HISTORY OF DOR DURING THE GREEK, MACCABEAN 

 AND ROMAN PERIODS. 



POLTBIUS, HISTOEIAE 5 : Q6. 



In the course of his early campaigns against Ptolemy Philopator 

 of Egypt, Antiochus III (*' the Great ") besieged Dor without 

 result. The strength of the place and the reenforcements sent 

 by Nicolaus, together with the approach of winter, made him 

 abandon his attempt. This was in the year 219 B.C. Polybius 

 thus records the incident' : 



*AvTtoxo<s Be <Tvve(rTa/x€vo<s TroXiopKiav wepl ttjv KaXovfJLcvrjv ttoXlv Aovpa^, kol 

 7repaLV€LV ovSkv 8wa/u.cvos 8ta re ttjv oxvpoTrjra rov tottov koI tols Toiv Trcpt tov 

 NtKoAaov Trapa/So-qdeuis, crwaTTTovTos ^Srj tov )(€LfX(i)vos, avvex^PV^^ '''^'■^ Tra/oa 

 TOV IlToAe/xatov Trpecr/Setats dvo;(a? T€ TroLrjcraa-Oat T€Tpap.rivovq Koi tS)v 6\o)v €i9 



irdvTa (TvyKaTa^-qa^aOaL to. f^tkavOpoiTra ravra 8* tirpaTTC, TrkelaTOV 



fikv d'7r€^(jDv TYJ^ aXr}deta<; • (TttcvSwv Sk p.r] iroXvv ^ovov a/iroaTrdaOaL twv 

 oiK€L(DV TOTTWv, ciAA* €v Ttj ScAcvKCttt TTOtiyo'ao-^at Tr]V Ttiov Svva/xcojv Trapa^ct- 

 uaaiav. 



'* But Antiochus had begun a siege against the city named Dor, 

 and could accomplish nothing because of the strength of the place 

 and because of the reenforcements they received from Nicolaus'. 

 Since winter was already drawing near he agreed with the ambas- 

 sadors of Ptolemy (Philopator) to observe an armistice of four 

 months duration and to enter into friendly relations in everything 

 that concerned the war. And this he did although he was far 

 from sincerity in the matter. He was eager, rather, not to be long 

 separated from his own lands, but instead to pass the winter with 

 his troops in Seleucia." 



Whether Dor fell into Antiochus' hands the following year 

 (218 B.C.) on his way to the defeat at Raphia is not recorded. 



^ Historiae, 5:66, ed. Buttner-Wobst II, p. 185 f.; Reland, Palaestina, p. 

 744; op. Noris, Annus et Epochae Syromacedonum, on Polyb., V:66; 

 Schtirer, II, 139. 



2 In C^ovpa^ ov is, as remarked above, simply the confusion of ov with o, a 

 common phenomenon. 



8 An Aetolian, one of Ptolemy's generals (Po?2/&. 5:61, 68, 70). Later he 

 fights with Antiochus the Great against Arsaces {Polyb. 10:29). 



Trans. Conn. Acad., Vol. XX. 5 1915. 



