Antipatris

Welcome, curious traveler, to one of the most historically dense and geographically significant archaeological sites in the entirety of central Israel. You are standing at Tel Afek, a place that has worn many names throughout the…

You are now standing upon a magnificent thoroughfare known as the Cardo Maximus, the primary north to south axis of the ancient Roman city of Antipatris. Look down at the heavy, worn limestone paving stones beneath your feet. …

We have now arrived at the southern terminus of the Cardo Maximus, where the ancient street opens up to reveal a fascinating and complex archaeological puzzle. Before you lie the excavated foundations of a Roman theater. …

Stepping just to the west of the main Cardo, we enter what archaeologists have identified as the mercantile quarter of Antipatris. Here, between the late nineteen seventies and the mid nineteen eighties, joint excavation teams…

Having passed through the narrow doorway from the bustling front retail space, we now find ourselves in the back room of the Roman taberna. The contrast between the two spaces is archaeologically profound. …

We have now traversed both physical distance and a vast expanse of time, leaving the Roman period to stand before the remnants of a much earlier civilization. You are looking at the footprint of a monumental structure dating to…

Just a short distance from the Middle Bronze Age ruins, we encounter a structure from the subsequent Late Canaanite period, roughly the thirteenth to twelfth centuries BC. However, this building represents a dramatic shift in…

We now move into an open area of the site, a space where the grand Canaanite and Egyptian structures had already fallen into ruin by the eleventh century BC. The mighty city walls had crumbled, and the site of ancient Aphek had…

As we near the conclusion of our walk, we ascend to the most visually commanding structure on the entire site: the imposing stone fortress that crowns the summit of the hill. This massive fortification, characterized by its thick…

As our scholarly journey across Tel Afek comes to a close, let us return to a point of reflection near where we began, taking in the full panorama of the site. We have traversed an extraordinary expanse of time today, walking…