Betshean, Scythopolis, and Jericho

We left the north shore of the Sea of Galilee and headed south stopping at Yardanit which is near the mouth of the Jordan River connecting the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.  We visited a baptismal area.  Plaques of Mark xx in dozens of languages lined the walls of the facility.

There was one main road connecting the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem.  Anyone traveling from the Sea of Galilee to the temple in Jerusalem would have walked on this road.

This road went by Beth Shan which was an important city in Old Testament times because it was strategically placed in the junction of the Jordan and Jezreel vallies.  The Egyptians, Cannanites, and Romans controlled the city at differents points in time.  It is the city at which the Phillistines hung the bodies of Saul and his sons after the battle on Mount Gilboa.  Upon hearing the news of Saul's and Jonathan's death, David cursed the mountainside of Mount Gilboa.  To this day, the Israelies have not planted on that part of the mountain following David's words.  Solomon later took the city and used it to help govern the region.  Below are pictures of the large bases for the supports to the roof over the open area of the palace (outlined with the metal frame).

On the other side of Beth Shan was Scythopolis.  The city was built by the Romans and was used largely by soldiers.  The city included saunas and restrooms.

We ended the day in Jericho.  There is still a great deal of work to do at the tell of Jericho.  Jericho is the oldest wall city dating back over 10,000 years.  Archeologists had to dig down approximately 35 feet to get to the top of the original lookout tower.