After four years of additional excavating, between 2011-2015,  the time was appropriate to create an updated Model of  Bethsaida. This version is 100:1 in scale and proportionately larger. Four millimeter thick cork, cut by a CNC laser router, was used to build the City Gate .

About the Images

 The major addition to the current Model is the 'bit-halani' style Palace with its adjacent courtyard.  An additional wall creates the surrouding courtyard. A small tower provides added security to its residents.

This Model has two additional towers. The second one displays a cross-section of the structure, allowing the viewer to see the construction of the massive solid rock walls. There was one additional wall added that projected from the Storage building.

The introduction of the Assyrian army and city defenders gives the viewer  insight into the importance of the City Gate.

More Information

 The creation of the City Gate Model was a collaboartive effort. Nic Birt, an archetect based in New Zealand, and a fellow excavator at Bethsaida did the CAD work.

Nic also meticulously dressed (painted) the Assyrian army, the defenders and the refugees in their appropriate colors.

Nic's CAD files were forwarded to Material Design in Omaha, Ne, who cut the cork parts with their CNC laser router.

Then I had the privelege of taking all the parts and shaping the 8th Century BCE  Bethsiada  story. It was exciting to continue from where I left off on the first Model, to add another chapter to the evolving dramatic history of Bethsaida.