Rabbathmoba, Arabia
Septimius Severus (193-211 CE)
Ae 25mm 11.1g
Obv: AVT K A CEΠ CEOVHPOC; Laureate bust right
Rev: PABBAΘMωBHNωN; Tyche standing right with left foot on river-god, holding scepter and uncertain object
SNG ANS 1309
Rabbathmoba was the biblical capital of the Moab in Jordan and was mentioned in the Old Testament as Ar of Moab. Today, its ruins have been found at Rabba, Jordan.
Eusebius mentioned the “terrifying nature of the place”, though we don’t know exactly what he meant. Later on, the city harbored a largest Jewish population of 15,000 and had an extremely large synagogue. When a monk named Barsauma visited in the 5th century CE, he forced the officials to convert to christianity and burned the synagogue to the ground. It is uncertain what happened to the local Jewish population. A late Roman temple is still visible. Today, the population is a fraction of its ancient size.