The Town, Tiberias is located at the west side of the Sea of Galilee. The old city is located on the shore at Galilee. The new city, with a population of 40,000 has spread out around the old section and extends to the sides and to the top of the hills around. The Town, Tiberias has a historical background for its development.
Tiberias is one of the 4 Jewish Holy cities, and the capital of Galilee. Since it was established in the early Roman period, it has a long history of its own. After the loss of Jerusalem, Tiberias was a religious, administrative and culture center of the Jewish nation. Many of the most important post-bible books have been written in the town. The town was the home to many Jewish scholars.
Tiberias at the biblical times was located first in Tell Rakkath which was 2 kilometers north of the Roman Tiberias. Another village was located in Hammat, which is also known as the hot springs town. Today it lies in the south of the city.
The Town, Tiberias was founded in 18 AD by Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the great and Jewish ruler of the Galilee. He was appointed Augustus Caesar as the ruler of Galilee and Peraea. He made the new city his capital. He named the city after the Roman Emperor, Tiberius Caesar.
Later in 54 AD, the emperor Claudius added his name to the city. There after the city came to be known as Tiberias Claudiupolis. Herod also minted coins in the city, with its name imprinted on it. As Jews refused to settle here Herod used the coins to encourage Jews to settle in the new city. It took the city more than 110 years to find a religious way to overcome this problem.
Josefus Flavius fortified it during the Jewish revolt against the Romans. When the Romans finally came; the city opened its gates to Vespasian. Thereby widespread destruction was spared. After the revolt, at the end of the 1st Century AD, the center of the Jewish population moved to the Galilee. The religious and administrative leadership moved to this city. It was its fourth and last Galilee location.
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