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432 plist's nattteal htstort. [Book V. "by the river Chryson'oos^ which is draAvn off into its meadows and eagerly imbibed; Philadelphia^, and Rha- phana^, all which cities fall back towards Arabia ; Scy- thopolis"* (formerly called Nysa by Father Liber, from his nurse having been buried there), its present name being derived from a Scythian colony which was established there ; Gadara% before which the river Hieromix^ flows ; Hippo, which has been previously mentioned ; Dion^, Pella^, ricli with its waters ; Glalasa^, and Canatha^*'. The Tetrar- 1 Or the " Golden Eiver." It is uncertain whether this was the Abana or Pharpar, mentioned in 2 Kings v. 12. Strabo remarks, that the waters of the Chrysorroos " are almost entirely consumed in irriga- tion, as it waters a large extent of deep soil." 2 The ancient Rabbath Ammon, a city of the Ammonites. It was after- wards called Astarte, and then Pliiladelphia, in honour of Ptolemy Phila- delphus. According to D' AnvOle, the present name of its site is Amman. 3 Thu'ty-three miles from Apamea. Its riiins are probably those mentioned by Abulfeda under the name of Eafaniat. WiUiam of Tyre says, that it was taken in the year 1125 by the Cotmt of Tripoh. 4 Previously called Beth-shan. It was the next city of the DecapoHs in magnitude after Damascus. It was situate La the land of the tribe of Issachar, though it belonged to the Manasites. At this place the bodies of Said and his sons were hung up by the Philistines ; see 1 Sam. xxxi. 10-12. Reland siiggests that it received the name of Scythopohs, not from a Scythian colony, but from the Succoth of Gi-en. xxxiii. 17, which appears to have been in its vicuiity. Its ruins, which still bear the name of Baisan, are very extensive. ^ Called by Josephus the capital of Persea, and the chief place of the district of the Gadarenes of the Evangehsts. Its rains, about six miles south-east of the Sea of GaUlee, are very extensive. ^ StiU called the Yarmak, evidently from its ancient name. Hippo has been mentioned in the last Chapter. 7 Or Dium, between PeUa and Gadara. In later times, this place was included La Roman Arabia. s Also called Butis. It was the most southerly of the ten cities which comprised the Decapolis, standing about five miles south of Scythopohs, or Beth-shan. Its exact site seems not to have been ascertamed ; but it has been suggested that it is the modem El-Bujeh. From. the expression iised by Phny, it would appear to have had mineral waters in its vicuiity. 9 Of this place notliing is known ; but it is most probable that the Oerasa of Ptolemy and Josephus is meant. According to the former writer, it was thfrty-five miles from PeUa. Its site is marked by ex- tensive ruLas, tliirty-five miles east of the Jordan, known by the name of Gerash, and on the borders of the Great Desert of the Hauvan. Ac- cording to Dr. Keith, tlie ruins bear extensive marks of splendour. ^^ Ptolemy mentions a city of this name in Coelesyria.