Situated on a broad promontory 378 meter above sea level, Umm
Qays was known as Gadara one of the ancient Graeco Roman cities of the Decapolis;
and according to the Bible, the spot where Jesus cast out the Devil from two
demoniacs (mad men) into a herd of pigs (Mathew 8:28-34).
In ancient times, Gadara was strategically situated, laced by a number of
key trading routes connecting Syria and Palestine. It was blessed with fertile
soil and abundant rainwater. This town also flourished intellectually and
became distinguished for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, attracting writers,
artists, philosophers and poets, the likes of satirist Menippos (second half
of the 3rd century BC), the epigram mist, Meleagros and the Theodoros (14-37
AD). Gadara was also the resort of choices for Romans vacationing in the nearby
Himmer Gader Springs.
Archaeological surveys indicate that Gadara was occupied as early as the 7th
century BC. The Greek historian, Polybius, described the region as being under
Ptolemic control at the time. The Seleucid ruler Antiochus III conquered it
in 218 BC, naming the city Antiochia and Seleucia. In 63 BC, Pompey liberated
Gadara and joined it to the Roman league of ten cities, the Decapolis. Soon
after, the fortunes of Gadara improved rapidly and building was undertaken
on a large scale, carried out for the love of Pompey’s freed man Demetrius,
who had been born there.
During these early years of Roman rule, the Nabataeans (with their capital
in Petra) controlled the trade as far north as Damascus. Unhappy with the
competition, Mark Anthony dispatched King Herod the Great to weaken the Nabataeans,
who finally gave up their northern interest in 31 BC. In appreciation for
his efforts, Rome rewarded Heord with Gadara.
