Bianca Gardner and Joseph L. Rife (eds.), "Ammianus Marcellinus, History 14.8.11-14.8.12" in Caesarea Maritima: A Collection of Testimonia entry published June 30, 2023, https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/50
  
    
      
        https://caesarea-maritima.org/testimonia/50
      
      
        Caesaream, and Caesarea are directly attested at Ammianus Marcellinus, History 14.8.11-14.8.12. This passage was written ca. 380-390 C.E. possibly in Rome.
      Ammianus Marcellinus grew up in the Greek East, probably Syria or
            Phoenicia, during the second quarter of the 4th century, and as an adult served in the
            military under Constantius II and Julian. He wrote a record of events or “achievements”
               (res gestae) of the Roman state, though only the chapters covering
            the years 353-378 C.E. survive. In his survey of the eastern provinces (14.8), Ammianus
            here describes the topography and environment of Roman Palestine, including its chief
            city Caesarea Maritima.
      
        (11) Ultima Syriarum est Palaestina, per intervalla magna protenta,
            cultis abundans terris et nitidis, et civitates habens quasdam egregias, nullam nulli
            cedentem, sed sibi vicissim velut ad perpendiculum aemulas:
               Caesaream, quam ad honorem Octaviani principis exaedificavit
            Herodes, et Eleutheropolim et Neapolim, itidemque Ascalonem Gazam, aevo superiore
            exstructas. (12) In his tractibus navigerum nusquam visitur flumen, et in locis plurimis
            aquae suapte natura calentes emergunt, ad usus aptae multiplicem medellarum. Verum has
            quoque regiones pari sorte Pompeius Iudeis domitis et Hierosolymis captis, in provinciae
            speciem delata iuris dictione formavit.
        
        
        Ed. Seyfarth
               1978
      
      
        (11) The last region of the Syrias is Palestine, extending over a
            great extent of territory and abounding in cultivated and well-kept lands; it also has
            some splendid cities, none of which yields to any of the others, but they rival one
            another, as it were, by the plumb-line. These are Caesarea, which
            Herod built in honor of the emperor Octavian, Eleutheropolis, and Neapolis, along with
            Ascalon and Gaza, built in a former age. (12) In these districts no navigable river is
            anywhere to be seen, but in numerous places natural warm springs gush forth, adapted to
            many medicinal uses. But these regions also met with a similar fate, being formed into a
            province by Pompey after he had defeated the Jews and taken Jerusalem [in 63 B.C.E.],
            but left to the jurisdiction of a goverrnor.
        
        
        Trans. Rolfe
               1930
      
      
        Works Cited
        
          
          14
          8.11-12
        
        
          
          1
          70-71
        
      
    
        [on Pompey conquering Jerusalem and setting up Judaea]
      
      
        Ascalon
        Eleutheropolis
        Gaza
        Jerusalem
        Neapolis
        Palestine
        Syria
      
      
        Augustus, emperor
        Gn. Pompeius Magnus
        Herod I, king
      
      
        Geography
        Government and Law
        Herodian Dynasty
        Military
        Natural Environment
        Roman History