Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/50

* DE CANDOLLE. 38 La phytographie ou I'art de rft'cn're les vigitaux (Paris, 18S0) ; and Origine des plantes cultiiccs (Paris, 1883). Besides these works he wrote a history of the sciences and scientists of the' last two centuries (Geneva, 1872), and edited the memoirs and souvenirs of his father (Geneva, ISU2). DECAP'ODA (Neo-Lat. nom. pi., from Gk. (JcKOTOuc, dekapous, from SeKa, dcka, ten + "oif, pons, foot). (1) The largest and most impor- tant order of malaoostrnean cnistaceans, distin- guished by the fact that the carapace is firmly grown to the dorsal side of all the thoracic seg- ments, and that the last five pairs of thoracic appendages scr%e as walking feet, while the first three pairs are mouth-organs. All of the crusta- ceans ordinarily used for food (crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and prawns) are decapods. Many hun- dred species are known, and they are found in all parts of the world, on land and in fresh water, but chieHy in the sea. The decapods contain three groups — the long-tailed (Macnira) . the short-tailed (Brnchynra) . and the peculiar-tailed (A)iomurn) . The first has the abdomen long and covered by a hard shell, and the lobster, crayfish, prawn, etc., are good illustrations ; the second siibordcr has the abdomen very short and weak (this group is made up of the crabs) ; while the third includes the hermit-crabs, which seem to be intermediate between the others. See Crab; CRrsT.CE. ; Lobster. (2) A suborder of dibranchiate cephalopods, having ten arms, the squids. See Cephalopoda; Sqtjtd; and Colored Plate of Decapods and OCTOPODS. DECAP'OLIS (Lat., from Gk. AeitdTroXis, De- kapolis, ten cities). A geographical term used in .Tosephus, the New Testament (Matt. iv. 25; Mark v. 20; vii. .SI), and other ancient writings to designate certain districts in and near Pales- tine, situated mainly east of the Jordan. The Deeapolis was a confederacy or league, originally of ten cities, though the number was not constant, apparently having been increased in the second centurt'. The details of the history of the eon- federation are somewhat obscure. Its outlines can be recovered, however, with a good. degree of certainty. When Alexander the Great conquered the East (B.C. .S31), the ancient Semitic world was at once opened to the inllucnces of Greek civiliza- tion. Many of Alexander's veterans either set- tled in cities already founded, or established new ones for themselves. Palestine, outside of .Judea proper, was not exempt from this movement, and soon here and there throughout the ancient Hebrew territory numerous f J reek cities came into existence. These cities, all constituted after the same general idea of the Greek polls, were centres of Greek culture. During the Maccabean War of Independence (B.C. 1G7-141), waged by the Jews against the Greek-Syrian Kingdom, their sympathies were with Syria. Consequently, with the triumph of the .lews, and especially during the reigns of the AsniouiPan princes, .Tolin Hyrcanus (n.c. 13.5-10,')) and .Mcxander Janmrus (B.C. 104-78), they sulTered great hardship, in many eases being deprived of their independence. Tn B.C. G3, when Pompey took charge of affairs in Syria and Palestine in the name of Rome, he freed them from the .TcAvish yoke. Tt was prob- ably at this time that ten of these cities fonned DECAPOLIS. the league known as the Deeapolis. The charter members seem to have been Scythopolis (the only one west of the Jordan). Dium, Pclla, Ga- dara. Hippos. Gerasa, Philadelphia, Damascus, Raphana, and Kanatha. Such is the list given by our earliest authority, Pliny the Elder (Hist. Nat. V. 18), in the first century. The geograph- er Ptolemy, in the second century, omits Rapha- na, but adds nine other names, making eighteen in all belonging to the league in his time. The purpose of the confederation was in part to se- cure better protection against enemies, such as the .Tews and the Arabian tribes, who were nat- urally hostile to Roman and Greek infiuences. Another equally powerful motive was the desire to obtain better trade advantages. The members of the league were all situated on trade routes. Each one of these cities covered with its jurisdic- tion a large adjacent district. Yet the Deeapolis was not one solid territory, but between the dis- tricts belonging to the respective cities were large tracts governed by the various tetrarchies or other forms of government pemiitted by Rome to exist imder her general supervision. The most compact part of the Deeapolis lay just south and east of the Sea of Galilee. Here the regions of Scythopolis, west of the Jordan and on the main line of communication with the East-.Tordan territory; of Hippos, east of the Sea of Galilee; and of Gadara, south of Hippos, on the Hiero- max, the ancient Yarmuk, were contingent, each possessing a section of the shore of the lake. This was the Decapolitan region referred to in the Gospels as the scene, for a brief time, of Jesus's ministry and into which His fame spread. South of Gadara, bordering on the .Jordan Val- ley, were Pella and Dium, both probably foimdcd by Alexander's veterans. East of these were the districts belonging to Abila on the Yarmuk; a late addition, Gerasa, farther south and very extensive; and Philadelphia (the ancient Rab- bath-Ammon of the Old Testament ), the most southern member of the league. To the north- east were the cities Kanata, Kanatha (the an- cient Kenath of Num. xxxii. 42), now called Kanawat. both on the western slope of the Hauran Hills, and Damascus. Other members, such as Edrei and Bosra. though old cities, were late additions, and carried the influence of the league eastward, south of the Hauran. From the organization of the league until the third century — a period of nearly three hundred years — the Decapolitan country was exceedingly prosperous. When Trajan organized the Prov- ince of Arabia (B.C. 100) the security of the re- gion was assured, commerce expanded, literature and art flourished, and in all conditions this was one of the most-favored regions of the Empire. Of the cities making up the league, some were of more than ordinary size and importance. The ruins of Gerasa (the modern Jerash) are very extensive; the amphitheatre of Philadelphia had a seating capacity of more than seven thousand ; Gerasa had a nnuniachia. Greater than any of these, in .Tosephus's day. was Scythopolis. the ancient Beth-shean (modern Boisan), west of the .Tordan, famous for its linen manufactures. The confederation seems to have dissolved gradually. Some of the cities became incorporated with the Province of .rabia ; others maintained their independent position imtil the breakup of the Roman Empire. Consult: Schiircr. Tlisiory of the Jewish Peo-