This little fellow is the mascot of the National Park System in Israel. He is an ibex, with a little bird on his shoulder. Ibex are native to this area and wander wild on the deserts. This little fellow greets you as you enter the National Park at Caesarea.
Caesarea is a huge archeological site, now a National Park and completely protected and partially restored. It was a large city from the Roman period, of particular interest to us because of its large harbor--large for the time--created by the Romans to service their troops stationed in this area of the empire.
The remnants of this harbor still remain to be seen today. 
The city was a phenomenal find, because it was in remarkable shape after so many years buried in the sands of the Mediterranean, as well yielding immense amounts of information about the Roman occupation, life, and historical documentation of the military presence of the Romans in this part of the world.
It now is completely uncovered, somewhat restored and open to the public. People are free to wander the entire site, scramble around and even ride a chariott around the hipodrome--well they can imagine themselves doing it.
We spent several hours here wandering the ruins of store rooms, homes with beautiful mosaic floors, riding the chariott, and inspecting the harbor.
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