AXTIOCH THE GLORIOUS 



103 



gant ideas, money in great sums was 

 necessary. He therefore proclaimed him- 

 self to be god manifest in the flesh, iden- 

 tifying himself with Zeus. Then he pro- 

 ceeded to strip the temples of Syria and 

 Palestine of their wealth. In his en- 

 deavors to despoil the temple in Jerusa- 

 lem and to force the Greek civilization 

 on the Jews, he aroused the fierce resist- 

 ance of the famous Maccabee family. 



WILD SCENES IN ANTlOCIi's STREETS 



During the reign of Epiphanes no 

 capital city ever saw such scenes as he 

 enacted in the streets of Antioch. What- 

 ever wild scheme of debauch or adven- 

 ture could be suggested, this brilliant but 

 mad king indulged in. Disguised as a 

 common ruffian, he, with a group of boon 

 companions, would commit every con- 

 ceivable act of license in the gay thor- 

 oughfares of the city. 



Yet Antiochus IV was an ardent patron 

 of science, literature, and art. Exten- 

 sive geographical explorations were car- 

 ried on along the Persian coast ; schools 

 of poetry and oratory were encouraged ; 

 the finest specimens of architectural art 

 and the most beautiful of sculptures were 

 erected in his magnificent capital. He 

 ended his life in a campaign against the 

 Armenians, dying from a most noisome 

 disease, a graphic account of which is 

 given in the Book of the Maccabees. 



THE EAST DAYS OE THE KINGDOM OE 

 ANTIOCH 



The last half century of the Kingdom 

 of Antioch trails off into a story of petty 

 jealousies between rival claimants for 

 the throne, until all is swallowed up in 

 the conquests of Pompey. Then, under 

 Roman rule, Antioch enters upon its most 

 glorious period of history. 



Rome, of course, was the center of all 

 magnificence and power. The city of 

 Alexandria, in Egypt, was reckoned sec- 

 ond in size and wealth. Antioch was 

 considered the third city of the Empire, 

 and hence of the world. But when one 

 reads of this splendid city, the gateway 

 of the East, the starting point of so many 

 important military expeditions, the resi- 

 dence of so many scholars, generals, and 

 emperors, he cannot but question whether 

 Antioch were not merely the third city 



in the world, but almost the rival of 

 Rome itself. 



The city was finally lost to the Romans 

 when it was captured by the Saracens, in 

 635. Arabic historians praise the city 

 for its walls, its fine residences, and the 

 number of its people ; but they make no 

 mention of its public buildings, which 

 doubtless had been thrown down by the 

 numerous earthquakes and had fallen 

 into decay through the ravages of time. 



The Crusaders captured the city in 

 1098 and held it as the capital of north- 

 ern Syria until 1268, when it was cap- 

 tured by the Sultan of Egypt. In 1832 

 it was taken by Ibraham Pasha, but re- 

 stored to Turkish rule at the conclusion 

 of peace. 



ANTIOCH 'S GLORY FADED WITH THE AR- 

 RIVAL OF THE PERSIANS 



However, the glory of Antioch and its 

 historical importance seem to have passed 

 away when it was sacked by the Persians 

 under Chosroes, in 538. At that time 

 fire, plunder, and massacre followed one 

 another. Many of the statues and beauti- 

 ful marbles, together with large treasures 

 of gold and silver and great companies 

 of citizens, were carried away to the new 

 Persian Antioch, near Ctesiphon. 



There is a modern city of considerable 

 importance. It occupies the site of the 

 ancient city and is largely built from the 

 old ruins. The splendid walls and gate- 

 ways of the old city, fine specimens of 

 architectural construction, are rapidly 

 disappearing for building stone. 



A large industry in the digging of lico- 

 rice root is here carried on and the prod- 

 uct is chiefly exported to America. Great 

 creaking, wooden wheels lift the water 

 of the Orontes to the level of irrigation 

 ditches. 



Luxuriant gardens still surround the 

 city and roads radiate from the great 

 bridge in all directions. 



But Time's hand has fallen heavily on 

 the once proud city and only the student 

 of history, basing his view as much on 

 his reading as on the visible reminders 

 of a departed magnificence, can succeed 

 in recalling the gay, glad days when 

 "Antioch the Glorious" was the brilliantly 

 jeweled "Crown of the East.'' 



