ROMAN HEADS, GREEK HEARTS, CANAANITE SOULS. Culture, Religion and Identity at Pella of the Decapolis during the Roman Period 64/63 BCE To 295 CE

Abstract

This thesis aims to shed light on the Roman period of Pella, a significant archaeological site located in northern Jordan. The research employs a multi-layered analysis of the excavated material, literary references, numismatic evidence, and site records to explore the questions of culture, religion, and identity at Pella. It is argued that although Pella was affiliated with the Decapolis, or ‘Ten Cities’ of predominantly Greek traditions and outlook, during the Roman period, the city was exposed to different cultural, environmental and political influences and developed a unique civic identity.

Although Pella evolved as an essentially ‘Roman’ urban landscape, there are significant gaps in our knowledge of the occupation sequence for this period. Drawing on the archaeological, historical and environmental information, it is proposed that the population of Roman Pella experienced periods of both discernible prosperity and extreme hardship and that these primarily reflected the political and economic environment of the Decapolis region and nearby Judaea.

Central to the thesis is contextualising Roman Pella chronologically, historically and environmentally. The relationship between Pella and the other core cities of the Decapolis under their Greek and Roman rulers is examined in detail through historical references, archaeological information and the city coins. By analysing and critically interpreting the available data from Pella and placing it within its chronological, historical and contextual framework, it is possible to bring this elusive city into sharper focus. It is argued that the Roman city of Pella was a relatively small but crucial provincial city which played peripheral but sometimes critical roles in contemporary events in the Southern Levant. As such, Pella assisted in promoting Roman rule in the region and underwent significant changes in its urban landscape during the late first century CE and late second century CE.