Philadelphia (ancient city)
Philadelphia, known in ancient times as Rabbath-Ammon, is an archaeological site located east of the Jordan River, near the Jabbok River. Its history dates back to the early Neolithic period, with significant urban development emerging around 3,300 BC. The city became a prominent center for the Ammonites, serving as their capital and showcasing remnants from various historical periods, including Bronze Age fortress walls. In the 4th century BC, following its conquest by Alexander the Great, the city underwent significant changes, including a Macedonian colony that led to its renaming as Philadelphia by Ptolemy II Philadelphus.
Philadelphia later became part of the Seleucid and then the Roman empires, encompassing a rich array of structures from its past, such as an acropolis, fortifications, public baths, and theaters. One of its most remarkable features is a large theater from the 2nd century AD, capable of seating 6,000 spectators, which remains a significant and restored landmark. The site's archaeological findings highlight its cultural importance, including the worship of Tyrian Heracles and representations of Thea Asteria, reflecting the city's blend of Hellenistic and local traditions. Today, Philadelphia serves as a testament to the region's deep historical roots and cultural evolution.
Philadelphia (ancient city)
Philadelpheia (Amman, capital of the state of Jordan)
A city east of the river Jordan, beside the source of its tributary the Jabbachos (Jabbok, Wadi Zerka). Settlements go back at least as far as the Bronze Age, from which fortress walls are preserved, and a fortified settlement existed in the time of the patriarchs. Early Iron Age finds have also attained a notable scale, dating from a period when the place, under the name of Rabbath Ammon, was the capital of the Ammonites, whose royal house, speaking a language akin to Canaanite, was in power from at least the tenth century BC. Subsequently the town received a Macedonian colony and the name of Philadelphia from Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285–246), and then passed into the hands of the Seleucid Antiochus III the Great (218). Pompey the Great made it a member of the autonomous group of cities known as the Decapolis (c 63). In AD 106–12 it was detached to form part of the new Roman province of Arabia.
A long steep hill contained the acropolis, on which fine ancient fortifications survive, in addition to remains of a three-terraced citadel and of a lofty temple of Heracles dating from the time of Marcus Aurelius (161–80). Beneath the acropolis, a long colonnaded avenue ran along the north bank of a seasonal stream (wadi)—which was vaulted as it flowed inside the walls. The city was entered through a monumental three-bayed gate. Near the crossroads of the avenue and another major thoroughfare stood the public baths, adjoined by a large five-apsed nymphaeum (fountain building) displaying two tiers of niches and a columnar façade (the apse of an adjacent building was reemployed to form part of a Christian church). On the south side of the wadi is a theater of the second century AD, that possessed a seating capacity of 6,000 spectators and is the city's most impressive ancient structure, now restored. There is also a smaller theater (Odeum). The coinage of this and the following century, which sometimes describes Philadelphia as forming part of Coele Syria (`Hollow Syria’) in its looser sense (seeSyria), stresses the cult of Tyrian Heracles, and portrays Thea Asteria, who was identified with Heracles' mother.