History of Hippos (Sussita) the Excavations Done in the 1950s

Identification and History

Hippos, a Greek city, is situated approximately 2 km (1mile) east of the Sea of Galilee. The town, primarily known by its Greek name, Antiochia Hippos - hippos meaning “horse” - is also known as Sussita in Aramaic.

Hippos was conquered by Alexander Jannaeus (100-76 B.C.). Pompey took it from the Jews in 63 B.C. Augustus gave the city to Herod the Great. After Herod's death it became part of the Province of Syria. During the First Revolt against Rome, the Jews attacked Hippos. The territory of Hippos extended down to the Sea of Galilee. The city was enemies with the Jewish Tiberias on the opposite shore of the lake. Jewish villages east of the lake were included in the Hippos territory.

Remains of ancient synagogues have been found within the territory of Hippos. In the Byzantine period, Hippos was the seat of a bishop. Like many other towns in the Byzantine period, it enjoyed great prosperity, and many churches and public buildings were built. The city was probably abandoned after the Arab conquest at the beginning of the seventh century.

The Survey

With the settlement at 'En Gev in 1937, surveys were again carried out at Hippos by members of the kibbutz. The new surveys made a reliable reconstruction of the city, including the positions of public buildings.

Although Hippos was founded in the Hellenistic period, few remains from that time have been found, probably because the town was so small.

After its conquest by Pompey in 63 BCE, Hippos, one of the cities of the Decapolis, was rebuilt. The town layout is essentially that of the Roman period, although many buildings were built later. The city streets ran at right angles to one another. The public buildings stood at the intersections of the important streets. The main street is paved with large basalt flagstones and runs through the center of the town.

In Hippos, water was a valuable commodity; the main water supply was brought from some distance by a specially constructed aqueduct.

Evidence of Hippos in Roman times can be seen in the many architectural remains. The town wall has also been well preserved. On the south side, parts of the wall still stand tall, providing an excellent view of the Roman road.

At the eastern end is a small bluff in which there are caves, tomb doors and other evidence of burials. This place was used as a cemetery by the people of Hippos. Other graves have been found in the west, outside the city walls.

Excavations

Excavations were carried out at Hippos by C. Epstein (1950-1955), M. Avi Yonah (1951), A. Shulman (1951), and E. Anati (1952), on behalf of the Israel Department of Antiquities. Buildings dating to the Byzantine period were found, including houses and a small church. This is one of four churches discovered so far at Hippos and the largest church, excavated from 1951 to 1955.

Like many churches of the period, it was built with an inscribed apse. Two rows of nine marble and granite columns separate the nave from the aisles. The columns were found lying on the floor of the building as the result of an earthquake. The floor was laid in a decorative pattern of colored marble.

It is almost certain that the walls and the apse were lined with marble. One of the white marble panels was found broken. The decoration on the panel shows the entrance to an ornate public building. From its architrave hangs a large round object, perhaps a basket representing the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. Above the molding of the frame is an inscription in Greek that reads, “In the time of Procopius Presbyter.” The back of the panel was decorated with a large dolphin.

Entrance to the cathedral was through three doorways in the western wall. The southern aisle was not completely excavated. The nave was separated from the aisles by two rows of four white marble columns. The floor of the baptistery was covered with colored mosaics, including three inscriptions in Greek and the monogram of Christ. There are three inscriptions of note; a dedication to martyred Saints Cosmas and Damian, the date of the baptistery - January 654, and in the northern aisle the date and the name Procopius (who was responsible for the building of the baptistery and its mosaic floor) are still legible.

The Hippos baptistery is unusual because of the way it was built - the nave and aisles are divided - and because it is dedicated to special saints.

Mount Sussita

In the east, a rocky saddle connects the city to the north-south range. The approach to ancient Hippos was by way of this saddle. Over it ran a massive basalt aqueduct that carried water into the city. Sections of this aqueduct can still be seen within the city, as well as on the saddle ridge.

During the 1952 excavations, 24 sections were found below the main street pavement. Each section is square outside but circular and hollow inside. The sections are joined by spigots and sockets and reinforced with plaster. The aqueduct entered the city at the east gate - the main gate into the city - and continued beneath the main street to the nymphaeum.

The southern pier of the east gate is an important part of the city wall and has been well preserved. A circular tower strengthened the wall. Built into a rocky slope, the lower part of the tower has a stone fill and a thing layer of plaster. The structure of the tower shows two building phases from the Roman and Byzantine periods. On the northern side, only the foundations of the gate pier have survived. From here the wall turns west, at a point not far from the gate. At this corner a two-story square tower was built to command the northeastern entrance to the city.

In the west, the main street stops at a much smaller city gate. This gate provided easy access into and out of the town for farmers. Remains of a well-preserved city wall were also found in the west. Below this city is a steep approach that makes this entrance very dangerous. Beyond the west gate is a group of large rocks, which were most likely used to defend the city against enemies. Graves, dating back to the Byzantine period, were found not far from these rocks.

--The above was summarized from the New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land.  It shows the state of knowledge prior to the current excavations.