Thella was a Jewish village located near the

River Jordan The Jordan River or River Jordan ( ar, نَهْر الْأُرْدُنّ, ''Nahr al-ʾUrdunn'', he, נְהַר הַיַּרְדֵּן, ''Nəhar hayYardēn''; syc, ܢܗܪܐ ܕܝܘܪܕܢܢ ''Nahrāʾ Yurdnan''), also known as ''Nahr Al-Shariea ...

which formed the northern border of Jewish settlement in the

Upper Galilee The Upper Galilee ( he, הגליל העליון, ''HaGalil Ha'Elyon''; ar, الجليل الأعلى, ''Al Jaleel Al A'alaa'') is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period. It originally referred to a mountai ...

during the 1st century, as described by

Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

. Identification of the present site is at Tel Talil (''Khirbet Teleil'') on a hill near the shores of

Lake Hula A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

, in the eastern edge of the modern settlement of

Yesud HaMa'ala Yesud HaMa'ala ( he, יְסוּד הַמַּעֲלָה) is a moshava and local council in northern Israel. The moshava was the first modern Jewish community in the Hula Valley. Built in 1883, the community was among a series of agricultural settl ...

. This is based on the discovery of a building at the site, identified as an ancient synagogue. However, some archaeologists have questioned this conclusion and locate Thella on the west bank of the Jordan at Khirbet Makbarat Banat Yakub. Douglas R. Edwards
Religion and society in Roman Palestine: old questions, new approaches
Routledge, 2004. pg. 33-34. .

References

{{Authority control Former populated places in the State of Palestine Historic Jewish communities Ancient villages in Israel Ancient Jewish settlements of Galilee Former populated places in Israel

See also

References