 |
 |
|
History |
| Damascus
Located northeast of Mount Hermon on a large plain east of the Anti-lebanon range and west of the northern most arm of the Arabian Desert, the city of Damascus has survived nearly four thousand years of history to stand among the cities of the twentieth century. During the period of the Old Testament it was the capital city of the Arameans; Under Rome it was the provincial capital of Coele-Syria; and today it is the capital of the modern nation of Syria. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Because of this, remains of many of the earlier civilizations are completely hidden, or have been reused as the city has grown. The site of Damascus was initially the centermost of a series of several small settlements located within a ten mile radius in the early part of the second millennium B.C. The people of the region were initially Amorites, but over the course of the next five centuries the region would play host to several waves of immigration and invasion, including the Canaanites, the Hyksos, the Hittites, and the Mitanni. By the eighteenth and seventeenth centuries B.C. Damascus had come to the forefront as the center of civilization in the region. Its prime location made it a commercial center, and it was one of the primary centers connecting Arabia and Mesopotamia with the western Mycenaean and Hittite civilizations. During the 15th century B.C. the Arameans, began to enter the region in large numbers. By the end of the second millennium the Arameans dominated the region and the city of Damascus had positioned itself at the head of an independent Aramean Kingdom. It was during this period of strength that Damascus would play a key role in the politics of the region, as is noted in the books of I and 11 Kings of the Bible. It was also Damascus that would lead the opposition to Assyria in the 9th and 8th centuries B.C. In the end, however, Damascus would fall to the Assyrians in 732 B.C. and the city's influence would wain. With the fall of Assyria in 612 B.C.E., Damascus would begin a new era of prosperity under a series of overlords, including the Babylonians, the Persians, the Macedonians, and their heirs, the Seleucids. Although its political influence during these years was a mere shadow of its former glory, its location in the midst of so many important trading routes continued to keep the city among the most important commercial sites in the Near East. When Rome entered the region for the first time in the first century B.C. Damascus was made part of the coalition of the Decapolis, as well as the provincial capital of Roman Syria. It has been suggested by some that Damascus in reality only held honorary status within the Decapolis in deference to the Syrian proconsular office. Whatever the case, Damascus would remain one of the principle cities of the eastern Roman Empire for over 400 years. Many of the most significant archaeological fmds from the region can be dated to the Roman period, and to the Christian/Byzantine period that followed it. During the seventh century C.E.the city would fall to Islam, and eventually become the seat of the great Umayyad Caliphate. Coele-Syria The etymology and meaning of this term is problematic. The term "Coele" means "hollow" or "lower" and may refer to the lower part of Syria or perhaps the Beqa Valley. Some however, conclude that the term means "all of Syria." It has been suggested that the term was based upon aram kola ("all of Aram"--Aram being an old designation for Syrian lands). This is based on the assumption that the word "Coele" is a Greek distortion of the Hebrew word kol ("all"). |
| Site Navigation: Home > History > References > Damascus | |
| © 2003. Abila Archaeologoical Project. All images are property of the Abila Archaeological Project.
Home | Webmaster
|