The sprawling ruins pictured above contain the remains of Caesarea’s temple complex. The temple, dedicated by Herod to Roma, the personification of Rome, and to the Emperor Augustus, was one of the most grandiose in the late Hellenistic world. On festival days bulls were slaughtered and burned on the altar, and choirs sang hymns in praise of Herod and his imperial patron. The temple was an integral part of the harbor complex, creating a single unit that linked both structures to the glory of Rome. The temple faced the harbor, and monumental steps led up from the water’s edge to the temple.