Ancient Pella (Modern Tabaqat Fahl)

Pella is a favorite of archaeologists -- it is exceptionally rich in antiquities, some of which are exceedingly old. Besides the excavated ruins from the Greco-Roman Period Pella offers visitors the opportunity to see remains of a Chalcolithic settlement from the 4th millennium BC and the remains of Bronze and Iron Age walled cities ...

Tabaqat Fahl is a modern village near ancient Pella where human presence dates back to over a quarter of a million years. Although the initial inhabitants were nomadic, by the Bronze Age Pella had developed into a significant walled city. Under Roman rule this was one of the cities of the Decapolis and roads linked Tabaqat Fahl to Gerasa, Abila and Scythopolis on the far side of the River Jordan.

Although the Bible makes no reference to Pella it was a significant trading center and other historical documents from that period do mention it frequently. Christians began settling in Pella after they fled the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD and Christianity was well established by the middle of the 2nd century A.D. ...

The History of the Ancient Near East Electronic Compendium