Antiochia ad Taurum (lit. "Antiochia at Taurus") ( grc, Ἀντιόχεια τοῦ Ταύρου; lit. "Antiochia of Taurus") was a
Hellenistic
In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...
city in ancient
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
east of Mount
Amanus of the
Taurus mountain range. Later identified as 'ad Taurum montem' (lit. "at Mount Taurus") in the
Commagene province of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
.
Historical geography
Antiochia ad Taurum was located to the east of Mount
Amanus, and in the Second Temple period, Jewish authors seeking to establish with greater precision the geographical borders of the Promised Land, began to construe
Mount Hor as a reference to the
Amanus range of the Taurus Mountains, which marked the northern limit of the Syrian plain.
Most modern scholars locate Antiochia ad Taurum at or near
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approxi ...
(formerly called ''Aïntab'') in the westernmost part of present-day
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
's
Southeastern Anatolia Region
The Southeastern Anatolia Region ( tr, Güneydoğu Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The most populous city in the region is Gaziantep. Other examples of big cities are Şanlıurfa, Diyarbakır, Mardin and Adıyaman.
It ...
, although past scholars tried to associate it with
Aleppo (Arabic name ''Halab''),
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. It has also been identified with
Perrhe near
Adıyaman.
Locating Antiochia ad Taurum at or near (
Gaziantep
Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approxi ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
), the city lies in the Islahiye valley which connects the lower
Orontes valley to the southern piedmont of the central
Taurus mountain range. During the Bronze age, the region belonged to the Inner Syrian cultural context, and held a highly strategic significance, over the course of time, for the connections between Upper Mesopotamian and Levantine lowlands on the one hand and the Anatolian highlands on the other.
Numismatics
Coins were minted at Antiochia ad Taurum.
History of Christianity
During the Roman Period (1st century CE), Antiochia ad Taurum was located within the Roman provinces of Antiochia or
Cilicia
Cilicia (); el, Κιλικία, ''Kilikía''; Middle Persian: ''klkyʾy'' (''Klikiyā''); Parthian: ''kylkyʾ'' (''Kilikiyā''); tr, Kilikya). is a geographical region in southern Anatolia in Turkey, extending inland from the northeastern co ...
et
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, and excluded from Paul's missionary journeys. Antiochia ad Taurum was eventually
Christianized and formed a bishopric
see as "the episcopal city of
Commagene in Syria with the
Euphrates river near its border."
See also
*
List of ancient Greek cities
References
* Bouillet Chassang, Dictionnaire universel d'histoire et de géographie ("Aintab")
External links
Hazlitt's Classical Gazetteer
Commagene
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey
Seleucid colonies in Anatolia
Roman sites in Turkey
Former populated places in Cilicia
History of Gaziantep Province
{{Gaziantep-geo-stub