Antioch
Seleucus I Nicator chose a spot near the Orontes River on the 22nd day of Artemísios in his twelfth year, which equals May 300 BC. An eagle carried sacrificial meat to that exact location, signaling divine approval for the new city. He named it Antioch after his father and invited Greeks from across the Mediterranean to settle there. The grid plan followed Alexandria's design by architect Xenarius, creating two great colonnaded streets intersecting at the center. By 240 BC, this settlement became the capital of the Seleucid Empire, shifting power away from Anatolia. Five thousand Athenians and Macedonians founded the initial population, later swelling to include thousands more free citizens and their families. The city grew into a Tetrapolis with four walled sections stretching almost three miles from west to east.
Strabo wrote that Antioch was nearly as large as Alexandria during Augustus' reign, suggesting over 300,000 free inhabitants existed then. Estimates place the peak population between 200,000 and 500,000 people, making it the third largest city in the Roman Empire behind Rome and Alexandria. A massive hippodrome called the Circus of Antioch could hold up to 80,000 spectators watching chariot races. Emperor Trajan visited in 71 AD and found the city convulsed by an earthquake that reduced the population below 400,000. In 256 AD, Persian King Shapur I raided the city, killing around 100,000 people and deporting survivors to Gundeshapur. Despite these disasters, the city remained a vital hub for trade along the Silk Road and Royal Road networks.
Acts 11:19 records that converts were first called Christians within this city's walls during early missionary efforts. Saint Peter established a tradition upon which the Patriarchate of Antioch still claims primacy today. John Chrysostom noted there were 100,000 Christians living in the city during his homilies delivered between 386 and 393 AD. Diodorus of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia led a distinct theological school emphasizing literal scriptural interpretation. Simeon Stylites lived atop a pillar forty years east of the city before his body was brought back for burial under Emperor Leo. Ten church assemblies convened here between 252 and 300 AD, establishing it as one of five original patriarchates alongside Constantinople and Rome.
John Malalas chronicled an earthquake in 148 BC that caused immense damage to the growing settlement. A massive quake struck again in 115 AD while Trajan visited, forcing him to take shelter inside the circus for days. Another devastating tremor hit in 526 AD, destroying Seleucia Pieria permanently and reducing Antioch's population by half. Justinian I renamed the city Theopolis after rebuilding public works completed in 540 AD. Khosrow I then deported up to 300,000 people to Weh Antiok Khosrow, ending the city's former glory. A final earthquake in 588 AD destroyed Constantine's Great Church, shifting religious focus to the church of Cassian.
Bohemund of Taranto captured Antioch in June 1098 after a siege lasting eight months during the First Crusade. Tancred served as regent from 1100 until his death in 1112 following a typhoid epidemic. Roger of Salerno rebuilt foundations after an earthquake destroyed them in 1114. Louis VII of France arrived on the 19th of March 1148 but refused to help defend against Turkish forces. Baibars besieged the city on the 18th of May 1268, killing or enslaving nearly the entire population despite promising safety. By 1432 only about 300 houses remained inhabited within the walls, mostly occupied by Turcomans.
Excavations between 1932 and 1939 uncovered nearly 300 Roman mosaics from private homes and public baths. The Committee for the Excavation of Antioch included representatives from Princeton University, the Louvre Museum, and the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard. Most mosaics date from the fourth and fifth centuries AD, depicting animals, plants, mythological beings, and daily life scenes. One famous mosaic shows a skeleton lying down with wine and bread alongside text reading "Be cheerful, enjoy your life." These artifacts now reside in the Hatay Archaeology Museum in modern Antakya, Turkey. Recent construction in April 2016 exposed another Greek mosaic showing a skeleton, though many ancient sections remain buried beneath alluvial deposits from the Orontes River.
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Common questions
When was Antioch founded and by whom?
Seleucus I Nicator chose a spot near the Orontes River on the 22nd day of Artemísios in his twelfth year, which equals May 300 BC. He named it Antioch after his father and invited Greeks from across the Mediterranean to settle there.
What was the population size of Antioch during its peak under Roman rule?
Estimates place the peak population between 200,000 and 500,000 people, making it the third largest city in the Roman Empire behind Rome and Alexandria. Strabo wrote that Antioch was nearly as large as Alexandria during Augustus' reign, suggesting over 300,000 free inhabitants existed then.
Which religious traditions originated or were established within the walls of Antioch?
Acts 11:19 records that converts were first called Christians within this city's walls during early missionary efforts. Saint Peter established a tradition upon which the Patriarchate of Antioch still claims primacy today, and ten church assemblies convened here between 252 and 300 AD.
How many times did major earthquakes destroy parts of Antioch before the modern era?
John Malalas chronicled an earthquake in 148 BC that caused immense damage to the growing settlement. A massive quake struck again in 115 AD while Trajan visited, another devastating tremor hit in 526 AD, and a final earthquake in 588 AD destroyed Constantine's Great Church.
Who captured Antioch during the First Crusade and what happened to its population by 1432?
Bohemund of Taranto captured Antioch in June 1098 after a siege lasting eight months during the First Crusade. By 1432 only about 300 houses remained inhabited within the walls, mostly occupied by Turcomans.
Where are the Roman mosaics discovered in Antioch located today?
These artifacts now reside in the Hatay Archaeology Museum in modern Antakya, Turkey. Recent construction in April 2016 exposed another Greek mosaic showing a skeleton, though many ancient sections remain buried beneath alluvial deposits from the Orontes River.