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Golan (; ) is the name of a Hebrew Bible town, later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius ( Onomasticon, early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical city of Golan at Sahm el-Jaulān, a village east of Wadi ar-Ruqqad in the Daraa Governorate, where early Byzantine ruins were found. Israeli historical geographer, Zev Vilnay, tentatively identified the town of Golan with the Goblana (Gaulan) of the TalmudJerusalem Talmud ( Avodah Zarah chapter 2; Megillah, chapter 3) which he thought to be the ruin ej-Jelêbîne on the Wâdy Dabûra, near the Hula Valley, by way of a corruption of the site's original name.
According to Vilnay, the village took its name from the district Gaulanitis (Golan). The ruin is not far from the Daughters of Jacob Bridge. The traces of the town were described by G. Schumacher in the late 19th-century as being "a desert ruin", having "no visible remains of importance, but having the appearance of great antiquity."
In the Grecised form Gaulanitis (), it is the name of the region apparently named for the town of Golan. During much of the Hellenistic period, when the name Gaulanitis was coined, the region was part of the Seleucid Empire. In Roman times it was shared between the Roman provinces of Judaea and Phoenice. The history and antiquities of al-Golan - International Conference , Al-Bassel Center for Archaeological Research and Training, 2007-2008.
In 63 BCE the entire former Seleucid realm was conquered by Roman Republic general Pompey, and the Golan is settled by the Itureans. In 23 BCE the Jewish king Herod the Great, a client ruler loyal to Rome, receives the rule over the wider Hauran region. He leaves it to his heirs, who hold it until the death of Agrippa II at the end of the first century CE.
The city of Golan was known to Josephus. It formed the eastern boundary of Galilee and was part of the tetrarchy of Philip. It was described by Eusebius in his Onomasticon as a large village that gave its name to the surrounding country.
The Golan was prosperous during the Roman and Byzantine periods, but had a purely rural character and lacked any larger towns.
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