Cæsare'a

Cæsare'a, now called by the natives 'Kaisarieh.' This once proud and splendid seaport, on the coast of Syria, 30 miles N. of Joppa, was built by Herod about 22 B.C., and named in honour of Cæsar Augustus. It was a Greek town, with its temples, amphitheatre, baths, &c., imported into Syria. A semicircular mole built of large blocks of stone protected the port on the south and west, within which a fleet might ride in safety. It was the see of Eusebius in the 4th century, and was occupied by the Crusaders, who built a cathedral here; after them, it seems to have gradually decayed. It is now a heap of half-buried ruins, with a few miserable stone houses inhabited by fishermen. There is a small open harbour.—CÆSAREA PHILIPPI. This town, mentioned in Matt. xvi. 13, and Mark. viii. 27, was situated about 95 miles N. of Jerusalem, near the source of the Jordan. Its suffix was given in honour of Philip the Tetrarch, who repaired the city. It is now a heap of ruins; the modern village of Paneas, or Banias, on its site, comprises about 150 houses, with traces of a temple. It has been identified with Baalgad or Beth-Reliob.