After the Roman conquest in 63 BC Gerasa and the surrounding land were annexed by the Roman province of Syria. The Romans ensured security and peace in this area, which enabled its people to devote their efforts to economic development and civic building activity. The emperor Hadrian visited Gerasa in AD 129-130. The Arch of Hadrian was built to celebrate his visit. There are a large number of striking monuments located in Gerasa: the Corinthium column, Hadrian's Arch, a circus/hippodrome, two immense temples (to Zeus and Artemis), the nearly unique oval Forum, which is surrounded by a fine colonnade, a long colonnaded street or cardo, two theatres, two baths, a scattering of small temples and an almost complete circuit of city walls. Most of these monuments were built by donations of the city's wealthy citizens.
The Roman Legions consisted of several units of heavy infantry known as legionaries. Because of the enormous military successes of the Roman Empire, the legion has long been regarded as the prime ancient model for military efficiency and ability. Legions were composed of the following units:
Equites - cavalry
Velites - light infantry
Principes - heavy infantry, iron helmet, shield, armour and
Pilum (heavy javelin) and gladius (short sword.)
A gladiator was an armed combatant who entertained audiences in the Roman Empire in violent confrontations with other gladiators, wild animals, and condemned criminals. Some gladiators were volunteers who risked their legal and social standing and their lives by appearing in the arena. Gladiators offered audiences an example of Rome's martial ethics and, in fighting or dying well, they could inspire admiration and popular acclaim. They were celebrated in high and low art, and their value as entertainers was commemorated in precious and commonplace objects throughout the Roman world.
The King's Highway is over 5,000 years old. Going from Jerash to Jordan via Amman, it is one of the most historic highways in the world. The Kings Highway was a trade route of vital importance to the ancient Middle East. It began in Egypt, and stretched across the Sinai Peninsula to Aqaba. From there it turned northward, leading to Damascus and the Euphrates River.
Madaba is best known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of The Holy Land on the floor of St. Georges Church. The town of Madaba was once a Moabite border city, mentioned in the Bible in Numbers 21:30 and Joshua 13:9. During its rule by the Roman and Byzantine Empires from the second to the seventh centuries AD, the city formed part of the Provincia Arabia set up by the Roman Emperor Trajan to replace the Nabataean kingdom of Petra. The first witness of a Christian community in the city, with its own bishop, is found in the Acts of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The resettlement of the city ruins by 90 Arab Christian families from Kerak, led by two Italian priests from the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in 1880, saw the start of archaeological research.
Mount Nebo at 2680 feet above sea level in western Jordan provides a panorama of the Holy Land and, to the north a view of the valley of the River Jordan. According to the final chapter of Deuteronomy, Mount Nebo is where the Hebrew prophet Moses was given a view of the Promised Land that God was giving to the Israelites. "And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho." (Deuteronomy 34:1). On the highest point of the mountain, Syagha, the remains of a church and monastery were discovered in 1933. The church was first constructed in the second half of the 4th century to commemorate the place of Moses' death. In the modern chapel presbytery are remnants of mosaic floors from different periods. It covers an area of 9 x 3 m and depicts the monastic pastime of wine-making, as well as hunters, with a rich assortment of Middle Eastern flora and fauna.
HOME
Our Travels
Jordan Photos 3