 People practiced multi-cropping and raised pigs, sheep, goats, and cattle; they also caught fish, shellfish, and crab.However, Dhiban appears to have declined in importance after 1356, when the nearby town of Hisban lost its status as capital of the al-Balqa region in favor of Amman.Periods of drought in the ensuing years exacerbated this decline, and Dhiban was abandoned during the early years of Ottoman rule.