At the beginning of the 1st century BC, Amathus was an important fortress held by Theodorus, son of the tyrant Zeno Kotoulas of Philadelphia.[10] In about 100 BC, Alexander Jannaeus captured but could not retain it,[11] and therefore, a few years later, he razed it.[12][13][14] It was possibly the seat of one of the five districts into which Aulus Gabinius divided Palestine a few decades later.[13][15][16]
The names of four ancient bishops of Amathus are known. Theodosius took part if the Robber Council of Ephesus in 449. Sergius is mentioned in the Life of Saint Saba by Cyril of Scythopolis and may have lived around the year 500. In 518, Procopius signed the letter of the bishops of Palestine to Patriarch John II of Constantinople against Severus of Antioch. Dorotheus signed the acts of the synod of 538 attended by the bishops of all three Roman provinces of Palaestina Prima, Palaestina Secunda, and Palaestina Salutaris.[17][18]
^Eusebius of Caesarea (2006) [manuscript, 1971]. "Alpha, Joshua, note 65". In Wolf, Carl Umhau (ed.). The Onomasticon of Eusebius Pamphili, Compared with the Version of Jerome and Annotated. tertullian.org. Retrieved 7 May 2014. n65. Aimath (Aemoth). Joshua 13:5; K. 22:23; L. 239:75. Textual variants: Aitham (Greek) and for "other" Amatha (Latin). Possibly three or four towns are involved in these lines. In the Peraia and located in relation to Pella (cf. K. 14:19), this Ammathous was a chief city in Herodian Peraia. It is probably Tell 'Ammata near Tell el Qos. This site has many Roman-Byzantine sherds. The Talmud identifies this with Saphon (K. 156:1) which may have been at Tell el Qos...