MY HOME IN PALESTINE. 133 



made, leaving the upper part of the wall intact, thus 

 forming rude archways through which the breakers 

 swept into the base of the cliff. Following round to 

 the southern side, I again entered a vault, this time suf- 

 ficiently lighted by apertures to allow me to perceive 

 that it was about 120 yards in length, 30 feet in 

 breadth, and about the same in height. The natives 

 used it for storing their grain. Altogether I know of 

 no more impressive ruin to the west of the Jordan 

 than Athlit, though it is scarcely ever visited by tra- 

 vellers probably because no Biblical association at- 

 taches to it, and because it, of course, does not com- 

 pare with the ruins to the east of the Jordan, and 

 with those of other parts of Syria outside of Pales- 

 tine. The earliest mention of Athlit, so far as I have 

 been able to discover, is in the Talmud and Midrash, 

 where it is called by the name of "Better" (it is 

 known among the Arabs to this day as " Bitter ") in 

 connection with the historical record of that remark- 

 able revolt undertaken by the Jews against the Ro- 

 mans in the year A.D. 130, under the leadership of 

 Simon, surnamed Barcochebas, " son of the star," who 

 was recognised by the celebrated Eabbi ben Akiba as 

 the Messiah, and who succeeded in wresting from the 

 Eoman rule a large portion of the ancient Jewish 

 kingdom, and in maintaining his independence during 

 three years and a half. Better was one of the prin- 

 cipal strongholds of this short-lived struggle, and is 

 celebrated in Jewish literature as the last spot upon 



