Ancient city of Numeira

Numeira located at the southeastern end of the Dead Sea, and it was excavated between 1977–83. This archaeological site was only occupied during the EB III (Third Millennium BC), and there are several indicators that it was a colony of Bab edh-Dhra. Bab Edh-Dhraʿ is the site of an Early Bronze Age city located near the Dead Sea. Bab edh-Dhra and Numeira are the only known inhabited towns in the region of the Dead Sea between ca. 3300 and 900 BC.

Numeria is one of at least five ancient cities were once established in the region just to the east and south of the Dead Sea., Other four: Khanazir, Feifa, Safi, and Bab edh-Dhra.

Paleo-botanical studies have shown that there was a rich diversity of crops grown at Numeira. Most common were barley, wheat, grapes, figs, lentils and flax. Less common were chickpeas, peas, broad beans, dates and olives.

Like Bab edh-Dhra, Numeira was violently destroyed at the end of the EB III, never to be re occupied. The presence of two layers of ash at Numeira suggest that the city was ravaged by war and later by a natural “fiery” catastrophe. These events likely occurred within a twenty-year period.

By 2500 BC, the vast majority of the fortified settlements throughout the region were abandoned. Probably the farmers and herders had to develop new strategies for changing climatic conditions, especially in terms of rainfall at that time.
Ancient city of Numeira

Ancient city of Zoar

An etiology explains the city’s subsequent name of Zoar, ‘small’ according to Gen. 14.6, it former name was ‘Bela’. This due perhaps during Abraham’s time, King Bela ruled Zoar.

Zoar was one of the ‘five cities of the Plain’ southeast of the Dead Sea to which prophet of Lut fled to from Sodom and Gomorrah. The other cities are Admah, and Zeboiin.

Zoar escaped the fate of the other cities of the valley and provided a temporary refuge for Lut and his daughter.

The Talmud refers to ‘Zoar the city of palms’. In the Roman and Byzantine periods a town called Zoara flourished south of the Dead Sea.

Zoar continues to be attested in records until the Middle Ages.
Ancient city of Zoar

Ancient city of Sodom

Sodom was city where Abraham’s nephew Lot settled. It was one of the most ancient cities of Syria.

The entire plains of the Sodom area was included 5 cities in all. Sodom, the chief of the five confederate cities, built around the inland sea; the four others were Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboim and Zoar.

The origin of the name Sodom is linked to an old root meaning ‘abundance’ especially of water. This area is now the Dead Sea area.

The original cities are under the sea or closely around it. Their inhabitants seem to have been of Canaanitish blood; but they were horribly corrupt, given over to impiety, to iniquity of every kind and to the most infamous vices.

In 1897 BC Sodom and other city was destroyed, Lot and his two daughters escape to cave in the hills.
Ancient city of Sodom