Pella, Jarash, and Amman: Old and New in the Crossing to Arabia, ca. 550-750 C.E.

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  • Alan George Walmsley
The concern of this paper is with the towns of Pella/Fihl, Gerasa/Jarash and Philadelphia/Amman, all located in modern Jordan, during early Islamic times. A long-established road linked these three towns, striking eastwards from Fihl up the Jordan Rift scarp into the highlands of Jordan, eventually reaching the regional capital of Amman. Unlike the route between Qaysariyah and Baysan, the Fihl – Amman road is not described by any of the third/ninth and fourth/tenth century Arabic geographical sources, but archaeologically there is little doubt that this route was active, to varying degrees, in the early Islamic period. The paper investigates the urban nature of these towns at that time, and in what ways these centers differed from their late antique predecessors of, say, the mid-sixth century CE, beginning with Pella/Fihl and then continuing eastwards to Jarash and Amman, and finishing with a reflective look at Skythopolis/Baysan
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationShaping the Middle East : Jews, Christians, and Muslims in an Age of Transition 400-800C.E.
EditorsKenneth G. Holum, Hayim Lapin
Number of pages18
Place of PublicationBethesda
PublisherUniversity Press of Maryland
Publication date2011
Pages135-152
ISBN (Print)978-1-934309-31-5
Publication statusPublished - 2011
SeriesStudies and Texts in Jewish History and Culture
Volume20

    Research areas

  • Faculty of Humanities - Jordan, palestine, urban change, Islam, archaeology, social conditions, communications

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