Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pella (Taqabat Fahl)
In the midst of the Jordan Valley are the ruins of the ancient city of Pella (Taqabat Fahl),
one of the 10 cities of the fabled Roman Decapolis. Although not as spectacular as Jerash,
Pella is far more important to archaeologists as it reveals evidence of 6000 years of con-
tinuous settlement. In fact, it's regarded as the most historically significant site in all
Jordan. Centred on a large tell, and surrounded by fertile valleys that together comprise a
rich watershed, Pella has fostered human civilisation from the Stone Age to medieval
Islamic times.
Many of the ruins are spread out and in need of excavation, so some walking and a bit
of imagination are required to get the most from the site. Unlike Jerash, which over-
whelms visitors with its monumental grandeur, Pella is harder to visualise but the superb
setting just above the Jordan Valley rewards even the most cursory of visits.
History
Pella was inhabited a million years ago by hunters and gathers who followed herds of
game animals through the Stone Age forests and savannahs. By 5000 BC permanent Neo-
lithic farming villages sprung up around the tell and attracted the attention of the Egyp-
tians, who referred to the site in written texts in the 2nd millennium BC.
Pella thrived due to its strategic position on the trade routes running between Arabia,
Syria, Egypt and the Mediterranean. Luxury items, including ivory sculpture and gold
jewellery have been excavated from the site, suggesting that Pella was a prosperous settle-
ment throughout the Bronze and Iron Ages.
Under the Greeks, the settlement earned the name 'Pella' after the birthplace of Alexan-
der the Great. The Jews largely destroyed Pella in 83 BC as the inhabitants were not in-
clined to adopt Jewish customs. Twenty years later, the legions of Roman Emperor Pom-
pey swept into the Levant and rebuilt it, along with neighbouring cities in the Decapolis.
Life under the Romans was embraced in Pella and the city enjoyed an era of political
autonomy and economic stability; it even had the power to mint its own coins.
It was to Pella that Christians fled persecution from the Roman army in Jerusalem in
AD 66. Although they later returned to Jerusalem, they left a strong mark on Pella, help-
ing to ease the city's adoption of Christianity a few centuries later.
Pella reached its peak during the Byzantine era, and by the year 451 the city was influ-
ential enough to warrant its own bishop. The population at this time may have been as
high as 25,000, and there is evidence that Pella was part of an expansive trade route that
encompassed most of Asia Minor as well as North Africa.
