<< Our Photo Pages >> Mukawir - Hillfort in Jordan
Submitted by motist on Sunday, 09 January 2011 Page Views: 11260
DigsSite Name: Mukawir Alternative Name: MachaerusCountry: Jordan
NOTE: This site is 1.3 km away from the location you searched for.
Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Madaba Nearest Village: Mukawir
Latitude: 31.567360N Longitude: 35.624304E
Condition:
5 | Perfect |
4 | Almost Perfect |
3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
0 | No data. |
-1 | Completely destroyed |
5 | Superb |
4 | Good |
3 | Ordinary |
2 | Not Good |
1 | Awful |
0 | No data. |
5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
4 | Short walk on a footpath |
3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
2 | A long walk |
1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
0 | No data. |
5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
0 | no data |
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Modern Mukawir was known as Machaerus in biblical times. At the time of the Maccabean Revolt, the Hasmonaean dynasty had set up a powerful Jewish state east and west of the Jordan River. They built a number of forts to protect their territory, one of which was Machaerus in the east, another was Masada in the west. Herod the Great later captured this region, and launched an ambitious construction campaign that included a great palace at Machaerus. After Herod the Great died, Machaerus passed on to his son Herod Antipas.
Machaerus is one of those dessert fortresses, located at the southern border of Peraea where it met the territory of the king of Nabataea. In the case of Machaerus not all the basic water supply elements are known. One supposes that the water was collected by means of diversions from two wadi's, led into a conveyance channel of unknown length, via a wall over the saddle to 6 cisterns for intermediate storage and lifted by man and animal power to the hill top (700 m above sea level). The best visible remains of the water supply in Machaerus are the foundations of the wall on the saddle and some of the cisterns half way the hill, on top of which some remains of Herod's fortress are visible including a huge reservoir.
It was Herod the Great's son Herod Antipas (4 bc - 39 ad) who ordered the imprisonment of John the Baptist because of Johns criticism on his marriage to his brother's wife Herodias (Luke 4 vs 19). During Herod's birthday party Herodias suggested the beheading of John (Matt 14: 1-12). According to the historian Flavius Josephus the imprisonment, the party and the execution took place in the fortress of Machaerus.
Like Masada Machaerus had a garrison of Roman troops during the the First Jewish revolt. In September 70 AD, after a seven month siege, Titus captured Jerusalem. The Jewish cause was hopeless but groups continued to hold some fortresses among which Machaerus. It was assaulted by Lucius Bassus at the head of a force which inclided the Legio X Fretensis. This Roman commander erected an entrenchment of some 3 km with an army camp and 10 - 11 watchtowers - the remains are still visible in the landscape. He captured the fortified hilltop by building a siege ramp on the ridge of the hill west of the fortress (see photo below). Before the ramp reached the fortress the besieged Jews capitulated and were allowed to leave. After this victory the Jews at Massada experienced a similar siege (Spring 74 AD) but committed collective suicide rather than fall into Roman hands.
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