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History |
| Gerasa (Jerash)
The site of Gerasa is in the valley of the Chrysorhoas, a tributary of the Jabbok River, which in turn flows into the Jordan. It lies forty-two Kilometers (30 miles) north of Philadelphia (modern Amman). The ruins are generally considered second only to Petra as a historical attraction and have been favorably compared in grandeur to the ruins of Pompey. Charles Pfeiffer writes, "Gerasa proved to be the best preserved example of a small colonial town in the Near East." Among the outstanding features are Hadrian's Arch (A.D. 130), the Forum, South Theater, the Temple of Zeus, the main street of columns (laid out between A.D. 39 and 76), the Nymphaeum, temple of Artemis, and North Theater. Pompey made Gerasa a part of the Decapolis in 63 B.C., and the city flourished under the Romans. Hadrian visited the city in A.D. 129, and he built the arch at the south entrance of the city, which still stands today at nearly half its original height. At the north entrance to the city is the road to Pella, only twenty miles away to the northwest. Abila lies some thirty-five miles away to the northeast, and the ruins at Jerash help immeasurably in our effort to understand the ruins at Tell Abila and Umm el 'Amad. |
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