Cliap. 15.] ACCOUNT OF COUITTEIES, ETC. 427 



King Herod, but now the Colonj of Prima Flavia, esta- 

 blished by the Emperor Yespasiauiis : this place is the fron- 

 tier town of Palsestina, at a distance of 188 miles from the 

 confines of Arabia ; after which comes Phoenice^ In the in- 

 terior of Samaria are the towns of Neapolis", formerly called 

 Mamortha, Sebaste^, situate on a mountain, and, on a still 

 more lofty one, Gamala\ 



CHAP. 15. (11.) — JUD^A. 



Beyond Idumsea and Samaria, Judsea extends far and 

 wide. That part of it which joins up to Syria^ is called 

 GalilcTa, while that which is nearest to Arabia and Egypt 

 bears the name of Per^ea*'. This last is thickly covered with 

 rugged moimtains, and is separated from the rest of Judaea 

 by the river Jordanes. The remaining part of Judrea is 

 divided into ten Toparchies, which we will mention in the 

 following order : — That of Hiericus^, covered with groves of 



plied with stones from tliis site. Massive remains of its mole or break- 

 water and its towers still exist. ^ Or Phoenicia. 



- By some regarded as the Scriptural town of Sichem, but by others 

 as a distinct place, though in its immediate vicinity. Its present name is 

 Naplous or Nabolos, situate between Mounts Ebal and Gerizun. Its 

 proper name under tlie Romans was Flavia Neapolis. It was the birth- 

 place of Justin iVIartyr. 



3 The city of Samaria, so called from Shemer, the owner of the hill 

 wliich Omri, King of Israel, puveliased, about B.C. 922, for its site. Herod 

 greatly renovated tliis ciry, wliich he called Sebaste, in honour of liis pa- 

 tron Augustus, in Greek" Sebastos." Its site is now occupied by a poor 

 village, which bears the name of Sebustieh. 



* A town of Palaestina, frequently mentioned by Josephus as remarkablo 

 for the strength of its fortifications, and situate on the Lake Tiberias, 

 opposite to Tarichtea. After a spirited defenci', it was taken by Ves])asian, 

 who slaughtered lOOO of the survivors, upon which 5000 tluTW themselves 

 from the walls, and were dashed to pii'ces below. The site had been for- 

 gotten for nearly eighteen centuries, when Lord Lindsay discovered it on 

 a lofty luU on the cast of Lake Tiberias, and nearly opposite the town of 

 that name. It is now called El-Hossn, and the ruins of the fortifications 

 arc very extensive. * Autiochian Syria. 



^ Pera-a was the general name of tliat part of Palirstina which lay cast 

 of the river Jordan ; but more usually, in a restricted sense, it signilied 

 a part only of that region, namely the district between the rivers Hiero- 

 max on the north, and Anion on the south. 



J Jericho, so oftoa mentioned in Scripture. It was celebrated for its 



