Sebaste, known in Hebrew as Shomron, was the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. The Bible tells us that it was established by Omri, King of Israel who bought it from a man named Shemer and called it Samaria. (Kings 16:24). The city was restored to glory during the Roman period, first under Herod who dedicated the city to the Roman emperor Augustus whose Greek name was Sebastos. During the next several centuries Sebaste became an important center of Roman rule and culture in the Land of Israel. A series of archaeological expeditions have uncovered magnificent buildings and Hellenistic cultural institutions from the period, including as a theater, hippodrome, forum, and temple. During their rule in Israel, the Crusader Kingdom reestablished the city’s importance. Perhaps they did so because one of the sites at which the head of John the Baptist was believed to have been buried lies just south of the city.