ANTIOCH THE GLORIOUS 



89 



tain, built by Antiochus III, and the most 

 beautiful portion to the east, built by 

 Antiochus Kpiphanes. During the Seleu- 

 cid era the city covered a space four 

 miles long by two miles wide. In addi- 

 tion, there were populous suburbs, such 

 as Heraclea and Daphne. 



The general plan adopted in building 

 was one much admired at that time. 

 There was one long main street, in gen- 

 eral parallel with the river. All other 

 streets were either parallel with this main 

 street or at right angles to it. This 

 "checker-board" plan was typical of 

 Greek cities. 



Bridges spanned the river both to the 

 island and to the northern bank. The 

 points of the mountain were crowned 

 with temples, shrines, and a citadel. 



The whole city was surrounded by a 

 great wall which is said to have been 

 seventy to eighty feet high, to have been 

 protected by 360 towers, and to have 

 been so broad that a team of four horses 

 could drive abreast on the top of it. 



It is thought by some that this plan of 

 Antioch, especially the great colonnaded 

 street, was copied in the planning of 

 other cities, such as Palmyra and Jerash. 

 Indeed, Muller in his "Antiquities of 

 Antioch'' contends that Antioch was an 

 original product of Greek art, that other 

 cities were patterned after it, and that 

 later decorations of Antioch were merely 

 copies or restorations of the earlier Greek 

 beauties by the less original Roman con- 

 querors. 



A STREET OF MAGNIFICENT SPLENDOR 



The most magnificent splendor of 

 Antioch was its great street. This ran 

 straight through the city from east to 

 west. At each end there was an im- 

 pressive gate. The eastern gate was later 

 known as the "Gate of St. Paul." It was 

 still standing forty years ago, almost 

 complete ; but now even the foundations 

 have been removed for buildings in the 

 modern city. The western, or Daphnean 

 Gate, was called the "Gate of the Cheru- 

 bim," for over this gate Titus placed the 

 golden cherubim he had taken from the 

 temple in Jerusalem. 



These two gates were about four miles 

 apart. Between them was a grand 

 boulevard. 



Mer.sina 



Drawn by A. H. Bumstead 



A MAP OE THE EASTERN SHORES OF THE 

 MEDITERRANEAN 



Legendary history tells us that the flight of 

 an eagle indicated to Seleucus Xicator the site 

 for Antioch, which became the brilliant capital 

 of the Seleucid Empire. It enjoys an un- 

 rivaled situation on the south bank of the 

 Orontes River, with a spur from Mount Casius 

 at its back and fertile plains spreading north- 

 ward beyond the river in the direction of 

 Alexandretta. 



One who has visited the ruins of 

 Jerash, east of the Jordan, or Palmyra, 

 or the beautiful white marble street of 

 Ephesus, can form some conception of 

 what this glory of Antioch must have 

 been. 



On each side of the street was a double 

 row of columns. The outside aisle in each 

 case was roofed over, furnishing a shadv 



