Antioch on the Orontes History, Society, Ecology, and Visual Culture

Antioch on the Orontes was one of the most important cities of the ancient Mediterranean world. A hinge between the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and the Far East, its commercial and cultural prominence spanned centuries, from its Seleucid foundation to the Islamic conquest and beyond. This volume offers an archaeological and historical overview of Antioch from its origins through late antiquity. Drawing on a vast body of modern research, it explores the city's built environment, the institutions that shaped it in fundamental ways, intellectual currents, and ecological setting. Significantly, analysis of Antioch's defining ecology is incorporated into accounts of imperial building programs, religious rifts, and the agency of the local community. The study also foregrounds the cultural responses to the environmental downturns and disasters that have continually wreaked havoc on the city. At its center is the Antiochene population, whose fierce determination enabled the city to overcome repeated episodes of desolation and destruction.