 View of Apamea ruins | |
  Apamea Shown within Syria | |
| Location | Hama Governorate,Syria |
|---|---|
| Region | Ghab plain |
| Coordinates | 35°25′05″N36°23′53″E / 35.418°N 36.398°E /35.418; 36.398 |
| Type | settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Seleucus I Nicator |
| Founded | ca. 300 BC |
| Abandoned | 13th century |
| Cultures | Hellenistic,Roman,Medieval Greek,Arab |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | ruins |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Apamea (Greek:Ἀπάμεια,Apameia;Arabic:أفامية,romanized: afāmiyah), on the right bank of theOrontes River, was an ancient Greek and Roman city. It was the capital ofApamene under the Macedonians,[1] became the capital and Metropolitan Archbishopric of late Roman provinceSyria Secunda, again in the crusader period.
Amongst the impressive ancient remains, the site includes theGreat Colonnade which ran for nearly 2 km (1.2 mi) making it among the longest in theRoman world and theRoman Theatre, one of the largest surviving theatres of theRoman Empire with an estimatedseating capacity in excess of 20,000.
The site lies on the edge of the modern town ofQalaat al-Madiq, about 55 km (34 mi) to the northwest ofHama,Syria, overlooking theGhab valley.
After the conquest of the region byAlexander the Great and the subsequent wars between his generals, and according to the new interpretation of a new historical and iconographic source for Hellenistic history, a mosaic of Apamea discovered in 2011, proposed by Olszewski and Saad,[2] the foundation of Pella, the Macedonian military camp (katoikia) took place in the fall 320 BC, just after the Treaty of Triparadeisos (320 BC) at the initiative ofAntipater, andCassander's inspiration. In view of this interpretation, the authors disagree with the earlier hypothesises attributing the foundation of Pella to Alexander the Great or toAntigonus I Monophthalmus. From about 300 BC Pella receive a new status ofpolis, was fortified and established as a city (polis) bySeleucus I Nicator who named it after hisBactrian wife,Apama, daughter of theSogdian warlordSpitamenes.[3] The site was enclosed in a loop of the Orontes which, with the lake and marshes, gave it a peninsular form whence its other name of Cherronêsos. It was located at a strategic crossroads for Eastern commerce and became one of the four cities of theSyrian tetrapolis. Seleucus also made it a military base with 500 elephants, and an equestrian stud with 30,000 mares and 300 stallions.
After 142 BC, the pretenderDiodotus Tryphon made Apamea the base of his operations.[4]
Q. Aemilius Secundus[5] did a population survey of the city and its territory which belonged to it in AD 6, in which he counted "117,000 hom(ines) civ(ium)" – 117,000 citizen human beings, a figure that has been interpreted as giving a total population of either 130,000 or 500,000, depending on methods used.[6]
In 64 BC,Pompey marched south from his winter quarters probably at or nearAntioch and razed the fortress of Apamea when the city was annexed to theRoman Republic.[7] In the revolt of Syria underQuintus Caecilius Bassus, it held out againstJulius Caesar for three years till the arrival ofCassius in 46 BC.[8] On the outbreak of theJewish War, the inhabitants of Apamea spared the Jews who lived in their midst and would not suffer them to be murdered or led into captivity.[9][10] Apamea was brieflycaptured in 40 BC by the Pompeian-Parthian forces.
Much of Apamea was destroyed in the115 AD earthquake, but was subsequently rebuilt.
From 218 until 234 AD, the legionII Parthica was stationed in Apamea, when it abandoned support of the usurperMacrinus to the emperor and sided withElagabalus' rise to the purple who then defeated Macrinus in the Battle of Antioch.[11]
TheTargum of Pseudo-Jonathan (Num. xxxiv. 11) has Apamea (אפמיאה)[12] for the city name Shepham as occurring in theTargumimJerusalem andNeofiti.[13] Since Apamea virtually belonged to Rabbinic Palestine, the first-fruits brought byAriston from that town were accepted for sacrifice in Jerusalem.[14]
In the early 5th century, Apamea was granted the status of provincial capital ofSyria Secunda after its separation from Syria Prima.[15]
The city wasdestroyed by Khosrow I in the 6th century.[16][17] During theByzantine–Sasanian War of 602–628, the city fell in 613 toShahrbaraz and was in Sasanian hands until near the end of the war.[18]
Following theMuslim conquest of Syria, Apamea was partially rebuilt and known in Arabic as Afāmiya or Fāmiya.[16][17] The city was conquered by theRashidun along withAl-Suqaylabiyah city after thebattle of the Yarmuk.[19] Apamea was then used as an observation post to warn against enemy attack.[19]
It was settled by the Arab tribes ofBahra andUdhra. However, it only regained its importance under the rule of Aleppo-basedHamdanid dynasty.[17] Ruled byKhalaf ibn Mula'ib from 1095–1106, the city was taken byTancred after Khalaf's murder byAssassins.[20] It was destroyed by an earthquake in 1152.[16]
Many remains of the ancient acropolis are still standing, consisting probably of the remains of highly decorated temples of which Sozomen speaks;[21] it is now enclosed in ancient castle walls calledKalat el-Mudik (Kŭlat el-Mudîk); the remainder of the ancient city is to be found in the plain.
The most significant collection of objects from the site, including many significant architectural and artistic objects, that can be seen outside of Syria are in Brussels at theCinquantenaire Museum.
As a result of thecivil war in Syria, the ancient city has been damaged and looted by treasure hunters.[22][23] In April 2017,Al-Masdar News published satellite photographs revealing the site was covered in hundreds of holes dug by treasure hunters seeking ancient artifacts.[24]
The Great Colonnade was situated along the main avenue of Apamea and ran for nearly 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), making it among the longest in theRoman world. It was rebuilt after the original, dating from the Seleucid Empire, was devastated along with the rest of Apamea in the115 AD earthquake. Reconstruction started immediately and over the course of the second century the city was completely rebuilt, starting with the Great Colonnade.[25] The colonnade was aligned along the north-south axis, making up the city's "cardo maximus". Starting at the city's north gate, the colonnade ran in an uninterrupted straight line to the south gate. The northern third of the colonnade's stretch is marked by a monumental votive column that stood opposite the baths.[26] The colonnade passed through the centre of the city and several important buildings were clustered around it, including the baths, theagora, the Temple ofTyche, thenymphaeum, therotunda, theatrium church and the basilica.[27] On either side of the street a 6.15 metres (20.2 ft)-wide colonnade ran its full length. The columns were 9 metres (30 ft) high and 0.9 metres (2 ft 11 in) in diameter. They stood on square bases of 1.24 m on a side and 0.47 m high. The columns display two main designs: plain and distinctivespiral flutes. Archaeologist Jean Lassus argues that the former dates back to theTrajanic period, and the latter to that ofAntoninus Pius.[28] The colonnade's porticoes were paved with extensive mosaics along the full stretch of the colonnade.[26]
Under theByzantine EmperorJustinian I, several parts of the colonnade were restored. The street was narrowed to 12 m by adding a walkway on either side. Several stretches of the street had their Roman pavement replaced with a new pavement made of squared blocks of limestone. The new pavement also covered a completely overhauled drainage system. Justinian's changes included erecting a monumentaltetrastylon made up of four 9 m high columns with a metre-highcapitals.[29] The city, was however, later sacked by theSasanians underAdarmahan.[30]
A reconstructed section of the colonnade can be seen in the BrusselsCinquantenaire Museum.
Originally built as aHellenistic style theatre in the earlySeleucid Empire, the theatre was expanded and remodelled in the earlyRoman period,[31] when the main stage and entrances were reorganized in a more typical Roman fashion. The115 Antioch earthquake caused severe damage to the structure. It was rebuilt soon afterwards, under the patronage of bothTrajan andHadrian. The theatre was further expanded in the first half of the third century CE.[32] Under theByzantine Empire the theatre'sdrainage basin was restructured and aqanat was built through the middle of the lower stage. By the late Byzantine period the theatre had stopped serving as a centre for theatrical performances. However, the theatre and itsqanat continued to be an important water source during the Byzantine and Islamic periods.[33] The theatre was built into a steep hill overlooking theOrontes River valley.[34]
The theatre, along with the one atEphesus, is one of the largest surviving theatres of theRoman Empire with an estimated seating capacity in excess of 20,000. The only other known theatre that is considerably larger was theTheatre of Pompey inRome.[35] Much of its structure is in ruins due to architectural collapses and extensive quarrying in later epochs,[36] and only one-eighth of the site has been exposed so far.[35] One of the main features at the theatre is its water basin and the elaborate Roman piping system used in it. The recently excavatedterracotta system is located along the eastern ground entrance and is well preserved.[37]
This mosaic, now in theCinquantenaire Museum, Brussels, was discovered in 1935 in the reception room of what was probably the palace of the Roman governor of the province ofSyria Secunda. Its area is 120 m2.
The great mosaic dates from 415–420 AD and is amongst the most prestigious of this type of composition. It is comparable technically and thematically with mosaics in the Palace of theByzantine emperors in Constantinople, of the same period.
An inscription at the entrance states: "During the most beautiful Apellion, the triclinium was rebuilt in the month Gorpiaios, third indict, in the year 851" (September, 539 AD).
Near the city's center, a 4th-century Jewish synagogue was discovered. It features a geometric mosaic floor, dating from around 391 CE. The mosaic includes 19 inscriptions recording the names of the donors, as well as their offices, including 'archisynagogos' and 'hazzan' or 'diakonos.' In the 5th century, a Christian church was built on the site of the synagogue.[38]
Christianity came to the area within the first century. Bishops included:
Today a number of Christian denominations maintaintitular sees for the town. These include
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