Beit Shean was inhabited in the Early Bronze Age as one of the first urban centers in the region. During the Late Bronze Age, the city becomes an Egyptian administration center until their withdrawal from Canaan around 1150 BCE. Beit Shean mentioned in the Bible as a Philistine city and here is where were the bodies of King Saul and his son Jonathan exposed dead on the city walls after their defeat in the battle of the nearby Mount Gilboa. The city was conquered and destroyed by the Assyrians in 732 BCE. During the Hellenistic period, Beit Shean was in important Greek Polis and demolished by the Hasmoneans in around 100 BCE. During the Roman time, the city flourished and became an administrative center. In the Byzantine period, the city continued to grow and became the capital of the Palaestina Secunda province. Under the early Muslim control, in 749 AD, Beit Shean destroyed entirely by a massive earthquake, and it is deserted since then. Today, you can climb the upper Tel, see the Egyptian governor house and the Canaanite/Egyptian temples. From there you can view the entire Roman city below and the surrounding landscape of Beit Shean valley and the encircling mountains. In the Roman/Byzantine city, you can walk through the well-preserved streets, the public baths, the public toilets (latrines), the temples, the nymphaeum and the Roman theater. Outside the National Park and nearby, you can see the Roman amphitheater.