Trachonitis (Region)
Rugged and rocky region south of Damascus. It was attached to the Tetrarchy of Philip.[1].
Description
This region is only briefly mentioned in the work[2] with other regions of the Tetrarchy of Philip, but in the attempted crowning of Jesus, briefly reported by John[3], Joachim of Bozrahh, a disciple who joined the plot, states that in case of uprising, Jesus can count on the Auranitide and the Trachonitide.
"I know what I say. Our mountains can feed an army, and hidden from ambushes, to launch them like a flight of eagles at your service."[4]The Trachonitide was indeed a hard-to-reach region, inhabited by Arab tribes recently subdued by the Romans (1st century BC).
Its name
Trachonitide is a name coming from the ancient Greek Trakhōnitís (Τραχωνῖτις), meaning "land of rough or stony terrains", because of its volcanic landscapes. The forms Trachonide or Trachonite are French adaptations of its name.
Where is it mentioned in the work?
EMV 292 EMV 570
Learn more about this place
Region extending south of Damascus, between the Anti-Lebanon mountain range and Batanea, and bordered to the south by the Auranitide. It is a semi-desertic terrain formed by volcanic lava flows coming down from the Hauran craters during prehistoric times. At the time of Jesus, this region constituted the largest part of the Roman province bearing its name, which together with the Auranitide, Gaulanitide, and Iturea belonged to the tetrarchy of Philip[5].
Explore
- 33° 00’ 12’’ N / 36° 25’ 20’’ E /
- +600m.