Outer portico of Herod the Great's sea-side palace at Caesarea Maritima. The columns supported a massive rectangular covered porch running around the open-air garden in the middle. The garden itself would have included paths for visitors to follow, appreciating the exotic plants nurtured there. The inner sections of the palace (reception areas, living quarters, etc.) lay to the West of this portico, off the left-hand edge of the picture, on a narrow spit of land jutting into the Mediterranean. After the Romans assumed direct rule of Palestine the palace was used by the Roman governor (Prefect or later Procurator).