Abila (Arabic: ابيلا) was an ancient city east of the Jordan River in the Plains of Moab, later Peraea, near Livias, about twelve km northeast of the north shore of the Dead Sea.[citation needed] The site is identified with modern Khirbet el-Kafrayn, Jordan and identified on the Madaba Map as an unnamed icon.[1][2][3] There is a widely supported theory that in the Hebrew Bible, it is referred to as Abel-Shittim, as well as in the shorter forms Shittim and Ha-Shittim.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
Date palms at the south-west edge of Tall el-Hammam, Jordan
Josephus stated that there was in his time a town, Abila, "full of palm trees",[11] at a distance of sixty stadia (9 kilometres (6 mi)) from the Jordan,[citation needed][dubious – discuss] and described it as the spot where Moses delivered the exhortations of Deuteronomy.[11] In 1906 there was still an acacia grove not far from the place, although palms as mentioned by Josephus were not to be found.[12]
Pliny commented on how the dates of Livias were of high quality both juicy and sweet.[13] Theodosius also praised the dates of Livias stating "it has there some great Nicolas dates" (ibi habet dactalum Nicolaum maiorem).[14] The Madaba Map also depicts the date palms still growing in the area of Livias-Betharamtha in the sixth century AD.