Nysa-Scythopolis , a Greco-Roman polis of the Decapolis , originated during the Hellenistic period , while its remarkable historical chapters ended at 749 CE in a destructive earthquake . Its vast excavations ( 1986 – 2000 ) and the subsequent research conducted by Dr. Gabriel Mazor , the expedition director , focused mainly on the city 's civic center and its monumental public buildings . Mazor 's research was naturally devoted to the history of the Greco-Roman polei in the region during the Hellenistic , Roman and Byzantine periods . His research is focused on the classical architecture of the various monuments revealed during the excavations , such as city-gates , colonnaded streets , theaters and odea , municipal and state fora , their basilica and temples , all integrated within the polis urban planning . Mazor 's research focused on architectural analysis of monuments and their décor , seeking patterns of traditional origins and influences . The analysis of the Roman period architectural patterns and their political and ideological part in shaping the image of Empire was followed by the research into social religious and economic topics , such as the polis inhabitants ' ethnicity , their religious affiliations throughout the polis ' history , the origins of its economic prosperity and its administrative status throughout the Hellenistic , Roman and Byzantine periods . These fields of interest were gradually widened to include other Roman polei in the region as well as cultic centers of the region throughout the Roman period
749 CE in a destructive earthquake
749 Galilee earthquake
Gaby Mazor