Antioch on the Orontes

Antioch on the Orontes was founded around 300 BCE by Seleucid king Seleucus I Nicator and named for his father Antiochus. At its height it ranked among the three largest cities of the ancient world alongside Rome and Alexandria, serving as the glittering capital of the Seleucid Empire. Its significance for early Christianity is profound: according to the Acts of the Apostles, followers of Jesus were first called 'Christians' here, and the city served as the launch point for Paul's missionary journeys. Little stands above ground today — modern Antakya is built directly over the ancient city grid, which long frustrated systematic excavation. The Hatay Archaeology Museum nearby holds one of the world's finest collections of Roman floor mosaics, most of them unearthed from the buried streets and villas of ancient Antioch.