Ga-Mala
Ga-Mala [1]
( Τὰ Γάμαλα , so called from its situation on a ridge like a camel's hump, Josephus, War , 4:1, 1), a town of trans-Jordanic Palestine, in the district of Gamalitis (Josephus, War , 3:3, 5) or Lower Gaulanitis (ib. 4:1, 1), first mentioned as a fortress reduced by Alexander Jainaeus (ib. 1:4, 8); it retained its allegiance to Rome on the first outbreak of the final hostilities (Josephus, Life, 11), but afterwards revaolted, and was so strongly fortified by Josephus (ib. 37), ase to be only taken after a siege of seven months by a desperate assault (War, 4:1, 2). It was situated on the Lake of Tiberias, opposite Tarichese (ib. 4:1, 1). Schwarz is inclined, from a notice in the Talmud and certain local traditions, to place it between Hurim and Kedesh in aphtali (Palest. page 190); and Pliny speaks of a Galilaean town of the same name (Hist. Nat. 5:13); but this position is not to be thought of (see Eeland, Palest. page 784). Lord Lindsay found the site in the steep insulated hill east of the lake opposite Tiberias (Travels, 2:92), now called El-Hussn, between the village of Fik and the shore, having extensive ruins of buildings, walls, and columns on its top" (Burckhardt, Syria, page 278). This identification is confirmed by Thomson, who gives a detailed description of the spot (Land and Book, 2:47 sq.); though Bitter thinks, on account of Josephus' mention of a large place back of the fortress, we should rather locate it at Khan e1-Akabah, as described by Seetzen (Erdsunde, 15:350). (See Caphar-Gamala).
