Antioch: A History

Description

This is a complete history of Antioch, one of the most significant major cities of the eastern Mediterranean and a crossroads for the Silk Road, from its foundation by the Seleucids, through Roman rule, the rise of Christianity, Islamic and Byzantine conquests, to the Crusades and beyond. Antioch has typically been treated as a city whose classical glory faded permanently amid a series of natural disasters and foreign invasions in the sixth and seventh centuries CE. Such studies have obstructed the view of Antioch’s fascinating urban transformations from classical to medieval to modern city and the processes behind these transformations. Through its comprehensive blend of textual sources and new archaeological data reanalyzed from Princeton’s 1930s excavations and recent discoveries, this book offers unprecedented insights into the complete history of Antioch, recreating the lives of the people who lived in it and focusing on the factors that affected them during the evolution of its remarkable cityscape. While Antioch’s built environment is central, the book also utilizes landscape archaeological work to consider the city in relation to its hinterland, and numismatic evidence to explore its economics. The outmoded portrait of Antioch as a sadly perished classical city par excellence gives way to one in which it shines as brightly in its medieval Islamic, Byzantine, and Crusader incarnations. Antioch: A History offers a new portal to researching this long-lasting city and is also suitable for a wide variety of teaching needs, both undergraduate and graduate, in the fields of classics, history, urban studies, archaeology, Silk Road studies, and Near Eastern/Middle Eastern studies. Just as importantly, its clarity makes it attractive for, and accessible to, a general readership outside the framework of formal instruction. Antioch: A History Contents List of figures List of tables List of abbreviations Introduction Contributions New research Longer life and afterlife Wider vistas Themes A resilient city A conquered city A cosmopolitan city A celebrated city A few more words Notes 1 The eagle of Zeus arrives (303 BCE–64 BCE) 1Introduction Topography The early landscape From the Seleucids to Antioch Antioch’s establishment in the textual record The foundation’s physical appearance New expansions Political structure and economy Epiphaneia The last days of the Seleucids The materiality of Hellenistic Antioch Conclusions Notes 2 Orientis apex pulcher: the Roman “Beautiful Crown of the East” in the making (64 BCE–192 CE) Introduction The days of Pompey and Roman administration in Antioch Libertas: Antioch under Julius Caesar Imperial Antioch Antioch under the Julio-Claudian Dynasty Antioch and the Flavians Earthquakes, Trajan, and Antioch in the second century CE Antioch under Hadrian Antioch and the Antonines The archaeology of Early Imperial Antioch Conclusions Notes 3 From capital to crisis: Antioch in the Late Roman Empire (193–458) Introduction A universal empire: the Severans and the third century The early fourth century and the Tetrarchic capital The days of Constantine Constantius II and the advent of Libanius Pagan capital? After Julian The city’s economy Antioch eclipsed Developments in Daphne End of an era Conclusions Notes 4 Theoupolis, the city of God (458–638) Introduction The end of the fifth century A divided community Dark days in Antioch A new Antioch? The troubles continue Buildings Conclusions Notes 5 Anṭākiya, mother of cities (638–969) Introduction Debating decline or transformation The Early Islamic conquest and frontier engagements Administration and local revolts in Antioch Urban landscape The churches in early Islamic Antioch The Christian community of Early Islamic Antioch The Islamic community Residential, commercial, and industrial spaces Green spaces Conclusions Notes 6 The Byzantine duchy of Antioch (969–1085) Introduction The reconquest The medieval Byzantine city Sources Administration A new castle The Fāṭimid invasions The Churches of St. Peter and the Theotokos Local rebellions and imperial involvement Religious communities and other churches Mirdāsid invasions An Armenian rebellion Monasteries and Scholars Other buildings Houses and industry Shifts in the town Ruralization continued Conclusion Notes 7 The Saljūqs: an interlude (1084–1098) Introduction The Saljūq conquest and 14 years of rule Earthquakes Buildings Numismatics and archaeology Conclusion Notes 8 The Crusader principality of Antioch (1098–1268) Introduction The siege of Antioch Crusader archaeology After the conquest: the first 20 years (1099–1124) Topography Ruling over a diverse city Earthquakes and other disasters Norman consolidation of the city The prosperity of the countryside Crusaders, Byzantines, and Zangids (1125–1162) Topography The Crusaders begin to lose control The Crusaders’ mint Crusaders and Ayyūbids (1163–1192) Topography, communities, and the economy The principality weakens Crusaders and Armenians (1193–1268) Topography The War of Antiochene Succession An international trading city Conclusion Notes 9 A Mamlūk entrepot (1268–1516) Introduction Rise of the Mamlūks The destruction of Antioch Antioch under the Mamlūks Archaeology of the Mamlūk period Conclusion Notes 10 Ottoman Antakya (1516–1918) Introduction Antioch under the Ottomans Ottoman foundation chronicles Orientalism and the city Earthquakes State of the classical and medieval structures The city’s walls and towers City gates Churches and palaces The Island Cisterns and aqueducts The Ottoman city Public buildings The economy and natural resources Streets, neighborhoods, and houses Ottoman reform and defeat Conclusions Notes 11 A frontier town once more (1920–2020) Introduction Antakya in 1932 The league of nations, the Sanjak, and the end of independence The chronicles of the archaeologists Conclusions Notes Appendix 1: Mapping the walls of Antioch Notes Appendix 2: Evliya Çelebi’s Seyahatnamesi Notes Bibliography Index of people Index of places Varia index