ANTIOCH THE GLORIOUS 



85 



Seleucus' conquered 

 rival, an eagle swooped 

 down, caught a piece 

 of meat from the altar, 

 and flew away. The 

 flight of the eagle 

 was watched, and it 

 was seen to settle 

 upon Mount Silpius, 

 at the southern edge 

 of the plain, beside the 

 Orontes. This was in- 

 terpreted as an omen 

 that the gods wished 

 Seleucus to found his 

 capital on the site in- 

 dicated by the eagle's 

 flight. 



Accordingly, Seleu- 

 cus destroyed Anti- 

 eonia and removed 



o m 



city and citizens across 

 the plain to the new 

 location. It was un- 

 doubtedly a great as- 

 set to have his judg- 

 ment as to a suitable 

 and strategic site con- 

 firmed by signs and 

 omens. 



And so Seleucus was 

 guided to build his 

 capital city on the ris- 

 ing ground between 

 the Orontes River and 

 the high slopes of Sil- 

 pius. This plateau is 

 some two miles in 

 width and extends a 

 long distance east and 

 west between the river 

 and the mountains. 

 To the north of the 

 river a wide and fer- 

 tile plain stretches 

 away for miles to the 

 range of Amanus ; the 

 Lake of Antioch, surrounded by the citadel walls the pass of the "Syrian 

 greenest of plains, lies blue in the dis- Gates" gave access to the north and west. 

 tance. The whole plain of the Mesopotamia!! 



This was a strategic point for the build- Valley lay open to the east, and south- 



Photograph from William H. Hall 



IN THE COINS OP ANCIENT ANTIOCH IS RECORDED MUCH OP 

 THE PROUD CITY'S LEGENDARY HISTORY 



At the top is shown Fortuna, symbolic figure of the city, seated on 

 the crags of Mount Silpius, with the Orontes River, represented as 

 a boy, swimming at her feet. In the middle is a coin of the time 

 of Antiochus Epiphanes, who persecuted the Jews and against whom 

 the Maccabees rose. It shows the figure of Zeus, and the inscription 

 claims divine honors for Epiphanes. At the bottom is one of the 

 coins of Antiochus the Great, showing the head of Antiochus on the 

 obverse and on the reverse side Apollo, patron god of Antioch, aim- 

 ing an arrow into the ground (see text, page 99). 



ing of a capital city. The immediate en- 

 virons furnished ample support in grain 

 and cattle for the city's needs. Both by 

 river and easy road there was access to 

 the sea. Almost within sight from the 



ward along the seacoast and the plain be- 

 tween the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon 

 ranges opened the land of Syria and the 

 way to Egypt. 



From three directions, therefore, the 



