Jerash
![The Greco-Roman city of Gerasa and the modern Jerash in the background.](./assets/Oval_Plaza_Forum_Romanum%252C_Gerasa_-_Jerash%252C_JordanJerash, known in antiquity as Gerasa, is a city in northern Jordan renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved ruins of a Greco-Roman provincial center, featuring monumental architecture such as temples, theaters, baths, and colonnaded streets that exemplify Roman urban planning and engineering.[1][2] The site's archaeological remains, largely from the Roman period, have survived due to seismic burial and subsequent abandonment, allowing for extensive excavation and reconstruction that reveal a once-thriving hub of trade and culture.[3][4] Founded during the Hellenistic era possibly under Seleucid influence, Gerasa gained prominence after incorporation into the Roman province of Syria following Pompey's conquest in 64 BCE, becoming one of the ten cities of the Decapolis league known for semi-autonomous Hellenistic-Roman governance and economic vitality.[5][6] The city flourished particularly in the 1st and 2nd centuries CE, with imperial patronage evident in structures like the Arch of Hadrian commemorating the emperor's visit in 129 CE, and it supported a population estimated at up to 20,000 at its peak amid regional commerce in ceramics and agriculture.[7][8] Decline set in during the 3rd century CE amid economic shifts, Persian incursions, and devastating earthquakes in 363 and 749 CE, which buried much of the city under rubble, preserving it until systematic excavations began in the 1920s under German and later Danish-led teams, revealing layers from Neolithic origins to Byzantine and Islamic phases.[9][10] Today, Jerash stands as Jordan's second-most visited archaeological site, drawing attention for its intact Oval Plaza, Temple of Artemis, and North Theater, which host cultural events and underscore the enduring empirical value of its stratified remains for understanding Roman eastern frontiers.[6][11]