Antioch on the Orontes

Book excerpt: Two thousand years ago, Antioch on the Orontes River was the third most important city in the Roman Empire. Today, it is a small Turkish town of 200,000 inhabitants whose visitors may find it difficult to imagine this place at its peak. This book is a biography of Antioch — or Antakiyye of the Arabs, or Antakya of the Turks. It is a description of its youth under the Seleucid Dynasty, its adolescence under the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Norman Crusaders, and its long decline under the Marmelukes and the Ottomans. Antioch on the Orontes will also guide the reader through modern-day Antioch, highlighting significant historical sites. The book contains an introduction to theological developments in Antioch that have influenced Christendom and covers the many religions represented in the city today.