Battle of Gadara
| Battle of Gadara | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alexander Jannaeus minted on a coin. | |||||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Hasmonean dynasty | Nabataean Kingdom | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| Alexander Jannaeus | Obodas I | ||||||||
Location within Jordan | |||||||||
Battle of Gadara was fought between the Judaean Hasmoneans and the Arab Nabataeans around 93 BC in Gadara in modern-day Jordan.
The battle came after the Nabataeans felt threatened by the Hasmonean King Alexander Jannaeus's territorial acquisitions of Gaza and several towns north of Nabataea in Transjordan, along the road to Damascus where the Greek Seleucids were stationed (the Seleucids were in terminal decline at the time).
Jannaeus was "lucky to escape alive" back to Jerusalem after the Nabataean king Obodas I managed to ambush his forces on a steep hill, thought to be the hills surrounding the Yarmouk River. Jannaeus returned to fierce Jewish opposition in Jerusalem after his defeat, and had to cede the acquired territories to the Nabataeans so that he could dissuade them from supporting his opponents in Judea.