Archaeology
BETH-SHAN
Beth-Shan (also known as Beit She'an) sits at the junction of the Jordan Valley and the Jezreel Valley and has been continuously occupied for over 5,000 years. Its massive tel — a mound of accumulated ancient settlements — is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the entire Middle East.
Biblical Significance
Beth-Shan appears in the Bible as a Canaanite city that the tribe of Manasseh failed to conquer (Judges 1:27). After the battle of Gilboa, the Philistines hung the bodies of King Saul and his sons on the walls of Beth-Shan (1 Samuel 31:10-12) — a grim reminder of Israel's darkest hour.
Roman Scythopolis
In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, Beth-Shan was renamed Scythopolis and became the largest city of the Decapolis. The excavated Roman city — with its colonnaded streets, theater, amphitheater, and bathhouses — is remarkably well-preserved and gives visitors a vivid picture of life in the Roman world of the New Testament.