Древний город Гамла на Голанских высотах

Ancient Jewish city
the ancient city

Gamla, alt. sp. Gamala (, the camel) was an ancient Jewish city on the Golan Heights. It is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars which was turned into a city under Hasmonean rule in 81 BCE. according to Josephus, in The Jewish War after Alexander Jannaeus captured it from the Seleucid ruler Demetrius Eucaerus. The city became famous for producing high quality olive oil. It was actively developed during the reign of Herod the Great, and later was a disputed area between Herod Antipas and Nabatean King Aretas IV Philopatris.

Josephus Flavius, Commander of Galilee during the Jewish Revolt against Rome, in 66 CE fortified Gamla as his main stronghold on the Golan. Josephus gives a very detailed topographical description of the city, which he also referred to as Gamala, and the steep ravines which precluded the need to build a wall around it. Only along the northern saddle, at the town's eastern extremity, was a 350 meters long wall built. It was constructed by blocking gaps between existing houses and destroying houses that lay in its way. Bearing the inscription "For the redemption of Jerusalem the H(oly)" in a mixture of paleo Hebrew (biblical) and Aramaic, only 6 of these coins have ever been found. The inhabitants of the city, including armed rebels, were, according to Josephus, only 9,000 people. Kenneth Atkinson calls this number clearly exaggerated. Nevertheless, Dani Zion writes that before the siege Gamla became a refuge city, in which both insurgents from all over the Galilee and residents of the surrounding villages flocked. There were not enough places in the city, and even the city synagogue was adapted to accommodate refugees. The seizure of the city was of fundamental importance to Vespasian. According to the existing strategy, it was necessary to seize and suppress all the centers of resistance along the route, however small. In addition, the Jews expected, albeit unreasonably, the possible assistance of fellow believers from Babylon and the military intervention of Parthia. Although Josephus, who led the consolidation of the defense of Gamla, describes it as a fortress, archaeological findings show that in fact the walls were constructed in fragments, filling in the gaps between buildings to create a continuous line of fortifications. Josephus also provides a detailed description of the Roman siege and conquest of Gamla in 67 CE by components of legions X Fretensis, XV Apollinaris and V Macedonica. The Romans first attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were repulsed by the defenders. Only on the second attempt did the Romans succeed in breaching the walls at three different locations and invading the city. They then engaged the Jewish defenders in hand to hand combat up the steep hill. Fighting in the cramped streets from an inferior position, the Roman soldiers attempted to defend themselves from the roofs. These subsequently collapsed under the heavy weight, killing many soldiers In previous years, the site had been identified with Tell ed Drāʿ, a place ca. east of Lake Tiberias in the Ruqqad river bed, based on Konrad Furrer's identification of the site in 1889. It was only properly identified in 1968 by surveyor Itzhaki Gal, after the Israeli conquest of the Golan Heights during the Six Day War. Additional excavations were carried out on the site in 2008 and 2010, by Haim Ben David and David Adan Bayewitz on behalf of Bar Ilan University's Land of Israel Studies Department, and by Danny Syon on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA). With the destruction of the town by the Roman army, Gamla was abandoned, never to be rebuilt. Archaeological excavations there have revealed widespread evidence for the battle that took place at the site. About 100 catapult bolts have been uncovered, as well as 1,600 arrowheads and 2,000 ballista stones, the latter all made from local basalt. This is a quantity unsurpassed anywhere in the Roman Empire.

One of the world's earliest known synagogues was discovered in Gamla, and is believed to date back to the late 1st century BCE.

In 2003, the territory of the ancient city was incorporated into the Gamla nature reserve, and is open to tourists. In addition to the ancient city, it includes the highest waterfall in Israeli occupied territory, the ruins of a Byzantine settlement and many Neolithic dolmens. Religious visitors sometimes hold bar mitzvahs in the ancient Gamla synagogue. In May 2010, the remains of the old town were damaged during a major forest fire caused by a fire from a projectile released during military exercises. In Israel, there is a catch phrase "Gamla will not fall again," the meaning of which is that control of the Golan Heights is of strategic importance for ensuring the security of Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, said this in 2009, arguing the position that the Golan cannot return to Syria.