ANTIOPH, a city of Syria, in Asia, situated on the river Orontes, in long. 36° 5'. E. lat. 36° 10'. N. It was built by Seleucus Nicator, founder of the Syro-Macedonian empire, who made it his capital. It stood on the above-mentioned river, about 20 miles from the place where it falls into the Mediterranean, being equally distant from Constantinople and Alexandria in Egypt, that is, about 700 miles from each. Seleucus called it Antioch, from his father's name according to some, or from that of his son according to others. He built sixteen other cities bearing the same name, of which one, situated in Pisidia, is probably that where the name of Christians was first given to the followers of Jesus Christ. But that situated on the Orontes by far eclipsed not only all the others of this name, but all the cities built by Seleucus. Antigonus, not long before, had founded a city in that neighbourhood, which from his own name he had called Antigonia, and designed it for the capital of his empire; but it was razed to the ground by Seleucus, who employed the materials in building his metropolis, and also transplanted the inhabitants thither.

Antioch was afterwards known by the name of Tetrapolis, being divided as it were into four cities, each surrounded with its proper wall, besides a common one which inclosed the whole. The first of these cities was built by Seleucus Nicator, as already mentioned; the second by those who flocked thither on its being made the capital of the Syro-Macedonian empire; the third by Seleucus Callinicus; and the fourth by Antiochus Epiphanes. About four or five miles distant stood a place called Daphne, which was nevertheless reckoned a suburb of Antioch. Here Seleucus planted a grove, and in the middle of it built a temple, which he consecrated to Apollo and Diana, making the whole an asylum. To this place the inhabitants of Antioch resorted to indulge in amusements and impure pleasures, by which it became at last so infamous, that "to live after the manner of Daphne" was used as a proverb to express the most voluptuous and dissolute life.

Though Antioch continued to be, as Pliny calls it, the queen of the East, for near 1600 years, yet scarcely any city mentioned in history has undergone such calamities, both from the attacks of its enemies, and its being in a remarkable degree subject to earthquakes. The first disaster mentioned in history which befell the Antiochians happened about 145 years before Christ. Being at that time very much disaffected to the person and government of Demetrius their king, they were continually raising tumults and seditions. Wearied with their turbulence, he at last solicited assistance from the Jews, and was furnished by Jonathan, one of the Maccabees, with 3000 men. With this reinforcement believing himself sufficiently strong to reduce the mutineers by force, he ordered them immediately to deliver up their arms. This unexpected order caused a great uproar in the city. The inhabitants ran to arms and invested the king's palace, to the number of 120,000, with a design to put him to death. All the Jews hastened to his relief, fell upon the rebels, killed 100,000 of them, and set fire to the city. On the destruction of the Syrian empire by the Romans, Antioch submitted to them, and continued for a long time under their dominion. About the year 115, in the reign of the emperor Trajan, it was almost entirely ruined by one of the most dreadful earthquakes mentioned in history. Trajan himself happened to be there at the time, on his return from an expedition against the Parthians; so that the city was then full of troops and strangers from all quarters, either out of curiosity or upon business and embassies. The calamity was consequently felt almost in every province of the Roman empire. The earthquake was preceded by violent claps of thunder, unusual winds, and a dreadful noise under ground. The shock was so terrible, that great numbers of houses were overturned, and others tossed to and fro like a ship at sea. Those who happened to be in their houses were for the most part buried under their ruins; those who were walking in the streets or in the squares were, by the violence of the shock, dashed to the ground, and most of them either killed or dangerously wounded. The earthquake continued, with some small intermission, for several days and nights. Trajan was much hurt, but escaped through a window. As an eyewitness of this terrible calamity, he would very probably contribute largely towards the re-establishment of Antioch in its ancient splendour. Its good fortune, however, did not continue long; for in 155 it was almost entirely burnt by accidental fire, when it was again restored by Antoninus Pius.

When the Roman empire began to decline, Antioch became a bone of contention between it and the eastern nations; and accordingly, on the breaking out of a Persian war, it was almost always sure to suffer. In 248 it was taken and plundered by Sapor; and though he was defeated by Gordian, it underwent the same misfortune in the time of Valerian, about 18 years after; and subsequently to the defeat and captivity of Valerian, being taken by the Persian monarch a third time, he not only plundered it, but levelled all the public buildings with the ground. The Persians, however, being soon driven out, this unfortunate city continued free from any remarkable calamity till about the time of the division of the Roman empire by Constantine in 331. It was then afflicted with so terrible a famine, that a bushel of wheat was sold for 400 pieces of silver. During this grievous distress, Constantine sent to the bishop 30,000 bushels of corn, besides an immense quantity of all kinds of provisions, to be distributed among the ecclesiastics, widows, orphans, &c. In the year 347 Constantine II. caused a harbour to be made at Seleucia, for the conveniency of Antioch. This was effected at great expense; the mouth of the Orontes, where the port was made, being full of sands and rocks. When the emperor Julian set out on his expedition against the Persians, he made a long stay at Antioch, which then suffered severely from a famine. In 381, in the reign of Theodosius the Great, Antioch was again visited by a famine, accompanied by a grievous plague. In 387 Theodosius, finding his exchequer quite drained, and being obliged to be at an extraordinary expense in celebrating the fifth year of the reign of his son Arcadius, and the tenth of his own, an extraordinary tax was laid upon all the people in the empire. Most of the cities submitted willingly to this; but the people of Antioch assailed their governor, broke some of the emperor's statues, and dragged others through the city, uttering the most injurious and abusive expressions against him and his whole family. They were dispersed by a body of archers, and the governor proceeded against the offenders with the utmost cruelty, exposing some to wild beasts in the theatre, and burning others alive. Many fled from the city and never returned. On hearing the news of the tumult, Theodosius was so much enraged that he commanded the city to be destroyed, and its inhabitants to be put to the sword without distinction; but this order was revoked before it could be put into execution, and he contented himself with inflicting severe punishments on individuals. In the year 458 Antioch was again almost entirely ruined by an earthquake, which happened on the 14th of September; scarcely a single house being left standing in the most beautiful quarter of the city. It experienced a similar misfortune in 529, during the reign of the emperor Justin; and in 15 years after, being taken by Chosroes, king of Persia, that insulting and haughty monarch gave it up to his soldiers, who put all they met to the sword. The king himself seized on all the gold and silver vessels belonging to the great church, and caused all the valuable statues, pictures, &c., to be taken down and conveyed to Persia, while his soldiers carried off everything else. The city being completely plundered, he ordered his men to set fire to it; and this was done so effectually, that none of the buildings even without the walls escaped. Such of the inhabitants as escaped slaughter were carried into Persia and sold as slaves. The city, however, was again restored, but in a short time underwent its usual fate, being almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 587, by which 30,000 persons lost their lives. In 634 it fell into the hands of the Saracens, who kept possession of it till the year 858, when it was surprised by one Burtzas, and again annexed to the Roman empire. The Romans continued masters of it for some time, till the civil dissensions in the empire gave the Turks an opportunity of mastering it, as well as the whole kingdom of Syria. From them it was again taken by the crusaders in 1098. In 1252 it was again taken by Bibaris, sultan of Egypt, who put a final period to its glory.

Antioch, called by the Arabs Antakia, is now a ruinous town, whose houses, built with mud and straw, and narrow and miry streets, exhibit every appearance of misery and wretchedness. These houses are situated on the southern bank of the Orontes, at the extremity of an old decayed bridge; they are covered to the south by a mountain, upon the slope of which is a wall built by the crusaders. The distance between the present town and this mountain may be about 400 yards, which space is occupied by gardens and heaps of rubbish, but presents nothing interesting. Antioch was better calculated than Aleppo to be the emporium of the Europeans. By clearing the mouth of the Orontes, which is six leagues lower down, boats might have been towed up that river, though they could not have sailed up, as Pococke has asserted, its current being too rapid. The natives, who never knew the name Orontes, call it, on account of the swiftness of Antiochian its stream, El Aasi, that is, the rebel. Its breadth at Antioch is about forty paces. Seven leagues above that town it passes by a lake abounding in fish, and especially in eels. A great quantity of these are salted every year, but not sufficient for the numerous fasts of the Greek Christians. The plain of Antioch, though the soil of it is excellent, is uncultivated, and abandoned to the Turcomans; but the hills on the side of the Orontes, particularly opposite Serkin, abound in plantations of figs and olives, vines and mulberry trees. Seleucus Nicator, who founded Antioch, built also at the mouth of the Orontes, on the northern bank, a large and well-fortified city, which bore his name, but of which at present not a single habitation remains; nothing is to be seen but heaps of rubbish, and works in the adjacent rock, which prove that this was once a place of very considerable importance. In the sea also may be perceived the traces of two piers, which are indications of an ancient port, now choked up. The inhabitants of the country go thither to fish, and call the place Sousaidia. Antioch is situate in long. 37° 5' E. and lat. 36° 20' N.