Hippos - Sussita of the decapolis : the first twelve seasons of excavations 2000-2011. Vol. 1

Antiochia Hippos or by its Aramaic name, Sussita, is a familiar polis established by the Seleucids in the first half of the 2nd century BCE. It is situated atop the crest of Sussita Mountain, overlooking the Sea of Galilee from the east. This is the first of two volumes that summarizes our knowledge of one of the lesser known cities of the Decapolis. The summary follows a series of ten monographies that were published following the excavation seasons. The present summary concentrates on the full and final description of the various excavation areas, epigraphy, and finds. The Hippos-Sussita project is among the largest archaeological enterprises of the Classical periods in the region. The excavations at Hippos were initiated in the year 2000 as part of an international archaeological enterprise affiliated with the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, Israel. The Israeli team led by Arthur Segal and Michael Eisenberg accompanied by a team from Poland headed by Jolanta M?ynarczyk and Mariusz Burdajewicz, and a team from the USA headed by Mark Schuler, unearthed remains dating from the Hellenistic period to the Umayyad period. The city was fully abandoned following the 749 CE earthquake, which contributed to the ruins' impeccable state of preservation. During the first twelve years of excavations (2000-2016) the team focused on unearthing parts of the city center including the Hellenistic compound; forum; an open temple for the cult of the emperors; segments of the urban street net; portions of the Roman Period fortifications including a bastion; a Roman basilica; an odeion; several Byzantine churches; and an industrial area. The first volume of 18 chapters introduces various scholarships related to the archaeological research conducted so far at Hippos. It also offers a thorough historical geography of the city as well as the geology of the region. The second volume, forthcoming 2017, will summarize the first 12 years of archaeological research.