Gerasa and the Decapolis

Gerasa and the Decapolis PDF Author: David Kennedy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472537742
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
During the Long Classical Millennium (fourth century BC to eighth century AD), Northwest Jordan was part of two worlds, looking west to the Mediterranean as well as east towards the Arabian desert. It was not only a collection of distinctive micro-regions but a 'virtual island', isolated by geography on all sides. Here one finds historical and archaeological data of an intensity and quality probably superior to that of any region in the Near East other than Israel. This book exploits some of that evidence to explain the character of an unusual region with a dense network of cities and an unexpected surge of settlement which reached a peak and extent not encountered again until the mid-twentieth century. It explores and develops some of the principal themes one may investigate for the region of Northwest Jordan, but which often apply to the Near East as a whole.

Gerasa and the Decapolis

Gerasa and the Decapolis PDF Author: David Kennedy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472537742
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
During the Long Classical Millennium (fourth century BC to eighth century AD), Northwest Jordan was part of two worlds, looking west to the Mediterranean as well as east towards the Arabian desert. It was not only a collection of distinctive micro-regions but a 'virtual island', isolated by geography on all sides. Here one finds historical and archaeological data of an intensity and quality probably superior to that of any region in the Near East other than Israel. This book exploits some of that evidence to explain the character of an unusual region with a dense network of cities and an unexpected surge of settlement which reached a peak and extent not encountered again until the mid-twentieth century. It explores and develops some of the principal themes one may investigate for the region of Northwest Jordan, but which often apply to the Near East as a whole.

Jerash and the Decapolis

Jerash and the Decapolis PDF Author: Iain Browning
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
Jerash, with Petra and Palmyra, is one of the three great classical city sites of the Near East. Set in a wide, fertile valley in the hills of Gilead in Jordan, Jerash is above all an outstanding example of a rich Roman provincial town, both in its plan and its architecture. It is also the best preserved of the cities of the Decapolis, a group of settlements of Hellenistic origin, first referred to in the Bible, whose shared history and culture extended from the time of Alexander the Great, through the Roman and Byzantine periods, to the advent of Islam. In addition to its magnificent legacy of Roman remains, Jerash has some fine examples of Byzantine art and architecture. To put the site into context, the author explores the history of Jerash and the other Decapolis cities, including the adventures and researches of the nineteenth- and twentieth-century travellers and scholars. Against this background, Jerash as it is today is then described and illustrated with 146 architectural drawings, plans, reconstructions, photographs and maps. Of special interest are the nineteenth-century photographs, which show what dramatic changes have taken place in the last hundred years.

A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East

A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East PDF Author: Ted Kaizer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444339826
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 580

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Book Description
Discover a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary handbook exploring several sub-regions and key themes perfect for a new generation of students A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East delivers the first complete handbook in the area of Hellenistic and Roman Near Eastern history. The book is divided into sections dealing with interdisciplinary source material, each with a great deal of regional variety and engaging with several key themes. It integrates discussions of the classical Near East with the typical undergraduate teaching syllabus in the Anglo-Saxon world. All contributors in this edited volume are leading scholars in their field, with a combination of established researchers and academics, and emerging voices. Contributors hail from countries across several continents, and work in various disciplines, including Ancient History, Archaeology, Art History, Epigraphy, Numismatics, and Oriental Studies. In addition to furthering the integration of the Levantine lands in the classical periods into the teaching canon, the book offers readers: The first comprehensively structured Companion and edited handbook on the Hellenistic and Roman Near East Extensive regional and sub-regional variety in the cross-disciplinary source material A way to compensate for the recent destruction of monuments in the region and the new generation of researchers’ inability to examine these historical stages in person An integration of the study of the Hellenistic and Roman Near East with traditional undergraduate teaching syllabi in the Anglo-Saxon world Perfect for undergraduate history and classics students studying the Near East, A Companion to the Hellenistic and Roman Near East will also earn a place in the libraries of graduate students and scholars working within Near Eastern studies, as well as interested members of the public with a passion for history.

The Hippodrome of Gerasa

The Hippodrome of Gerasa PDF Author: Antoni A. Ostrasz†
Publisher: Archaeopress Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1784918148
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 504

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Book Description
This book presents the study of Roman circuses and the complex fieldwork for the restoration of the Jarash Hippodrome, a work in progress abruptly ended by the untimely death of Antoni A. Ostrasz in 1996. It aims to provide researchers as well as restorers of ancient monuments with unparalleled insights of architectural studies for anastyloses.

Early Islamic Syria

Early Islamic Syria PDF Author: Alan Walmsley
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472537769
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
After more than a century of neglect, a profound revolution is occurring in the way archaeology addresses and interprets developments in the social history of early Islamic Syria-Palestine. This concise book offers an innovative assessment of social and economic developments in Syria-Palestine shortly before, and in the two centuries after, the Islamic expansion (the later sixth to the early ninth century AD), drawing on a wide range of new evidence from recent archaeological work. Alan Walmsley challenges conventional explanations for social change with the arrival of Islam, arguing for considerable cultural and economic continuity rather than devastation and unrelenting decline. Much new, and increasingly non-elite, architectural evidence and an ever-growing corpus of material culture indicate that Syria-Palestine entered a new age of social richness in the early Islamic period, even if the gains were chronologically and regionally uneven.

The Middle East Under Rome

The Middle East Under Rome PDF Author: Maurice Sartre
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 9780674016835
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 700

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Book Description
The ancient Middle East was the theater of passionate interaction between Phoenicians, Aramaeans, Arabs, Jews, Greeks, and Romans. At the crossroads of the Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, and the Arabian peninsula, the area dominated by what the Romans called Syria was at times a scene of violent confrontation, but more often one of peaceful interaction, of prosperous cultivation, energetic production, and commerce--a crucible of cultural, religious, and artistic innovations that profoundly determined the course of world history. Maurice Sartre has written a long overdue and comprehensive history of the Semitic Near East (modern Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel) from the eve of the Roman conquest to the end of the third century C.E. and the dramatic rise of Christianity. Sartre's broad yet finely detailed perspective takes in all aspects of this history, not just the political and military, but economic, social, cultural, and religious developments as well. He devotes particular attention to the history of the Jewish people, placing it within that of the whole Middle East. Drawing upon the full range of ancient sources, including literary texts, Greek, Latin, and Semitic inscriptions, and the most recent archaeological discoveries, The Middle East under Rome will be an indispensable resource for students and scholars. This absorbing account of intense cultural interaction will also engage anyone interested in the history of the Middle East.

Atlas of Jordan

Atlas of Jordan PDF Author: Myriam Ababsa
Publisher: Presses de l’Ifpo
ISBN: 235159438X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 492

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Book Description
This atlas aims to provide the reader with key pointers for a spatial analysis of the social, economic and political dynamics at work in Jordan, an exemplary country of the Middle East complexities. Being a product of seven years of scientific cooperation between Ifpo, the Royal Jordanian Geographic Center and the University of Jordan, it includes the contributions of 48 European, Jordanian and International researchers. A long historical part followed by sections on demography, economy, social disparities, urban challenges and major town and country planning, sheds light on the formation of Jordanian territories over time. Jordan has always been looked on as an exception in the Middle East due to the political stability that has prevailed since the country’s Independence in 1946, despite the challenge of integrating several waves of Palestinian, Iraqi and - more recently - Syrian refugees. Thanks to this stability and the peace accord signed with Israel in 1994, Jordan is one of the first countries in the world for development aid per capita.

The Hellenistic Settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa

The Hellenistic Settlements in Syria, the Red Sea Basin, and North Africa PDF Author: Getzel M. Cohen
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520931025
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 503

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Book Description
This authoritative and sweeping compendium, the second volume in Getzel Cohen's organized survey of the Greek settlements founded or refounded in the Hellenistic period, provides historical narratives, detailed references, citations, and commentaries on all the settlements in Syria, The Red Sea Basin, and North Africa from 331 to 31 BCE. Organized geographically, the volume pulls together discoveries and debates from dozens of widely scattered archaeological and epigraphic projects. Cohen's magisterial breadth of focus enables him to provide more than a compilation of information; the volume also contributes to ongoing questions and will point the way toward new avenues of inquiry.

The Roman Army and the New Testament

The Roman Army and the New Testament PDF Author: Christopher B. Zeichmann
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1978704038
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
Though New Testament scholars have written extensively on the Roman Empire, the topic of the military has been conspicuously neglected, leading many academics to defer to popular wisdom. Against this trend, The Roman Army and the New Testament provides a clear discussion of issues that are often taken for granted: Who served in the military of early Roman Palestine? Why did men join the Roman army, seemingly at odds with their own interests as subject peoples? What roles did soldiers serve beyond combat? How did civilians interact with and perceive soldiers? These questions are answered through careful analysis of ancient literature, inscriptions, papyri, and archaeological findings to paint a detailed portrait of soldier-civilian interactions in early Roman Palestine. Contrary to common assumption, Judaea and Galilee were not crawling with Roman legionaries with a penchant for cruelty. Rather, a diverse mix of men from Palestine and nearby regions served as soldiers in a variety of social roles: infrastructure construction, dispute mediation, bodyguarding officials like tax-collectors, etc. Readers will discover a variety of complex attitudes civilians held toward men of Roman violence throughout the Roman East. The importance of these historical issues for biblical scholarship is demonstrated through a verse-by-verse commentary on relevant passages that stretches across the entire New Testament, from the Slaughter of the Innocents in Matthew’s nativity to the climactic battle with the Great Beast in Revelation. Biblical scholars, seminarians, and military enthusiasts will find much to learn about the Roman army in both the New Testament and early Roman Palestine.

Urban Centers and Rural Contexts in Late Antiquity

Urban Centers and Rural Contexts in Late Antiquity PDF Author: Thomas S. Burns
Publisher: MSU Press
ISBN: 0870138987
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 454

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Book Description
Recent publications on urbanism and the rural environment in Late Antiquity, most of which explore a single region or narrow chronological niche, have emphasized either textual or archeological evidence. None has attempted the more ambitious task of bringing together the full range of such evidence within a multiregional perspective and around common themes. Urban Centers and Rural Contexts seeks to redress this omission. While ancient literature and the physical remains of cities attest to the power that urban values held over the lives of their inhabitants, the rural areas in which the majority of imperial citizens lived have not been well served by the historical record. Only recently have archeological excavations and integrated field surveys sufficiently enhanced our knowledge of the rural contexts to demonstrate the continuing interdependence of urban centers and rural communities in Late Antiquity. These new data call into question the conventional view that this interdependence progressively declined as a result of governmental crises, invasions, economic dislocation, and the success of Christianization. The essays in this volume require us to abandon the search for a single model of urban and rural change; to reevaluate the cities and towns of the Empire as centers of habitation, rather than archeological museums; and to reconsider the evidence of continuous and pervasive cultural change across the countryside. Deploying a wide range of material as well as literary evidence, the authors provide access not only into the world of élites, but also to the scarcely known lives of those without a voice in the literature, those men and women who worked in the shops, labored in the fields, and humbled themselves before their gods. They bring us closer to the complexity of life in late ancient communities and, in consequence, closer to both urban and rural citizens.