ANTIOCH, a city of Syria, situated on the banks of the river Orontes, about twenty miles from the place where it falls into the Mediterranean, was built by Se leucus Nicator, 300 years before the birth of Christ. It was called Antioch, in honour of Antiochus, the father of Seleucus, and soon became the metropolis of his king dom, and the usual residence of the Macedonian prin ces.* Seleucus built, in the same country, the city Se leucia, named from himself ; Apamca, from his wife Apama ; Laodicea, from his mother Laodice ;—and these three, together with Antioch, gave to that quarter of Syria the name of Tetrapolis, or the country of the four cities. The same name was afterwards given by Strabo to Antioch itself, because it consisted of four distinct divisions, built at different times, each surrounded with its own wall, but all inclosed by one common line of defence. Daphne, which is mentioned in the history of the Alaccabees, (1. ii. e. 4. v. 33.), and which stood about five miles from Antioch, was reckoned one of the suburbs of that city. Here Seleucus planted a grove, about ten miles in circumference ; erected a temple in the centre of it to Apollo and Diana ; and consecrated the whole as an asylum or sanctuary. To this place the inhabitants of Antioch were accustomed to resort for amusement, as the Romans did to Bai2e, and the Alex andrians to Canopus ; but, in process of time, it was so much frequented by the votaries of Venus and Bacchus, rather than of Apollo and Diana, that it was avoided as infamous, by all who had any regard to their reputa tion ; and, at length, Daphnicis moribus vivere, " to live after the manner of Daphne," became a proverbial ex pression to denote the most dissolute course of life. It was indeed the general characteristic of the inhabitants of Antioch, in almost every period of their history, to live after this manner ; and to this their voluptuous dis position may be ascribed many of the numerous calami ties which betel this celebrated city.
About 145 years before Christ, the inhabitants of An tioch were so exasperated by the licentious and tyran nical conduct of their sovereign, Demetrius Nicator, that he applied to Jonathan, one of the Maccabees, for 3000 men, to keep his subjects in awe, and to compel them to deliver up their arms. This violent measure
caused a general insurrection in the city. The citizens ran to arms, and, to the number of 120,000, surround ed the palace of their prince. All the Jews in Antioch hastened to his relief, dispersed the insurgents with fire and sword, burnt great part of the city, killed 100,000 of the inhabitants, and compelled the rest to submit, and sue for pardon. A pardon was granted ; but never theless their tyrannical prince afterwards put many of them to death, confiscated their estates, and subjected them to every species of cruelty and oppression. Upon the reduction of Syria by the Romans, Antioch fell un der their dominion ; was besieged by the Parthians, after the defeat of Crassus, about fifty years before Christ ; and was one of the cities which declared for Cxsar against Pompey. In the year of our Lord 115, it was almost completely destroyed by a dreadful earth quake, which continued for several days and nights. The emperor Trojan, accompanied by numerous em bassies, by a large army, and by crowds of strangerl from every quarter, was in the city of Antioch ' during this season of destruction. Such a concourse of people, from other places, added to the confusion of the scene, increased the number of the sufferers, and extended the calamity to distant countries. " The whole Roman world," says D. Cassius, " suffered in one city ;" and it is represented by Eusebius, Aurelius Victor, and Evagrius, as one of the most calamitous events record ed in history. In the year 155, it was in great part consumed by fire, but was soon restored to its former grandeur by the care and munificence of the Emperor Antoninus. In 178, the inhabitants of Antioch having taken part in the revolt of Avidius Cassius, the Empe ror Aurelius deprived them of their privileges, sup pressed their public assemblies, and prohibited their shows and spectacles ; but was soon induced to revoke his edict, and to restore their liberties. In 195, they were again degraded by Septimius Severus, for having sided with Pescennius Niger, and were subjected, as a mere village, to the jurisdiction of Laodicea ; but af terwards, at the intercession of his son, he restored their rights, upon condition of their supplying him with four times the sum which they had contributed to Niger.