Hippos or Sussita is an ancient archaeological site in Israel situated on the bank of Sea of Galilee.
Hippos or Sussita is an ancient town situated on top of a flat plateu at an elevation of 350 meters (1150 feet) above the Sea of Galilee. Closest modern city is a Kibbutz Ein Gev. Unique feature of Hippos is the fact that it is largely unexcavated archeological site. Many of the ruins are only partially visible above ground. However the part of the city that is still visible give an impression of the impreesive and luxurious town. Keep in mind however that the site is located on the Israeli side of the 1949 UN- demarcated border between Syria and Israel. Areas outside of the city limits might still carry unexplored mines and ordinances that might still be dangerous. Keep this in mind and don't venture outside of the ancient city walls of Hippos.
First signs of human presence in Hippos or Susita date back to the Neolithic period, however it reached its height during the Roman Republic. In 63 BC the Roman general Pompey gave ten major cities of the Middle East privilege of self- rule. These 10 cities became known as Decapolis ("ten cities" in Greek).
The end of Hippos came abruptly as the earthquake of 749 AD destroyed most of buildings in the city. People who survived this devastating natural disaster abandoned the site and never returned. Hippos was therefore abandoned. If you walk through the ruins of the ancient city you can can see that many of the buildings fell in an orderly fashion. Columns of basilicas and colonnades fall in the same direction following earth trembles