On our way back from Yodfat to our apartment in Ramat Gan, we stopped at Tzipori National Park, an impressive archeological site with layers of Roman, Byzantine, Jewish and Crusader history. We climbed down into the city's ancient water cisterns, which form a long, narrow canyon more than 50 feet deep and which once were part of a continuous water supply system that brought water to the city from a spring about eight miles away. We also marveled at the wonderfully preserved mosaics, including the floor of an ancient synagogue. And we enjoyed the small museum of ancient artifacts, housed in an air-conditioned (woohoo!) Crusader citadel. It was a big hit with our kids, who loved walking the ancient colonnaded streets, imagining what the city was like in its heyday, picnicking on the shaded benches overlooking the site, and, of course, visiting the gift shop and buying ice cream.
The city was first settled in the second century BCE and served as the Roman capital of the Galilee after being conquered in 63 BCE by the Roman general Pompeii. The first century historian Josephus Flavius described the city as "the ornament of the Galilee." Tzipori was also the birthplace in the second century of the Mishnah, the oldest codification of Jewish oral law.
Archeological explorations continue to unearth more discoveries at this most worthwhile site; thus far, the most prized mosaic is referred to as the "Mona Lisa of the Galilee." Is she smiling?
The city was first settled in the second century BCE and served as the Roman capital of the Galilee after being conquered in 63 BCE by the Roman general Pompeii. The first century historian Josephus Flavius described the city as "the ornament of the Galilee." Tzipori was also the birthplace in the second century of the Mishnah, the oldest codification of Jewish oral law. 
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