Joppa
Joppa, an ancient city located on a rocky hill along the Mediterranean coast near modern-day Tel Aviv, has a rich historical significance dating back to the second millennium BC. It served as an active harbor town on a key trade route known as the Way of the Sea. Throughout its history, Joppa was ruled by various powers, including the Philistines, Israelites, and Persians, reflecting its strategic importance in the region. According to Greek mythology, the city was founded by King Cepheus and named after his wife, Iopia, with the legend of Andromeda and Perseus being tied to its origins.
During its peak, Joppa was captured by Alexander the Great, who established it as a mint, and it later oscillated between Ptolemaic and Seleucid control before becoming a significant port for the Hasmonaean state. The city experienced periods of autonomy and conflict, notably during the First Jewish Revolt when it was destroyed by Vespasian and later refounded. Joppa's historical narrative encompasses cultural and religious dimensions, illustrated by mentions in the Acts of the Apostles regarding St. Peter. Excavations conducted in the mid-20th century uncovered remnants from various periods, including Persian and Hellenistic, showcasing the city's long-standing significance in the region.
Subject Terms
Joppa
(Jaffa)
Situated in the central sector of the coastal plain of Judaea (now adjoining Tel Aviv to its south), the ancient city was built on a rock hill one hundred and sixteen feet high, which juts out onto the Mediterranean. A natural breakwater formed an anchorage on the north side of the promontory. In the second millennium BC Joppa was already an active harbor town on the Way of the Sea (the Ways of Horus), the coastal route from Egypt through the Levant. Later the township passed successively into the hands of the Philistines, Israelites, kings of Judah, Assyrians and Persians, who gave it to the rulers of Sidon (Saida). According to Greek mythology, the place was founded by King Cepheus, who named it after his wife Iopia (Cassiopeia). As a sacrifice to a sea monster, it was believed, their daughter Andromeda was chained to a rock in the harbor, but the hero Perseus killed the monster and saved her.
After a brief period of independence, Joppa was captured by Alexander the Great, who employed it as a mint, as did the Ptolemies later on. Next, after oscillating repeatedly between Ptolemaic and Seleucid domination, the city passed during the second century into the hands of the newly independent Hasmonaean (Maccabean) state, of which it became the principal port, receiving a draft of Jewish colonists and resuming coinage. In 138 Simon defeated a Seleucid attempt to regain control; but Pompey the Great occupied Joppa, and granted it autonomy (63). Nevertheless, this proved shortlived, since the town was subsequently in the possession of Cleopatra VII of Egypt and then of Herod the Great of Judaea (37–4), who found its population so hostile, however, that he transferred his main port to Caesarea Maritima. Subsequently Joppa belonged to the Roman province of Judaea (AD 6). The Acts of the Apostles refer to St. Peter's stay at the house of Simon the Tanner.
During the First Jewish Revolt (First Roman War, AD 66–73), Vespasian attacked and destroyed the town, refounding it with the title of Flavia and introducing a Roman garrison. Nevertheless, the Jewish community slowly revived, as a number of tombs of the ensuing half-century indicate. Three inscriptions refer to a certain Judah, inspector of weights and measures under Trajan (98–117). Coins were issued in the reign of Elagabalus (218–22), displaying a figure of Athena. The ancient mound of Joppa was excavated between 1955 and 1966. Part of the wall goes back to the Persian period, and a large fortress of Hellenistic date has been traced, as well as sparse remains of the Roman epoch.