Trachonitis
Trachonitis was a historical region located in the southern part of Syria, characterized by its rugged terrain of lava ridges and gullies, which made it a suitable hideout for bandits. It lay to the south of Damascus and bordered several other territories, including Auranitis and Gaulanitis. Throughout its history, Trachonitis was a contested area, with influence shifting between various groups, including the Israelites and the Aramaeans, in pre-classical times. In the second century BCE, the Ituraeans, known for their warrior culture, gained control over the region before it was conquered by the Hasmonaean state. The area later fell under the control of various tetrarchs and became part of Herod the Great's domain, where he attempted to reduce local brigandage through military might and settlement of loyal populations. Trachonitis witnessed significant turmoil, including rebellion against Herod's policies and subsequent changes in governance, eventually becoming part of the province of Judaea and later the province of Arabia around 295 CE. The complex history of Trachonitis reflects a blend of cultural interactions and conflicts, highlighting its significance in the ancient geopolitical landscape.
Subject Terms
Trachonitis
(Leja, Safa)
A territory at the southern extremity of Syria, south of Damascus, north of the plain of Batanea (Bashan, En-Nukra) and the mountains of Auranitis (Hauran), and east of Gaulanitis (Golan, adjoining the east bank of the upper Jordan). A cracked and crumpled maze of lava ridges and gullies, Trachonitis proved ideal for brigandage. In the pre-classical period it formed part of a region which was constantly disputed between Israelites and Aramaeans. During the second century BC the Ituraeans, a turbulent and war-like race originating from the Libanus (Lebanon) and Anti-Libanus regions, had extended their power over Trachonite territory, which was then conquered, however, by the Jewish (Hasmonaean) state, probably under John Hyrcanus I (134–104).
Subsequently Trachonitis belonged to the tetrarchs Lysanias (40–36) and Zenodorus (30–20) of Chalcis Beneath Lebanon, under the protection of Antony and Octavian (Augustus) respectively. But Zenodorus encouraged the local robber bands for his own profit, and in 23 Augustus transferred Trachonitis, Auranitis and Batanea to Herod the Great, the client-king of Judaea. Herod quickly reduced the local population to quiescence. Moreover, when the brigands resumed operations in 12, they were crushed. Forty of their leaders, however, were given refuge by the ruler of Nabataean Arabia; whereupon Herod invaded Arab territory, and settled 3,000 of his own Idumaean partisans in Trachonitis (supplemented by a military colony of Babylonian Jews in Batanea). His invasion of the Arab kingdom greatly annoyed Augustus, and on learning of this imperial reaction the Trachonite hillsmen renewed their rebellion, massacring many of the new settlers.
After Herod's death Trachonitis became part of the tetrarchy of his son Philip (4 BC–AD 34). Subsequently it belonged to Agrippa I and Agrippa II, under whom two of the territory's chieftains tried to defect to the historian Josephus (unwillingly in command of a rebel force) at the beginning of the First Jewish Revolt (AD 66); but he sent them back home. Following the death of Agrippa II (before 93/94), Trachonitis belonged to the province of Judaea (soon to be renamed Syria Palaestina). But c 295 the territory was transferred to the province of Arabia.