ANTIOCH THE GLORIOUS 



99 



used to be attended by a bevy of beauti- 

 ful maidens. This goddess and her maids 

 loved the mountain valleys, the wooded 

 hillsides, the springs and streams. 



APOLLO'S ADVENTURE WITH THE NYMPH 

 DAPHNE 



Apollo, happening one day to be in this 

 beautiful valley, presumably to pay a 

 visit to his huntress sister, chanced to 

 spy the beautiful nymph Daphne. She 

 espied Apollo at the same instant and set 

 off in a wild flight down the valley. Of 

 course, Apollo followed hard. She 

 prayed to her mother, Earth, for protec- 

 tion, with the result that she was changed 

 at once into a laurel. Imagine being in 

 pursuit of a beautiful maiden only to 

 have one's eager arms embrace the cruel 

 branches of a bush ! 



The laurel was ever after sacred to 

 Apollo, and with its leaves he crowned 

 the victors in the games. The valley 

 where this incident occurred was named 

 Daphne in honor of the nymph and was 

 held sacred to Apollo and Diana. 



When the god started in pursuit of 

 Daphne he was so eager that he carelessly 

 threw down the handful of arrows which 

 he carried. From one of these arrows 

 the golden point was broken and re- 

 mained hidden in the earth until the time 

 of Seleucus Nicator. By the pawing of 

 the conqueror's horse this golden arrow- 

 head was uncovered. 



What finally became of this prize is 

 not recorded; but proof of the incident 

 is deduced on certain coins of Antioch 

 showing Apollo aiming an arrow into the 

 earth. At any rate, this incident caused 

 Seleucus to build a magnificent temple to 

 Apollo on this spot. Daphne henceforth 

 became such a center of worship and 

 pleasure that Antioch was at times re- 

 ferred to as "Antioch near Daphne." 



This temple of Apollo, embowered in 

 a cypress grove, was built with splendid 

 columns at both front and back and with 

 numerous columns inside. Its walls and 

 pavements were of beautifully colored 

 marble and the roof and ceiling were of 

 cedar; but the chief feature of the tem- 

 ple was the colossal statue of Apollo, 

 made of wood and marble. All the ex- 

 posed parts of the body were of gleaming 

 white, but the portions covered by the 

 robe were of wood. 



At the side of the statue hung a cithera, 

 rich with gold and gems, which the god 

 touched with the fingers of one hand, 

 while the half-open lips seemed to breathe 

 forth a song. The other hand held a 

 golden saucer, from which Apollo was 

 about to drink or to pour forth a libation 

 to Mother Earth. 



The whole statue was richly decorated 

 and was considered one of the finest 

 works of art in this part of the world. 

 Just when the statue was completed is 

 not known, but certainly not later than 

 the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, as it 

 appears on his coins. It was finally de- 

 stroyed by fire in the reign of the Em- 

 peror Julian. 



MANY EXCESSES MARKED THE FESTIVITIES 

 AT DAPHNE 



It would be difficult indeed to present 

 an adequate account of the worship, the 

 abuses and the excesses of this shrine of 

 Daphne. Truly the place, in its natural 

 surroundings and in its elaborate decora- 

 tions, was beautiful beyond description. 



The mountain slopes were covered 

 with groves of cypress ; the valley was 

 green with clumps of laurel bushes ; the 

 banks were soft with grass and bright 

 with flowers. The valley was sheltered 

 from the winter storms, yet in the spring 

 and summer soft breezes tempered the 

 warmer air ; and above all there was the 

 water, splashing in fountains, foaming in 

 picturesque cascades, rushing through a 

 narrow gorge, quietly slipping by some 

 little island, and always rilling the air 

 with a delightful coolness. 



Add to this background of nature every 

 fascination that the art and ingenuity of 

 man could devise and Daphne became a 

 place alluring, delightful, voluptuous. 



But there was more than nature and 

 art ; there was also life. The temples 

 and groves were peopled, not with gods, 

 goddesses, and nymphs, for they were 

 represented in statues of gold and marble, 

 but with men and women, priests and 

 priestesses, rendering this most beautiful 

 spot a scene of vital activity. 



It is difficult for us to imagine the 

 splendor of the service in an ancient 

 heathen temple. At Daphne, the flaming 

 altar, the smoking censer, the ministering 

 priests in gaily-colored robes of symbolic 



