Amathus (Ancient Greek:Ἀμαθοῦς orτὰ Ἀμαθά;[1][2] in Eusebius,Ἀμμαθοὺς.[3]Hebrew:עמתו[4] was a fortified city east of theJordan River, in modern-dayJordan.
Its ruins may be those ofTell Ammata in theJordan Valley[5][6] or perhaps ofTell Hammeh.[7][8] Both sites are inJordan, west ofGerasa and south ofPella. The first is at the mouth ofWadi Rajib, and the second - a little south, on the mouth ofJabbok river.Tell Mghanni up the Jabbok, andTell el-Hammam near theDead Sea, have also been suggested.[9]
At the beginning of the 1st century BC, Amathus was an important fortress held by Theodorus, son of thetyrant Zeno Kotoulas ofPhiladelphia.[10] In about 100 BC,Alexander Jannaeus captured but could not retain it,[11] and therefore, a few years later, he razed it.[12][13][14] It was possibly the seat of one of the five districts into whichAulus Gabinius divided Palestine a few decades later.[13][15][16]
Amathus was part of theHerodian kingdom and then ofJudaea Province of theRoman Empire from 44 AD. From 135 to about 390, Amathus belonged to the province ofSyria Palaestina, formed after the defeat of theBar Kokhba Revolt, by a merge ofRoman Syria and Judaea. In about 390, it became part of the newly created province ofPalaestina Prima, whose capital wasCaesarea Maritima.
The names of four ancient bishops of Amathus are known. Theodosius took part if theRobber Council of Ephesus in 449. Sergius is mentioned in the Life of Saint Saba by Cyril of Scythopolis and may have lived around the year 500. In 518, Procopius signed the letter of the bishops of Palestine toPatriarch John II of Constantinople againstSeverus of Antioch. Dorotheus signed the acts of the synod of 538 attended by the bishops of all three Roman provinces of Palaestina Prima,Palaestina Secunda, andPalaestina Salutaris.[17][18]
No longer a residential bishopric, Amathus in Palaestina is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[19]
Williams, George (1854–1857)."A´MATHUS". InSmith, William (ed.).Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.n65. Aimath (Aemoth). Joshua 13:5; K. 22:23; L. 239:75. Textual variants: Aitham (Greek) and for "other" Amatha (Latin). Possibly three or four towns are involved in these lines. In the Peraia and located in relation to Pella (cf. K. 14:19), this Ammathous was a chief city in Herodian Peraia. It is probably Tell 'Ammata near Tell el Qos. This site has many Roman-Byzantine sherds. The Talmud identifies this with Saphon (K. 156:1) which may have been at Tell el Qos...
Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857)."Palaestina".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.32°11′08″N35°41′12″E / 32.1856°N 35.6867°E /32.1856; 35.6867
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