Al-Qunayyah القنية Qnayyeh | |
|---|---|
  Al-Qunayyah Location in Jordan | |
| Coordinates:32°13′20″N35°59′38″E / 32.22222°N 35.99389°E /32.22222; 35.99389 | |
| Palestine grid | 243/182 |
| Country | Jordan |
| Governorate | Zarqa Governorate |
| Elevation | 490 m (1,610 ft) |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
• Total | 772 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 |
Al-Qunayyah (Arabic:القنية), also writtenQnayyeh, is a village in theZarqa Governorate of northernJordan. The locality has yielded several archaeological finds from the Roman period, includingaltars inscribed inGreek and afunerary monument with two stacked portrait busts. These discoveries have been interpreted as evidence for a rural sanctuary that operated under the influence of the nearby city of Gerasa (modernJerash), and was influenced by theRoman funerary art of theDecapolis cities.
The Arabic nameal-Qunayyah literally means "small canals", a designation associated with the long-standing agricultural practices dependent on irrigation.[2] The name of the settlement in antiquity is unknown.[2]
Al-Qunayyah lies within the administrative district ofAl-Hāshimiyah in the Zarqa Governorate. The village occupies a setting along both sides of Wadi Qunayyah, a riverbed that descends southward toward theZarqa River.[2] It is located roughly 10 km (6.2 mi) from Jerash (ancient Gerasa), about 20 km (12 mi) fromZarqa, and approximately 30 km (19 mi) from Jordan's capitalAmman (classical Philadelphia).[2]
According to the 2015 national census, Al-Qunayyah recorded a population of 772 residents living in 156 households.[1]
The archaeological material recovered from the village consists primarily of stone monuments of the Roman era. The presence of multiple cultic dedications in Greek and the concentration of finds in a relatively small area have led researchers to propose that a rural place of worship once functioned here.[3] Because one inscription is dated according to the era used at Gerasa, the site is understood to have fallen within that city's civic territory in Roman times.[4]
In 2007, an inscribed altar was recovered from agricultural land near anOttoman-period mill.[2] The piece is carved from dense limestone and displays the typical tripartite composition of an altar: a base, a central block, and an upper section. It also has a cavity at the top that would have accommodated ritual equipment.[5] The inscription records a dedication made by priests on behalf of a married couple. It is dated to the month ofHyperberetaeus in year 337 of thePompeian era, used in parts of the Decapolis, equivalent to autumn 274 AD.[4] The husband's name,Auktos, is a Greek transliteration of the LatincognomenAuctus, while his wife's name,Chalde, is aSemitic name (comparable to the ArabicKhalida) derived from therootḥld, meaning "One who remains young".[4] The altar is now kept at Qasr Shabib in Zarqa.[2]
A second monument discovered in 2007 is a limestone stele bearing two portrait bustssuperimposed one above the other.[6] Although damaged (already in antiquity), the carving preserves architectural framing around the lower bust and traces of dress and headgear.[7] Comparable portrait types occur in several cities of the Decapolis and in the broader Levant, where such images were incorporated into local funerary traditions. On stylistic grounds, the stele belongs to a regional group of tombstones dated to the later 2nd century AD.[8] The style was influenced by Roman funerary art[a] and the iconography of the nearby Decapolis cities.[8] This piece is also housed at Qasr Shabib.[2]
In 2017, a second altar came to light during the clearing of an old house on a bank of the Zarqa River.[9] The monument, cut from limestone and substantially larger than the altar found in 2007, is distinguished by a bowl-shaped depression at the top that suggests its use inlibation orsacrifice. The upper corners were originally decorated with stylized leaf elements.[9] The inscription identifies the dedicator,Anounos, son of Ouaelos, and states that the offering fulfilled a vow. The names are Hellenized forms of Semitic names known fromRoman Arabia. The formation of the letters aligns with inscriptional habits current during the early Roman era, pointing to a date in the first two centuries AD.[9] For protection, the altar has been relocated to the summit of Jabal al-Mutawwaq east of the village.[9]