![]() It is believed that one of the earliest Christian missionaries here was none other than the apostle Peter. They were even made Roman citizens by Caracalla’s Constitutio Antoniniana. While many emperors were brutal toward Christians, under Severus and Caracalla that portion of the population fared better than at other times. During the early days of Christianity, some of the earliest missionaries came to Antioch to preach to Jews and Gentiles alike, and over time, during the Roman Empire, the city became the centre of early Christianity. Note the Judeo-Christian quarter of the Kerateion in red. Map of Ancient Antioch (Google Arts and Culture). It was a place of luxury and civility that was in stark contrast to the world of war where, in The Blood Road, the legions are headed once more. Antioch, during the late second century A.D., rivalled both Rome and Alexandria. ![]() ![]() Enhancements included aqueducts, numerous baths, stoas, palaces and gardens for visiting emperors, and perhaps most impressive of all, a hippodrome for chariot racing that was 490 meters long and based on the Circus Maximus in Rome. Actually, most of the development in Antioch took place during the period of Roman occupation. This Ancient Greek city was greatly enhanced by the Romans who saw much value in it. ![]() It is located on the Orontes river, and overlooked by Mt. Indeed, Antioch was a sort of gateway between the Mediterranean and the East, with many goods, especially spices, travelling through it. It was rich, mostly due to its location along the Silk Road. (Wikimedia Commons) Antioch was called the ‘Rome of the East’, and for good reason. Ancient Roman road in Syria which connected Antioch and Chalcis to the North. ![]()
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