#hyrcanus

[hyrcanusofphanonion]

// ouughh they make me ill @achillespelidesaecides

[classicalmonuments]

Palace of Tobiah  (Qasr al-Abd)

Iraq al-amir, Jordan

200 BCE

Although little is known for definite about the history of Qasr al-Abd it is widely believed to have been built by a Tobiad notable, Hyrcanus of Jerusalem, head of the powerful Jewish Tobiad family and governor of Ammon. Credence for this theory is gained from the fact that the Hebrew name 'Tuvya' or 'Toviyya' (Tobias) is engraved (טוביה but in a more Aramaic script) above the adjacent burial caves of Iraq al-Amir, which share their name with the nearby village.

The heavily decorated two-storey stone structure (measuring about 40 metres by 20 metres, and 13 metres high) is a rare example of Hellenistic architecture in Jordan. In the 1st century AD, Flavius Josephus described it as, "A strong fortress, which was constructed entirely of white marble up to the very roof and had beasts of gigantic size carved on it; and he enclosed it with a wide and deep moat". The castle is built from some of the largest single blocks of any building in the Middle East, with the largest block measuring seven by three metres. However, these blocks were at most only 40 centimetres wide (making the building relatively vulnerable to the earthquake which destroyed it). 

[archaeologicalnews]

Ancient Stone Bowl Unearthed in Jerusalem Perplexes Experts

It's unclear whether a mysterious 2,100-year-old stone bowl fragment recently unearthed in Jerusalem belonged to royalty or a commoner, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced late last week.

The fragment — made from chalk, a type of limestone — is small enough to fit in a person's hand. But it's large enough to contain a striking detail on its side: the name "Hyrcanus" engraved in Hebrew letters.

Hyrcanus was the name of two different kings who ruled during the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty, which lasted from about 140 B.C. to 37 B.C., when Herod the Great came into power. However, Hyrcanus was also a commonly used name during that time, the IAA said. Although the name itself is Greek, many Jews used it during the Hellenistic period, The Times of Israel reported. Read more.