Antioch
ancient Greek city in southern Turkey
Antioch was a city located in northern Syria at the site of modern Antakya, Turkey. Founded in 300 BC, Antioch became one of the most important cities of the ancient eastern Mediterranean. The capital of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire, it remained significant under the Roman and Byzantine Empires, and during the Crusades was the centre of the Principality of Antioch.
Seleucus I Nicator, a successor of Alexander the Great, founded Antioch alongside three other cities to secure the surrounding region, which he had recently conquered. He chose a site on the Orontes River in the southwest Amuq plain, a fertile lowland which provided valuable resources for Antioch; the city was strategically located and came to dominate trade routes. It served as the Seleucid capital from 240 BC until 63 BC, when the Romans took control; it was thereafter the capital of Roman Syria. Antioch may have been inhabited by over 500,000 inhabitants at its peak, making the city the third largest in the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria.
The city was the main center of Hellenistic Judaism at the end of the Second Temple period. As one of the cities of the pentarchy, Antioch was called "the cradle of Christianity" as a result of its longevity and the pivotal role that it played in the emergence of early Christianity. The Christian New Testament asserts that the name "Christian" first emerged in Antioch.
The public source identifies “Antioch” as ancient Greek city in southern Turkey. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Antioch, ancient and Greek.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Antioch”, the useful work is to connect “ancient Greek city in southern Turkey” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q200441. VIAF identifies the subject as 240814297. Authority coordinates are 36.205, 36.182. 4 of 6 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Antioch”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Antioch primary sources, Antioch archive and Antioch research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Antioch” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.