The Alignment to Solstice of the Temple of the Sun at Gerasa

The Alignment to Solstice of the Temple of the Sun at Gerasa. PHILICA Article number 64

Jerash, the capital of the Jerash Governorate situated in the north of Jordan, is the site of the ruins of the Greco-Roman Gerasa. Inscriptions from the site and literary sources tell us that the city was founded by Alexander the Great or his general Perdiccas, who settled aged Macedonian soldiers there [1]. Then, for this town, it was used the name “geras” which means “old age” in Ancient Greek. The foundation took place during the spring of 331 BC, when Alexander left the Egypt for Mesopotamia [1]. Planned having a regular layout, Gerasa seem oriented along the sunrise direction on winter solstice. Before showing its astronomical orientation, let us see in detail its town planning as discussed in [2].