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RAFIA (Ancient city) PALESTINE
Raphia (Rhaphia, Hpapheia a maritime city in the extreme south of
Palestine, between Gaza and Rhinocorura, a day's march from both, reckoned by
Josephus, Polybius, and others, as the first city of Syria. (Joseph. B. J. iv.
11. § 5; Polyb. v. 80.) It was taken from the Egyptians by Alexander Jannaeus,
and held by the Jews for some time. It was one of the ruined and depopulated cities
restored by Gabinius. (Ant. xiii. 13. § 3, 15. § 4, xiv. 5. § 3.) It is mentioned
also by Strabo (xvi. p. 759) and in the Itinerary of Antoninus, between the above-named
towns. Coins of Raphia still exist, and it was represented by its bishop in the
council of Ephesus, and in those of Constantinople, A.D. 536 and 553. (Reland,
s. v. pp. 967, 968; Le Quien, Oriens Christianus, vol. iii. pp. 629, 630.) It
was in the neighbourhood of this city that a great battle was fought between Ptolemy
Philopator and Antiochus the Great, in which the latter was routed with immense
loss. (3 Maccab. i. 2; Polyb. v. 80, &c.; Hieron. ad Dan. cap. xi.) Its site is
still marked by the name Refah, and two ancient granite columns in situ, with
several prostrate fragments, the remains apparently of a temple of considerable
magnitude. (Irby and Mangles' Journal, October 8.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
The southern-most city on the coast of Palestine and its port, identified
with Tell Rafah. A halt under the same name is mentioned in ancient Egyptian sources
in conjunction with the Via Maris. Diodorus (20.74) reported that Demetrius (in
306 B.C.), who sailed from Gaza, had many of his galleys driven by a storm to
Raphia, "a city which affords no anchorage and is surrounded by shoals."
Strabo (16.2.31) refers to a battle fought there between Ptolemy IV and Antiochos
the Great in 217 B.C. At Raphia Antiochos V married the daughter of the same Antiochos
the Great (Polyb. 5.82-86). The city was taken by Alexander Jannaeus (Joseph.
AJ 13.357; 14.396), who annexed it to the Hasmonaean kingdom. It was freed again
by Pompey in 64 B.C., and was subsequently rebuilt by Gabinius (Joseph. BJ 1.166).
In A.D. 69 Titus went by Raphia on his way from Alexandria to Caesarea. On this
occasion Josephus (BJ 1.662) wrote that Raphia is "the city where Syria begins."
Ptolemy (5.15.5) knew it as a city of Judea and Raphia is frequently mentioned
in Byzantine sources.
Raphia minted coins from the time of Commodus to that of Philip the
Arab, and from these coins we learn that Apollo, Artemis, and Dionysos were worshiped
there. There have been no excavations.
A. Negev, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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