ABSTRACT
There is no other country in the world where the architectural monuments of antiquity have been preserved in such large numbers, in such perfection, and in so many varieties as in Northern Central Syria and in the Hauran'. Surveys from the Plain of Antioch and the Plain of Madaba to the semi-desert areas of Syria, Jordan and the Negev are revealing similar high levels of settlement in the countryside. The term 'Dead Cities' is perhaps a misnomer: 'Dead Towns' or even 'Dead Villages', while less dramatic, more accurately reflects the nature of the settlements. The settlements are very close together, averaging one every two square kilometres in the north where settlement is densest. Several administrative and market centres have been identified, largely from their size and relatively high number of public buildings. None of the settlements are walled, reflecting the high degree of security in the countryside, although houses tend to be surrounded by high walls.
