Raphana

Raphana (Ραφάνα in Ancient greek), was one of the Decapolis Cities mentioned by Pliny the elder, within his Hist. Nat.

Not to be confused with Raphanea.

[1]

Map of the Decapolis prior 106 A.D.

Raphana was sought for the last two millenia, after no one could real identify this ancient settlement, mostly this Decapolis City was omitted in Maps or scientific literature.

Some connected it with Raphon of Macabbees. Some other looked for a substitution and choose Abila at the Wadi Queilbeh in Jordan, because if Abila´s important history and its attested connection to the Decapolis region. But, there is no archaeological evidence, that Abila has really an other Name than Abila dekapoleos, Abila seleukia or also Abila viniferos ( mentioned by Eusebios in his Onomastikon, 12 miles east of Gadara).

Raphana itself was unidentified. Recent research has found a plausible position for Raphana at the northeastern-edge of the decapolis region. This fits also to the history of flavius jesephus, who describes the foughts around a place called Raepta (which is very plausible the predecessor settlement of Raphana) For the mentioned connection see also the pleiades (stoa.org) Database for "Raphana" . In some online sites you can read Raphana was at the "abilene plain" and some mixed this name again with Abila at the Wadi Queilbeh south of the Yarmuk, but the Abilene Plain describes a completely different region ans the Area around Abila Lysaniae which is north-west of Damasacus and always connected with the Paneas region too.  But also Abila Lysaniae with it history has nothing to do with Raphana. The notation at the Notitia Dignitatum at "Arefa" shows us for a later date that there was a military "Ala". This Connection ( with Arefa) you will also find at the Pleiades Database mentioned already above. That such a military camp was normally at the borderline of the ancient empires seems to be clear. Therefore with a very high plausibility Raphana of the Decapolis, with its predecessor Raepta and Its Sucessor Arpha/Arefa can be found at the Ruins Kh. Ar-Rafi'ah positioned at the Ard al Fanah, at the Border between the Arabian desert and the fertile Ghouta south of Damascus.

For a time the city seems to be the base camp of the Roman legion Legio XII Fulminata and Legio III Gallica too.

References

Media related to Raphana at Wikimedia Commons


  1. Kleb, Jens (2022). "Raphana of the Decapolis and its successor Arpha - The search for an eminent Greco-Roman City". Peer Community Journal (in French). 2. doi:10.24072/pcjournal.201. ISSN 2804-3871.

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