Present-day Caesarea is located midway between Tel Aviv and Haifa on the coastal plain of the Mediterranean Sea. The ancient city, known as Caesarea Maritima, was built by Herod the Great about 25–13 B.C. as a major port. With no reliable source of fresh water, Herod commissioned a system of aqueducts (surviving section shown) to supply water from the springs of nearby Mount Carmel.