Map of the Decapolis showing the location of Bet She'an (here called by its Greek name, Scythopolis)

Bet She'an (Hebrew בית שאן unofficially also spelled Beit Shean, Beth Shean; Arabic بيسان Baysān) is a city in the North District in Israel. In Hellenistic and Roman times the city was called Scythopolis in Greek. The city was one of the Decapolis, the "Ten Cities" of northern Palestine that were centers of Greco-Roman culture. In According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2001 the city had a total population of 15,700. The Modern Hebrew language is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. ... Arabic is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... North District, or Northern District, in Israel includes the following towns and cities: Afula עפולה Akko (Acre) עכו Bet Shean בית שאן Caesarea (Qesarriya) קיסריה Karmiel כרמיאל Maalot-Tarshiha Migdal HaEmeq מגדל העמק Nahariyya נהריה Nazareth נצרת Nazerat Illit נצרת עילית Sakhnin סחנין Shefa-Amr (Shfaram) שפרעם... The term Hellenistic (established by the German historian Johann Gustav Droysen) in the history of the ancient world is used to refer to the shift from a culture dominated by ethnic Greeks, however scattered geographically, to a culture dominated by Greek-speakers of whatever ethnicity, and from the political dominance... Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and a commune. ... The oval forum and cardo of Gerasa The Decapolis (Greek: deka, ten; polis, city) was a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Syria and Palestine. ... Israel Central Bureau of Statistics is a state organization for the creation and maintenance of numeric data related to populations vis a vis the ethnic makeup of Israel and its cities. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Demographics

According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.6% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. There are 35 immigrant settlers. See Population groups in Israel. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... There are three factors which may assist to varying degrees in determining whether someone is considered Arab or not: Political: whether they live in a country which is a member of the Arab League (or, more vaguely, the Arab world); this definition covers more than 300 million people. ... Population groups in Israel are the major ethnic groups of Jews and Arabs. ...

According to CBS, in 2001 there were 7,900 males and 7,800 females. The population of the city was spread out with 40.5% 19 years of age or younger, 16.6% between 20 and 29, 19.4% between 30 and 44, 14.2% from 45 to 59, 2.6% from 60 to 64, and 6.6% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was -0.2%.

Income

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 4,980 salaried workers and 301 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 4,200, a real change of 3.3% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 5,314 (a real change of 5.1%) versus ILS 2,998 for females (a real change of -1.0%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,106. There are 470 people who receive unemployment benefits and 1,409 people who receive an income guarantee. 1 sheqel coin (1994–5). ...

Education

According to CBS, there are 16 schools and 3,809 students in the city. They are spread out as 10 elementary schools and 2,008 elementary school students, and 10 high schools and 1,801 high school students. 56.2% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.