The remains of the city of Gamala lies on the Golan Hights. The name is derived from the Hebrew word "gamal" meening - a camel, as it is situated on a hill shaped like a camels rump.
Josephus Flavius was the Commander of Galilee during the Jewish Revolt against Rome and in 66 CE fortified Gamala as his main stronghold on the Golan (Antiquities of the Jews 13:394).
He gives a very detailed topographical description of the city and describes the Roman siege under the command of Vespasian which led to its conquest in 67 CE.
The Romans attempted to take the city by means of a siege ramp, but were turned back by the defenders; only on the second attempt did they succeed in penetrating the fortifications and conquering the city.
Thousands of inhabitants were slaughtered, while others chose to jump to their deaths from the top of the cliff (Josephus, The Jewish War IV, 1-83).
The ancient city of Gamla (also known as Gamala) is located in the lower Golan, on a steep ridge that rises to a height of 330 meters above the surrounding terrain.
Sadly, Gamla is most remembered for the catastrophic defeat it suffered at the hands of the Romans during the Jewish Revolt, since Josephus—who witnessed the campaign as a captive of the Romans—describes the battle for the city in vivid detail.
Shmaryah Gutman, the director of the ongoing excavations at Gamla, made the present identification of the city on the basis of a correspondence between the excavated remains and Josephus’ description.
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