Such Al-Ashari

The site of Such Al-Ashari seems to be the best candidate to locate at it the town of Dion belonging to the Décapole. Very recent Excavations carried out under the responsibility of the Head office of Antiquities and the Museums of Syria to Deraa.

Problem of identification

The list of the ten generally allowed cities as members of the Décapole is that given by Pline Old the: Close to the Judaea, side of the Syria, is Décapole, thus named number of cities, on which all the authors are not agreement. The majority count Damas, fertilized by derivations of the river Chrysorrhoas, which is absorbed there; Philadelphia, Rhaphana, all cities which advance towards Arabia; Scythopolis, thus called Scythians which were established there, and bearing before the name of Nysa because of Bacchus, whose nurse was buried there; Gadara, with the foot of which the Hieromix runs; Hippo, already named: Dion; Peeled, rich in water; Gerasa, Canatha. Between these cities and around them are tétrarchies, of which each one is like a country and forms a kingdom: the Trachonitis, the Panéade, where Césarée with the above-named source Abila is , Arca, Ampeloessa, Gabe.

Some identify Dion with Bayt Ras, and Rhaphana with Abila in contradiction with the enumeration of Pline the Old one which makes of Rhaphana and Abila two cities distinct. Capitolias is not quoted by Pline, on the other hand in the enumeration made by Ptolémée in its Géographie quotes Capitolias but Rhaphana does not appear.

Notes and references of the article

Random links: