Gamla

Coordinates: 32°54′04″N 35°44′13″E / 32.901137°N 35.736809°E / 32.901137; 35.736809

Battle of Gamla
Part of First Jewish-Roman War
Ruins of the city of Gamla
Date 67 AD Location Gamla, in modern-day Golan Heights Result Roman victory
Belligerents
Jewish Zealots	Roman Empire
Commanders
Khares, Joosef	Vespasianus,Titus
Strength
9,000	30,000
Casualties and losses
8,998	Unknown

Ruins of the city of Gamla

Gamla (Hebrew גמלא Gamla or Gamala), a site inhabited since the Early Bronze Age, became the capital of the Jewish Golan from 87 BC to 68 AD when it was sacked by the Romans. Its remains can still be seen in the Golan Heights. The name Gamla is derived from the word gamal, meaning 'camel', as it is situated on a hill shaped like a camel's hump. It was excavated and identified by a group of amateur Israel archeologists, among them, Shmarya Gutmann and Gal Itzhaki,^[1] after the 1967 Six Day War.

The city appears to have been a Seleucid fort (2nd century BC) which later became a civilian settlement. Jews inhabited it from the last quarter of the 2nd century BC, and under the Hasmonean ruler Alexander Jannaeus in c. 81 BC it was annexed to the Hasmonean state.

Josephus Flavius was the Commander of Galilee during the Jewish Revolt against Rome and in 66 AD fortified Gamla as his main stronghold on the Golan (Antiquities of the Jews 13:394).

He gives a very detailed topographical description of the city and describes the Roman siege under the command of Vespasian which led to its conquest in 67 AD, by the Legion X Fretensis.

The Romans attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were repulsed by the defenders; only on the second attempt did they succeed in penetrating the fortifications and conquering the city.

According to Josephus, some 4,000 inhabitants were slaughtered, while 5,000 others, while trying to escape down the steep northern slope, were either trampled to death or fell, perhaps threw themselves, down a ravine (Josephus, The Jewish War IV, 1-83).There is reason to believe that Josephus exaggerated the numbers. The notion that these inhabitants committed mass-suicide has been questioned, since the account appears to force an analogy with the story of the end of the siege of Masada, also recounted by Josephus. The Greek word Josephus used implies a hasty, clumsy flight. Suicide is forbidden under most circumstances by Jewish law.

The Golan Archaeological Museum displays artifacts from Gamla, including arrowheads, ballista stones, clay oil lamps, and coins minted in the town during the siege. A scale model and film are used to describe the conquest and destruction of the Jewish town and all of its inhabitants by Vespasian.

One of the questions most often raised regarding the site concerns why no human remains have been found there. A tentative answer is discussed by Danny Syon^[2] at the linked website.

Synagogue

Inside the city walls there is a large synagogue, built of dressed stone with pillared aisles. It is thought to date form the early first century AD, and, certainly, from the period before the destruction of the Temple. It is among the oldest known synagogues.^[3]

Dolmen

The nature reserve also contains some 700 Neolithic Dolmens, several of which can be viewed from the entry road.

Present-day Gamla

The vulture look-out to watch the vultures in Gamla

Today Gamla is an archaeological site and a nature reserve. It is also home to a large nesting population of Griffon vultures.

See also

• Herodium
• Machaerus
• Masada
• Oldest synagogues in the world
• Yodfat

General sources

• Information about Gamla from the Israel Antiquities Authority site

References

1. ^ Eli Ashkenazi , ‘What are the mysterious stones emerging from Kinneret waters?’, Haaretz 17/06/2008
2. ^ "The Dead", Israel Antiquities Authority site
3. ^ Donald D. Binder, "Ancient Synagogues." http://www.pohick.org/sts/newpage2.html

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gamla

• Gamla, Archaeology in Israel
• Gamla Nature Reserve description, photos