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Friday, July 10, 2020

All things take place by change

Observe constantly that all things take place by change, and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the Universe loves nothing so much as to change the things which are and to make new things like them. For everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be.  Marcus Aurelius.  Meditations.  Book 4.



Image:  Mosaic of Tyche, of Beit She'an, ancient Scythopolis, in the northern district of Israel, wearing a crown with the town's walls, and holding a Cornucopia, with a Phoenix tree in it.  The site was originally settled during the Late Neolithic and Early Chalcolithic periods and continued during the Bronze Age.  During the 15th century BCE the site was conquered by Pharaoh Thutmose III and became an Egyptian military and administration center. But Beit She'an was destroyed during  the Assyrian conquest of the Levant by Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 BCE.   During the Hellenistic Period, the site was reoccupied by Scythian mercenaries who settled there as veterans, hence the name change to Scythopolis.  After Pompey made Judea part of the Roman empire in 63 BCE, Beit She'an was again rebuilt by Gabinius and became the leading city of the Decapolis.  The city flourished under the "Pax Romana", as evidenced by high-level urban planning and extensive construction, including the best preserved Roman theatre of ancient Samaria, as well as a hippodrome, a cardo and other trademarks of the Roman influence.  Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Yuvalif.  Image digitally adjusted for perspective.

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