Gadara

Gadara was the capital city of the region of Peraea (Transjordan) and one of the cities of the Decapolis league, situated about six miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee. It was a Hellenistic city of some importance, possessing extensive ruins of theaters, temples, and colonnaded streets still visible at modern Umm Qeis in Jordan. The surrounding territory — the country of the Gadarenes — is the setting for the miracle of the Gerasene demoniacs in the synoptic Gospels, though the exact identification of the site with the miracle narrative has been debated due to the Gerasenes and Gergesenes variant readings.

The presence of a large herd of pigs in the Gadarene country (Mark 5:1; Luke 8:26) reflects the predominantly Gentile character of the Decapolis region, where Jewish purity laws regarding swine would not have governed the local economy. Gadara was known in antiquity as a center of Hellenistic culture and learning, producing notable philosophers and poets. Its distance from the lake — Gadara proper lay inland — has led scholars to prefer alternate readings placing the miracle at Gerasa or Gergesa, sites closer to the shore.