Ancient Gadara (Umm Qais): Where healing and thermal springs thrived in antiquity

AMMAN — Towns in the ancient times have been renowned for their thermal springs and baths. One of them, ancient Gadara (Umm Qais), which was a city where medical therapists practices their skills and 1st century BC Philinna–Papyrus (a collection of ancient Greek spells written inhexameter verse)describes treating the inflammation. The first testimony about thermal springs near gorge of the River Yarmouk dates back to the times of the Roman Emperor Antonius Pius, who ruled in 2nd century AD.

However, there is no literary reference to the settlement until the mid-2nd century AD, noted a German archaeologist.

“Even well-informed ancient scholars like Strabo, Pliny and Flavius Josephus didn’t know much about the place,” noted Thomas Weber Karyotakis from University of Mainz.

At the beginning of 3rd century AD and 4th century Gadara became a well-known spa according to Eusebius and Origenes, who referred to Gadara as a city with thermal and healing waters.

“A considerable number of restoration inscriptions found in the thermal building indicate that major damage caused by this [363 AD] and other earthquakes were urgently repaired,” Weber Karyotakis said, adding that Empress Eudokia between 420 AD and 463 AD dedicated inscription with lyric praise of bath in Gerasa.

During Islamic period, building activities around bath continued and due to the hot spring, the bath lacked artificial heating installations.

“The water would emerge from the small pool and would be 51C hot,” Weber Karyotakis elaborated, “via channels into various basins”.

“The hall of the fountains is the most impressive due to its dimensions and that was a place where most of inscriptions were discovered,” Weber Karyotakis underlined, adding that the main bathing hall was located near the spring.

The hall had an oval shape and the heat of the water reminded of an oven, while smaller room on the northwest were used for therapy.

“The Byzantine inscriptions call this spa ‘a holy place’, and specialised surgeons and therapist provided medical treatment for different patients,” Weber Karyotakis underlined.

In 1988 a tomb was uncovered in Gadara where medical instrument belonging to surgeon and dentist were found.

“Apart from spa, Gadara comprised of houses, inns and hostels,” Weber Karyotakis noted, adding that a colonnaded avenue divided living quarters and a small theatre was connected by the excavators to the healing cult of the site.

Although the evidence is scarce and lacking there are indications that cults of Sarapis (a syncretic deity between Osiris and Apis) and Asklepios (a Greek god of medicine) were practice in Gadara, Weber Karyotakis underscored.