We are in the biblical settlement of Kedesh, which is in the territory allocated to the tribe of Naphtali over 3000 years ago. Since there are several other places in the Bible that are named Kadesh, in this video I review the different places so that we can identify the settlement that actually resides in this place.
Here can be seen one of the largest sarcophagi found in Israel, single and paired. Also found here are large stone lids. It is possible that the sarcophagi stood inside mausoleums which are impressive tombs.
The Roman temple in front of us is one of the most impressive that survived in Israel. This is a temple to the god Baal Shemin, and this is based on several Greek inscriptions found on the site. It is originally a Canaanite god who was the Semitic sky god, one of the main gods in the region of Phoenicia and Syria during the Roman period.
The temple complex consists of an 80 x 55meter complex with the temple in the center.
According to the excavators, the temple was built around the year 117, and it seems that it was severely damaged by an earthquake that struck the area in 363.
Yehuda Holtzman