Legionslager Betthorus - Nordwestturm, 2009

Betthorus was a

Roman legion The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period of ...

ary fortress on the

Limes Arabicus The ''Limes Arabicus'' was a desert frontier of the Roman Empire, running north from its start in the province of Arabia Petraea. It ran northeast from the Gulf of Aqaba for about at its greatest extent, reaching northern Syria and forming part ...

. It is located in today's (from ''Legio''),

Karak Governorate Karak ( ar, الكرك) is one of the governorates of Jordan, located south-west of Amman, Jordan's capital. Its capital is Al-Karak. It s bordered by Madaba and the Capital governorates to the north, Ma'an Governorate to the east, Tafilah Governo ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

,Al Lajjun in Mapcarta

north-east of Al Karak. The place is in proximity to the spring , in a

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

of the same name, that flows into

Wadi Mujib Wadi Mujib ( ar, وادي الموجب, ''Wadi el-Mujib''), also known as Arnon Stream (Hebrew: נַחַל ארנון), is a river in Jordan. The river empties into the Dead Sea circa below sea level. Today, Wadi Mujib is fed by seven tributa ...

. The rectangular fortress, measuring by , covers . The outer

wall A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including: * Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the supe ...

was wide, had twenty

flanking tower A flanking tower is a fortified tower that is sited on the outside of a defensive wall or other fortified structure and thus forms a flank. From the defensive platform and embrasures the section of wall between them (the curtain wall) could be ...

s of semi-circular shape, four round corner towers, and a gate at each wall - major ones at north-east and north-west, and minor ones at the other two. A church is dated to 500. It was damaged by earthquakes in 363, 505, and 551.

Legio IV Martia Legio IV (or IIII) Martia was a legion of the Roman Empire, part of the Late Roman army. Its genesis is uncertain, but it probably existed in the time of Diocletian, and certainly in the time of ''Notitia Dignitatum''. That document places the legi ...

was stationed there in the 4th century. The troops were removed around 530, after the Ghassanids were charged with the defense of the border. In the 1980s Thomas S. Parker excavated the site.

External links

* *
Plan, map and bibliographyPhotos of Lejjun
at the American Center of Research

References

Archaeological sites in Jordan Roman legionary fortresses in Jordan Roman fortifications in Arabia Petraea {{Jordan-geo-stub