loss during the drought, but to hire Jonas after the way he broke her sister’s heart? That’s wrong. Jonas has to hide the fact he’s always loved Cait, and that he’s asked her father’s permission to win her hand in marriage. Now he must convince the fiery-tempered lass he isn’t the villain she thinks he is, and she is the bride God has for him.

 

 

BENEATH A RARE BLUE MOON

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One rare night. One risky mission. A second chance at love. On a rare blue-moon night in 1944, homefront guard Kathleen Forrest apprehends a suspected saboteur at Tennessee’s top-secret “Secret City”—only to discover he’s Roger Craig, the Army Intelligence agent who once held her heart. Ordered into an uneasy alliance after a key informant’s death, Kathleen and Roger must expose a lurking spy ring before sabotage strikes at the war’s heart. As danger mounts and long-buried feelings resurface, they face a life-or-death choice: trust each other again—or lose far more than the mission.

 

 

IVY'S INHERITANCE

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Ivy Cregg’s father is a gambler, but this time he’s gone too far. He loses his mining fortune and her along with it in a high-stakes poker game. Unwilling to go along with the deal, she hides out with a friend who tells her about Ms. Crenshaw, owner of the Westward Home & Hearts Mail-Order Bride Agency who is in town. The prospective groom is a wealthy man which seems like an answer to prayer until Ivy discovers he made his fortune in mining. Is he as untrustworthy as her father?

 

 

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“Periwinkle in the Park” (1910, Colorado) by Kathleen Kovach

A female hiking guide runs into conflict with a mountain man who is determined to keep the government off his land.

“Holly & Ivy” (1890, Washington State) by Mary Davis

A young woman accompanies her impetuous younger sister across the country to be a mail-order bride and loses her heart to a gallant stranger.

 

 

TITANIC: LEGACY OF BETRAYAL

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A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection. Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart. Review: “I told my wife to move this book to the top of her reading list... This titanic story is more interesting than the one told in the Titanic movie... She will absolutely love it.”

 

 

IRISH ROSE ORPHANS’ CHRISTMAS

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EVEN IF I PERISH

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“To say it was hard to put down really doesn’t do justice to how gripping a tale this is… aware that a ship carrying children to Canada had been torpedoed and sunk by a German vessel, I was completely unaware of the story of Lifeboat 12. The horrors they faced once the torpedo struck, the chaos that ensued as the scramble was on for the lifeboats and then the incredible story of Mary Cornish and all the others in Lifeboat 12 makes for a gripping story.” (From an Amazon review.)

 

 

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EL JIREH - THE GOD WHO PROVIDES

Compiled by Living Parables of Central Florida

Mary Dodge Allen, contributor

In A Mother’s Desperate Prayer, Mary Dodge Allen shares her struggle with guilt and despair after her son is badly burned in a kitchen accident. When we are at the end of all we have, El Jireh shows His hand. God doesn’t always give us what we want or when we want it, but He perfectly provides all we need at the right time. The stories, poems, devotions, and essays in this collection demonstrate the various and mysterious ways God is El Jireh—the God who provides—to His children.

 

 

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THE SWADDLING CLOTHES

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Through the ages, men have told many stories about Mary, Joseph, and the birth of the Messiah. Stories of shepherds and sheep, kings, angels, and stables. But one story no one has ever told. One story hidden in the fabric of time. The story of The Swaddling Clothes. Mentioned not once, but several times in the Scriptural text, what is the significance of these special cloths? And how did they make their way into a stable in Bethlehem? Discover a whole new adventure readers are calling "intriguing...thought provoking... a fresh twist on an age old story."

 

 

SECRETS OF EPHESUS SERIES

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TEXAS DIVIDED

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Ship's Cats by Nancy J. Farrier

 With Nancy J. Farrier

Photo_Wikimedia Commons

I love cats and was delighted when I stumbled across an article about a cat on a naval vessel. I hoped to find more about the early historical aspect of cats on ships, but didn’t find much. Supposedly, the Egyptians are the first seaman to include cats when they sailed. There are several famous cats. I would like to share a few of those stories with you. Some are heartwarming. Some are very sad.

Why cats on ships? Ships are known for having trouble with rats and mice. The rodents destroy food supplies and on earlier vessels they would chew through ropes endangering the crew. Cats, as a natural enemy to the rodent population, were an easy solution. Plus, they provided companionship to the crew during voyages.

Captain Matthew Flinders
Art by Toussaint Antoine
Wikimedia Commons

One of the earliest cats I read about was called Trim. Trim served under the command of Captain Matthew Flinders, an English navigator and cartographer in the early 1800’s. Trim was the first cat to circumnavigate Australia and the crew loved him almost as much as the captain did. He stayed with the captain his whole life and has been memorialized in literature and statues. One of the statues of Trim sits on a window sill in the State Library of New South Wales in Sidney.

Mrs. Chippy Memorial
Photo by Nigel Cross
Wikimedia Commons

Mrs. Chippy, a male cat, that sailed on the ship, Endurance with Shackleton, was so named because he followed the ship’s carpenter, McNeish, around like a wife. Mrs. Chippy was known for being an excellent mouser and was loved by the crew. When the Endurance became stuck in the ice, Shackleton realized the only way to save the crew was to go by lifeboat to the nearest land mass. He said the dogs and Mrs. Chippy had to remain behind. The crew was sad, but fed Mrs. Chippy her favorite sardines. Then Shackleton decided the animals were to be shot. McNeish objected, but was overruled, and his wonderful companion was killed. McNeish was the only member of the expedition denied the Polar Medal because of his insubordination. In 2004, a bronze likeness of Mrs. Chippy was commissioned and now rests on McNeish’s grave.

Tiddle by Bell Rope
Photo by Parnall
Wikimedia Commons

Tiddles was actually born aboard ship instead of being brought on board. Tiddles was known for having traveled over 30,000 miles during his time of service. He loved sitting on the aft capstan and playing with the bell rope. 

Convoy served aboard the HMS Hermione and was listed

Convoy by Beadell
Wikimedia Commons

in the ship’s log. He was treated as a member of the crew, receiving his own kit, which included a hammock where he slept. He accompanied the crew on many convoy missions, thus his name. Sadly, Convoy and 87 of the crew were killed in June 1942 when their ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.

Blackie and Winston Churchill
Photo by Capt. Horton
Wikimedia Commons

Blackie, a crew member aboard the HMS Prince of Wales, became famous during WWII. The HMS Prince of Wales carried Prime Minister Churchhill to his meeting with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in Newfoundland in 1941. This was a secret meeting, however as Churchhill was leaving the ship, he bent down to pet Blackie who came to bid him farewell. Someone took a photograph that became a popular picture in the news. Blackie later survived the sinking of the HMS Prince of Wales, and was taken to Singapore. When Singapore was evacuated, Blackie could not be found. Maybe he snuck aboard another ship to go back to sea. His fate was never determined.

There are so many stories of ship’s cats that I can’t share them all. Here is a wonderful blog post about cats on US ships, with pictures of these felines. 

I don’t believe cats are allowed on board Naval vessels any more, which I find a little sad. Have you ever heard of cats aboard ships? Have you ever had a cat in a boat with you? 

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.