From Amman, we took a day-trip to Jerash, home to a really spectacular set of Roman ruins.

Never heard of Jerash? Don’t worry, neither had we! (And I majored in Classical Civilizations in undergrad; I live for this kind of stuff.)

The site may have been inhabited by humans as early as the Bronze Age (3200 BC – 1200 BC), but the ancient city is thought to have been settled around 333 BC. Around 64 BC, ancient Jerash was conquered for the Romans by Pompey the Great. Jerash grew in size and wealth, peaking  in size during the early 3rd century AD, and then eventually declined after a devastating earthquake in 747.

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