Kifrin
Kifrin: history
Kifrin is the Becchufrein of the Durene, parchment and papyrus documents from the archives of the XX Cohors Palmyrenorum that mention the deployment of soldiers and garrisons to the outpost on the river. The site is located on the east bank (the “Parthian” one) of the Euphrates, between the fortified islands of Telbis and Bijan, approximately 130 km downstream from Dura Europos. Kifrin lies on a rocky spur that dominates the cultivated shore of the river and controls the ample bend towards ‘Ana. In Roman times, the site was part of a system of outposts and fortified centres that were key points of Rome’s defensive system (such as ‘Ana, Ertaje, Telbis and Bijan) along the river. The structures’ extension and monumentality make Kifrin the largest and most important fortified settlement downstream of Dura Europos.
The specific events that led to the stronghold’s abandonment and to the end of Kifrin remain obscure. The excavation did not find visible traces of destruction, although the many restorations of the wall and a mass grave attest to the battles, including violent ones, that took place here. The absence of coins after Gordian III (only one Ardashir coin originates from outside the walls) seems to back up the hypothesis that the stronghold was possibly abandoned as early as in Severus Alexander’s time, and anyhow before the second agoge of Shapur (around 250 A.D.) the presence of coins minted by Gordian III may possibly pertain to a temporary reoccupation of the site or to a final attempt to maintain dominance over this part of the river.