Category:Sepphoris (subject)
Sepphoris (or Tzippori) was a city in central Galilee.
History
Although the date of the city's establishment is a point of some dispute, it is at least as old as the 7th century BCE, when it was fortified by the ancient Assyrians, and subsequently served as an administrative center in the region under Babylonian, Hellenistic and Persian rule. Throughout this time period, the city was known as Sepphoris.
In 104 BCE, the Hasmoneans settled there under the leadership of either Alexander Jannaeus or Aristobulus I.[3] The city was called Tzippori and may have derived from the Hebrew word for 'bird,' tsippor, perhaps because of the bird's-eye view the hilltop provides.
The Hasmonean Kingdom was divided into five districts by the Roman pro-consul Gabinius and Sepphoris came under the direct rule of the Romans in the year 37 BCE, when Herod the Great captured the city from Mattathaias Antigonus reportedly at the height of a snowstorm.[4] The Galilee in late antiquity
Tzippori of the time of Jesus was a large, Roman-influenced city and hotbed of political activism. Archaeological evidence supports the idea that Jesus, while living in Nazareth, did most of his business in Tzippori.[5]
After Herod's death in 4 BCE, the Jewish inhabitants of Tzippori rebelled against Roman rule and the Roman army moved in under the command of the Roman Governor in Syria, Varus. Completely destroying the city, the Roman army then sold many of its inhabitants into slavery.[4]
Herod's son, Herod Antipas was made Tetrarch, or governor, in 1 CE, and proclaimed the city's new name to be Autocratis, or the "Ornament of the Galilee."[6] A ancient route linking Tzippori to Legio, and further to the south to Sebaste-Samaria, is believed to have been paved by the Romans around this time.[7]
The inhabitants of Autocratis did not join the resistance against Roman rule in the First Jewish Revolt of 66 CE Rather, they signed a pact with the Roman army and opened the gates of the city to the Roman general Vespasian upon his arrival in 67 CE[4] They were then rewarded for this allegiance by having their city spared from the destruction suffered by many other Jewish cities, including Jerusalem.
Coins minted in the city at the time of the First Revolt carried the inscription Neronias and Eirenopolis, "City of Peace." After the revolt, symbolism used on the coins was little different from other surrounding pagan city coins with depictions of laurel wreaths, palm trees, caduceus', and ears of barley.[6]
Just prior to the Bar Kokhba revolt, the city's name was changed yet again to Diocaesarea.
In the aftermath of the revolt, many Jewish refugees settled there, turning it into the center of religious and spiritual life in the Galilee. According to Rabbinic tradition, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi, one of the compilers of the Mishnah, moved to Tzippori, along with the Sanhedrin, before moving to Tiberias by 150 CE.
The city of Tiberias was founded around 20 CE by Herod Antipas as capital of his realm, and named in honor of Roman Emperor Tiberius. The new city, placed on a major trade route linking Syria with Egypt, attracted a large Jewish and non-Jewish population.
Tiberias was the first Jewish polis to be granted large autonomy, under a Hellenistic constitution. The presence of Herod Antipas' palace on the acropolis, its market, its fishing industry, as well as the vicinity to hot springs, made quickly Tiberias the most important urban center on the lake, which came to be known as the Sea of Tiberias.
Herod Agrippa succeeded Herod Antipas as ruler of Tiberias. When Agrippa died in 44 CE a Roman procurator was set over the city. In 54 the name of emperor Claudius was added to the city, that came to be known as Tiberias Claudiupolis. In 61 CE the city was annexed to the kingdom of Herod Agrippa II and then separated from Galilee.
During the Jewish War Tiberias fell into the hands of the rebels (led by Josephus) and Herod's palace was destroyed, but at the arrival of the Romans in 67 CE the city voluntarily opened its gates and was thus spared destruction. The city returned under Herod Agrippa II's possession until his death. Afterward it came once more under direct Roman rule
Sepphoris in ancient sources
Josephus, Jewish War
Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
Sepphoris in Scholarship
Most of Roman Tiberias was destroyed by wars, earthquakes, abandonment, and the continuous redevelopment of the town that has never ceased to be inhabited until the present. However, significant remains of the Roman town still exist and are visible in the recently established Tiberias Archaeological Park.
The most conspicuous monument is the Roman Theater. Its remains have been excavated and reconstructed, under the direction of Izhar Hirshfeld and Yossi Stefanski. Build in the 1st century, and significantly enlarged in the second-third century, the Theater had a seating capacity of 7,000 people.
Sepphoris in Fiction
Related categories
- Herod Antipas (subject) / Herod Agrippa (subject) / Herod Agrippa II (subject)
- Roman Governors (subject)
External links
Major articles
- Sepphoris / The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (1973-1987 Schurer / Vermes), book / 2 (1979) 172-176
Pages in category "Sepphoris (subject)"
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