The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-16

pairing and rebuilding the great roads
and extending them further than they
ever before had penetrated Into the deserts
cost and south, Rome's power, however,
did not become effective as far az the
desert until about l0B A. D., and during
the previous 40 years the Greek cities had
been allowed or compelled to take caro- OF
themselves
Our travellers tell us that one needs 10
see the ruins Of these ancient oenters OF
urban population and the remains OF the
mo gniHoent roads stretching for hundreds
OF miles into the wilderness to appreciate
the splendor Of the Helenistio cvilizauon
and the might Of Rome. Christianty
made O sturdy fight for these pagan caties
In the first three centuries OF our era Out
seems to have succeeded better N the
south at Madeba and Kerak than ID tne
towns Of the Decapolis From HISTORICAL
point of view the most Interesting TACT CON
corning the Deoapolis IL that, when bhe
cities composing 1t went down before 'ne
whirlvind OF Mohammedan conquest IN
the seventh century the invaders eeem
TO have sxterminated the inhabitants and
to have swept northward and westward,
leaving the beautiful structures tenantless
but undestroyed The Arabs OF the desert
followed with their focks and herds, ano,
being dwellers In tents, left the edifoee TO
orurnble. Now and then an earthquake
accustomed the overthrow Of temple and
colonnade and forum, but In many town
Of the Decapolis we behold one Of the most
perfect exemplifcations Of a Grecian city
that the modern world can hope to sec.
The ruins lie as they were left thousand or
twelve hundred years ago. They weave the
spell Of enchantment which for decades mas
slured travellers to CROSS the Jordan.
The ancient city Of Gadara stood on
headland pushing westward, ,2l5 feet ABOVE
the Mediterranean and nearly 1900 ieet
above the ford Of the Jordan. The steep
slopes on three sides explain why 1t was
formidable fortress Its ruins are nearly
two miles in circuit. Its main street,
running nearly east and west. 10 ABOUT
mile long: the ancient Roman pavement.
deeply furrowed by iron chariot wheels,
still does duty as road. The bases OF
hundreds Of pillars still remain in stu.
showing that the street had once beautiful
coonnade. Toward the west are an arch.
a forum and a temple; among the ruins
lying on each side Of this main street can
still he distinguished q mausoleum. and
public bath supplied with water brought
by an aqueduct from = distance OF moro
than thirty miles. The most imposing re-
mains are those Of two theaters, one facing
the north and the other having western
exposure The upper tiers Of the western
theater command a superb view OF the
southern end OF the Sea Of Galilee and OF
the Jordan valley south OF that basin,
Far more imposing than Gadara Is Jerash,
or Gerasa, the stupendous ruins OF which
are second only to those OF Palmyra IN
| magnitude and to those Of Baalbeo IN
| architectural beauty. In the judgment OF
our travellers, it has no equal as a specimen
| of an ancient Grecian city. The wall en-
| closed a rough triangle three miles In cir
conference, and within was every structure
that made life worth living TO the Greek
mind and heart-a oolonnaded street end
ing in an agora, or forum, above which
lowered stately temple and behind which
stood a great theater, baths, tombs. tri-
umphal arch and not far away seat en-
ciroled naumachia, where the sea loving
people watched the mimic warfare between
bireme, trireme and hreship, and where
Neptune and other sea deities we're well
coined with shouts. The views from temple
and theater over the city and the surround
ing country, fat with olive trees and carpeted
with fields of grain, completed the setting
OF ono OF the loveliest sites in the ancient
world. According to Pliny, Gerasa was
one Of the original ten cities which formed
| the Decapolis. The architecture OF the
buildings surrounding the agora Is Ionic
Of an early type, but all the coins and in
scriptions Thus far discovered date from
the Roman period. 1t is certain that the
finest edifices were erected In the second
or third century Of our era. and In the fourth
it was one OF the largest and strongest
towns in Roman Arabia. Exactly how
or when 1t was destroyed Is not known.
| It probably went down In the Moham-
medan invasion; 1t Is certain that an Arabian
geograpler, writing at the beginning OF
the thirteenth century, describes Gerasa
as deserted. The ruins OF this city are in a
relatively good state Of preservation. Two
or three OF the ancient gateways are still
intact, and some three or four hundred OF
the columns which once bordered the main
street are still standing. High above the
Peribolos, or forum In which the main
street ended, stood great temple, the di-
mansions OF which may be inferred from
the fact that the walls are seven and half
feet thick. West OF this temple Is the best
preserved Greoian theater In all the trans
jordanic cities, theater that could seat
| 5000 spectators. There was also an amphi-
theater, and outside the city wall are the
massive remains Of naumachia, or sea
| circus" Near the southern end of the
naumachia are the ruins Of a triumphal
arch which was 50 feet wide; the distance
from the door sill to the central stone Of the
! arch, which Is still in position, Is 20 feet.
III.
The eleventh and twelfth chapters OF
this book are allotted to the land OF the
| Moabtes, which embraced stretch OF
trans jordanio territory from the watershed
south OF the Jabbok southwardly to the
deep cleft of the Arnon, and beyond that
to the rivuet Zered, the modern Ahsa
l