Ayn al-Zara (), known in ancient times as Callirrhoe (, ''Thermà Kallirhoēs''), is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

in Jordan. It includes the remains of a

nymphaeum A ''nymphaeum'' (Latin : ''nymphaea'') or ''nymphaion'' (), in ancient Greece and Rome, was a monument consecrated to the nymphs, especially those of springs. These monuments were originally natural grottoes, which tradition assigned as habit ...

, though it is considered difficult to be interpreted. Callirrhoe is known in

ancient literature Ancient literature comprises religious and scientific documents, tales, poetry and plays, royal edicts and declarations, and other forms of writing that were recorded on a variety of media, including stone, Clay tablet, clay tablets, Papyrus, pa ...

for its thermal springs, because it was visited by King Herod according to

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; , ; ), born Yosef ben Mattityahu (), was a Roman–Jewish historian and military leader. Best known for writing '' The Jewish War'', he was born in Jerusalem—then part of the Roman province of Judea—to a father of pr ...

shortly before his death in 4 BCE, as a final attempt to be cured or relieve his pains. It remains unknown if the "greatest builder in Jewish history" is related to any of the observable remains in the area. Callirrhoe is referred by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

(''Natural History'', 70-72),

Ptolemaeus Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine, Islamic, and W ...

(''Geography'' 15,6) and

Solinus __NOTOC__ Gaius Julius Solinus, better known simply as Solinus, was a Latin grammarian, geographer, and compiler who probably flourished in the early 3rd century AD. Historical scholar Theodor Mommsen dates him to the middle of the 3rd century. ...

(''De mirabilibus mundi'' 35,4) as well as in a

Midrash ''Midrash'' (;"midrash"
. ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...

Names

The

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

name ''Kallirhoē'' means "beautiful brook" or "spring". The

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

name ''Ayn az-Zara'' is sometimes derived from the root ''zar'a'' ("to sow"), in view of the agricultural function of the oasis. More probable is its derivation from an unattested original form ''al-Ayn az-Zahra'' ("the shining spring"), acting as a direct

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

of the Greek.

Madaba Map

Callirrhoe is represented on

Madaba Map The Madaba Map, also known as the Madaba Mosaic Map, is part of a floor mosaic in the early Byzantine church of Saint George in Madaba, Jordan. The mosaic map depicts an area from Lebanon in the north to the Nile Delta in the south, and fro ...

. On the mosaic three

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

s can be observed, a spring house, a nymphaeum, and a house. Springs' waters are gathered in basins, and two little palm trees are discerned representing the

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentAl-Tamimi, the physician, Callirrhoe (formerly called ''aḏ-Ḏara''), was the source of the highly sought-after "salt of Sodom" (

: ''milḥ anḏrānī''), a crystalline salt that is white, shiny and sticky.

Archaeological surveys

Callirrhoe is identified as the present day oasis 'Ein ez-Zara, laying on the eastern shore of

Dead Sea The Dead Sea (; or ; ), also known by #Names, other names, is a landlocked salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east, the Israeli-occupied West Bank to the west and Israel to the southwest. It lies in the endorheic basin of the Jordan Rift Valle ...

south of Wadi Zerka Ma'in in

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

. It was founded circa 1st century BCE and

excavations In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

between 1985 and 1989 were directed by August Strobel on behalf of the German Evangelical Institute for the Ancient Holy Land. A

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

of the 1st century CE, uncovered in recent excavations, is considered to be inspired by the designs used by Herod for his palaces. Callirrhoe functioned as harbor site for the mountain fortress of

Machaerus Machaerus (Μαχαιροῦς, from sword ; ) was a Hasmonean hilltop palace and desert fortress, rebuilt by Herod and now in ruins, located in the village of Mukawir in modern-day Jordan, southeast of the mouth of the Jordan River on th ...

. An ancient road of 8 km length connects the two sites. Kallirrhoe 1989

References

External links

*{{cite web, url=http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/, title=Madaba Mosaic Map, accessdate=2 April 2016, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414203937/http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/mad/, archive-date=14 April 2016, url-status=dead
Photos of Ayn ez Zara
at the

American Center of Research The American Center of Research (ACOR) is a private, not-for-profit scholarly and educational organization. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, with a facility in Amman, Jordan, ACOR promotes knowledge of Jordan and the interconnected region, past an ...

Archaeological sites in Jordan Hot springs of Asia Oases of Jordan