Rabath Ammon
The Jordanian capital, Amman, is mentioned in the Bible by the name of Rabath Ammon in the story of King Og, an Ammonite King famed for being a giant of a man (Deuteronomy 3:11). The city was also known as Philadelphia, named so in the 3rd century BC after the Ptolemic ruler Philadelphus. Amman today boasts a number of important ruins, including the Roman Theatre, a Roman temple and several Byzantine churches. The archeological museum situated in the Citadel owns one of the finest collections of ancient artifacts in the Middle East, including some of the Copper Dead Sea scrolls
Under Ptolemy II Philadelphos (285–247 BC), Amman was rebuilt and renamed Philadelphia. In 63 BC, Philadelphia became part of the Decapolis set up by Pompey. In AD 106, Philadelphia was included in the Roman province of Arabia by the Emperor Trajan. He built a new road from Elatt to Damascus which ran through Philadelphia. This created an economic boom for the city and it flourished. Most of the town’s Roman structures were built in the 2nd century AD, including the theater, forum and Hercules temple.
