Abila (Decapolis)

Abila in the Decapolis

Abila Dekapoleos
A view into Wadi Qweilibeh from the flank of Tell Umm al-Amad. The forested strip in the foreground is the course of a stream[1] The structures beyond the stream are a cemetery, with rock-cut tombs up on the far slope.
Abila Jordan
Alternative name	Seleukeia (Greek), Seleucia (Latin), Raphana (Latin), Quwaylibah (Arabic)
Location	Irbid Governorate
Region	Northern Region (geographic only)
Coordinates	32°40′52″N 35°52′11″E / 32.68111°N 35.86972°E / 32.68111; 35.86972
Altitude	440[2] m (1,444 ft)
Type	Settlement
Part of	Dekapolis
Length	1,500 m (0.93 mi)[2]
Width	600 m (0.37 mi)[2]
History
Material	Mainly limestone blocks quarried locally
Founded	1950 BC, start of Middle Bronze Age

Abila, distinguished as Abila in the Decapolis (

The name of the south hill, Umm al-Amad, means "Mother of the Columns", where large columns can be found.[5]

Geology

The natural stone of the Transjordan region is beds of limestone and chalky limestone laid down in marine deposits in the Eocene and raised above sea level as the Belqa Group in the middle Eocene. Their relatively soft stone is extensively transected by eroded wadis and is covered by meters of erosional soil termed terra rossa The Abila site is covered by approximately a meter of another, closely related soil, Rendzina. Both soils are fertile, contributing to the agriculture and arboriculture of the area.^[6]

Topography and spatial evolution

Tell Umm al-Amad is also termed Khirbet Umm al-Amad, where khirbet is "ruined settlement."^{[citation needed]} As the wadi is aligned north-south at that location, Tell Umm al-Amad is dubbed "the south tell."^{[citation needed]} The unit of north and south tells create a defensible elevation similar to an acropolis surrounded on three sides by wadis.^{[citation needed]} Tell in Arabic means only "hill", and the archaeological connotation of "hill of accumulated debris" in this case does not apply, as the city was built over two natural hills on the left bank of Wadi ("valley") Qweilibeh.^{[citation needed]}. Its area is delineated by hills and escarpments.^{[citation needed]}

The presence of a city wall first constructed in the Iron Age and enhanced under the Macedonians and Romans defined the defensible part of the settlement. In shape the walled city at its peak was an elongated rectangle beginning on the stream-facing slope of Tell Abila and slanting across the depression between the two hills to end at the summit of the south hill.^{[citation needed]}

The archaeology bears out that the settlement on the north hill was the original Abila. Most of the city was in the saddle-shaped surface between the two hills. The slopes were overcome by terracing the saddle.^{[citation needed]}

However defensible, a city on a hill could not exist without native water and food supplies.^{[citation needed]}

History and archaeology

The site was in use from the

The first known European to visit the site was Ulrich Jasper Seetzen in 1806.^[4] G. Schumacher has given a protracted description of the site, in his work Abilah of the Decapolis, published by the Palestine Exploration Fund.^[8] The ruins have been described in published literature as early as 1889 by Guy Le Strange.^{[citation needed]} The site has been extensively excavated since 1980.^{[citation needed]} While several of its ancient structures have been excavated including aqueducts, tombs, gates and public buildings, much of it remains unexcavated, yet visible at the surface.^{[citation needed]}

Bronze Age

Abila possibly appears in one of the 14th century BC Amarna letters as Ia-bi-li-ma.^[5]

Iron Age

The first city wall was built during the Iron Age.^{[citation needed]}

Hellenistic period

Abila was taken by Roman general Pompey in 63 BCE and granted independence.^[4] In the ensuing Roman and Byzantine periods, Abila reached a position of regional importance.^[4] Abila was part of the Hellenistic city league known as the Decapolis, as proven by an inscription from the time of Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138), in spite of it missing from the list given by Pliny.^[4]

Archaeological evidence, including a temple, coins, and

Abila continued to thrive in the Byzantine period and became a prominent regional Christian centre, as proven by the presence of several large churches.^[4] Further evidence has shown that the site was used for Christian worship from at least the seventh- to eighth-century.^[11]

Destruction visited upon the city by either war (the conquest by

Abila was a Christian episcopal see and, since it was part of the late Roman province of Palaestina Secunda, it is distinguished from another town and bishopric of the same name in the province of Phoenicia by being called Abila in Palaestina.

The names of three of its bishops are given in extant contemporary documents. In 518, Solomon signed the synodal letter of Patriarch John of Jerusalem

No longer a residential bishopric, Abila is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.^[14][13]

Ecological threats

The main threats to the site have been identified as development pressures, insufficient management, unsustainable tourism, water erosion (rain and spring). Both urban and agricultural development pressures are increasing in the area, due to its fertile soil, gentle climate and water availability. Tourism is unmonitored and there are little interpretation and no facilities provided for tourists. The site is not expected to be a large tourism draw given its proximity to the more popular Umm Qais site.^[15]

See also

• List of titular sees
• Abila (Peraea)
• List of ancient Greek cities

References