Early history Archaeological excavations have shown that in the place of Gamla there was already a settlement in the
Early Bronze Age. The settlement was probably agricultural, as archaeologists have found evidence of long-term use of flint sickles. Some of the findings even go back to the
Copper Age. The hill of Gamla remained largely uninhabited from the end of the Early Bronze Age II until the Hellenistic period. In
Rabbinic literature, Gamla is listed among the "walled towns from the time of
Joshua." This inclusion could have been influenced by the remains of the Early Bronze Age wall, which were still visible during the
Second Temple period.
Hellenistic and Hasmonean periods The site became host to a
Seleucid fort during the
Syrian Wars (3rd century BCE), according to
Josephus, in
The Jewish War after
Alexander Jannaeus captured it from the Seleucid ruler
Demetrius Eucaerus. Scholarly consensus places Jewish settlement in the Golan region, including Gamla, as a consequence of Jannaeus' conquests. The town's name, "Gamla" (Hebrew: גמלא), with a final aleph, may suggest
Aramaic-speaking Jewish inhabitants, possibly post-exilic returnees from
Babylonian captivity. However, an alternative spelling used in the
Jerusalem Talmud (Hebrew: גמלה) with a final he, may contradict this. The town grew as it became a haven for refugees fleeing the Roman advance in
Galilee. Archaeological evidence, such as hearths and storage jars, confirms the presence of a large population. During the revolt, the town minted its own coins, likely more as propaganda than currency. These coins, bearing the inscription "For the redemption of Jerusalem the H(oly)" in a mixture of paleo-Hebrew (biblical) and Aramaic, have been found in only six instances. Josephus gives a very detailed topographical description of the city, which he also referred to as
Gamala, and the steep ravines which precluded the need to build a wall around it. Only along the northern saddle, at the town's eastern extremity, was a 350 meter-long wall built. It was constructed by blocking gaps between existing houses and destroying houses that lay in its way. The inhabitants of the city, including armed rebels, were, according to Josephus, only 9,000 people. Kenneth Atkinson calls this number clearly exaggerated. Nevertheless, Danny Syon writes that before the siege Gamla became a refuge city to which both insurgents from all over the Galilee and residents of the surrounding villages flocked. There were not enough places in the city, and even the
Gamla Synagogue was adapted to accommodate refugees. Although Josephus, who led the consolidation of the defense of Gamla, describes it as a fortress, archaeological findings show that in fact the walls were constructed in fragments, filling in the gaps between buildings to create a continuous line of fortifications. Josephus also provides a detailed description of the Roman siege and conquest of Gamla in 67 CE by components of legions
X Fretensis,
XV Apollinaris and
V Macedonica. The Romans first attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were repulsed by the defenders. Only on the second attempt did the Romans succeed in breaching the walls at three different locations and invading the city. They then engaged the Jewish defenders in hand-to-hand combat up the steep hill. Fighting in the cramped streets from an inferior position, the Roman soldiers attempted to defend themselves from the roofs. These collapsed under the heavy weight, killing many soldiers and forcing a Roman retreat. The legionnaires re-entered the town a few days later, overcoming Jewish resistance and completing the capture of Gamla. Gamla is often compared with the more famous story of the fortress of
Masada, where the defenders, not wanting to surrender to the Romans, committed suicide. Sometimes Gamla is even called the "Northern Masada" or "Masada Golan." However, Danny Syon emphasizes that Masada was a fortress, originally built as a fortification facility, where several hundred families of rebels were hiding and where there was no battle as such. Gamla, in contrast, was a city where fortification was carried out in connection with military operations and where heavy fighting took place before its capture and destruction. According to Josephus, some 4,000 inhabitants were slaughtered, while 5,000, trying to escape down the steep northern slope, either were trampled to death, fell or perhaps threw themselves down a ravine. These numbers appear to be exaggerated and the number of inhabitants on the eve of the revolt has been estimated at 3,000–4,000. ==Identification==