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Shaqqa or Shakka ((アラビア語:شقا)) is a Syrian town in As Suwayda Governorate in southern Syria, whose some 8,000 inhabitants are mainly Druze, descendants of those who migrated here from Lebanon in the 18th and 19th centuries. In ancient times it was known as Saccaea (transliterated also as Sakkaia). In AD 287, it was given the rank of a city and the name Maximianopolis.〔(UNESCO, Les villages antiques du nord de la Syrie, pp. 115-116 )〕〔(Kevin Butcher, ''Roman Syria and the Near East'' (Getty Publications 2003 ISBN 978-0-89236715-3), p. 157 )〕〔(Diana Darke, ''Syria'' (Bradt Travel Guides 2010 ISBN 978-1-84162314-6), p. 254 )〕 Since it was situated in the Roman province of Arabia, it is distinguished from other cities by being called Maximianopolis in Arabia. == Location and architectural remains == Shaqqa is situated in the northern fringes of Jabal el Druze volcanic plateau at 1070 metres above sea level, 7 kilometres east of Shahba and about 25 kilometres north of As-Suwayda, the capital of the governatorate. The ancient remains include several dwellings rich adorned both architecturally and by carvings. In addition it has: *The enormous ''Al-Qaysariye'', generally interpreted as the residence of the Roman governors, but more probably a small forum linked with a vast basilical hall, which was worked on in the 3rd century.〔 It has a number of rooms and halls with floral decorations. *A Roman civil basilica, later transformed into a church dedicated to Saint George. It is believed that this church is the oldest one dedicated to the martyr Saint George on the basis of a Greek inscription naming the building for the "holy and triumphant" martyr George. It is dated to either AD 368 or 197. *A kalybe, an old architectural style of temples typical for the Roman era southern Syria. Maximianopolis in Arabia, doubtless the seat of a Roman garrison,〔 was a ''colonia'',〔(Monuments of Syria: Shaqqa )〕 the highest rank of city in the empire. It employed a calendar era that counted the years from that of Maximian's accession to the imperial throne (AD 286).〔Johannes Koder / Marcel Restle: "Die Ära von Sakkaia (Maximianopulis) in Arabia", in: ''Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik'' 42 (1992), pp. 79-82〕 An inscription mentions a temple of Zeus Megistos,〔Frank R. Trombley: ''Hellenic Religion & Christianization, c. 370-529'', E. J. Brill, Leiden 1993 (= Religions in the Graeco-Roman world, 115), vol. II, p. 344〕 and another bearing an epigram about the philosopher Proclus is a witness to local literary culture.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shaqqa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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