File:The student's manual of ancient geography, based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman geography (1861) (14789053043).jpg

Identifier: studentsmanualof00smit (find matches)
Title: The student's manual of ancient geography, based upon the Dictionary of Greek and Roman geography
Year: 1861 (1860s)
Authors: Smith, William, 1813-1893, ed
Subjects: Geography, Ancient
Publisher: London, J. Murray
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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by Hadrian, who adorned it with the beauti-ful buildings the remains of which still strike the traveller with wonder.Under Odenatlius and his widow Zenobia, Palmyra attained an imperialdignity ; but after the defeat of Zenobia and the capture of Palmyra byAurelian, a.d. 273, it fell into decay, in spite of the attempt at resto-ration made hj Diocletian. Of the ruins the Temple of the Sun is thefinest; the Great Colonnade is also a striking object, 150 out of the1500 columns originally erected still remaining. The tombs of thisphice are also peculiar—lofty towers divided into stories. Of the less important towns we may briefly notice—Chalcis, thecapital of Chalcidice, S.E. of Antioch; Chalybon, or Beroea (as itwas named by Seleucus after the Macedonian town), representingthe modern Aleppo, on the road between Hierapolis and Antioch ;Hierapolis, the Holy City, so named from its being a seat of theworship of Astarte. an emporium between Antioch and the Euphrates; 166 SYETA. Book 11.
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Damabcus. its earlier name, Bambyce, was changed to the Greek name by SeleucusNicator: Thapsacus, sometimes considered as a Syrian, sometimes asan Arabian town; as its position attached it rather to the former coun-try we shall notice it here; the most frequented passage of the Euphrateswas opposite Thapsacus, probably near Deir; it was here that thearmies of Cyrus the younger, of Darius, and his competitor Alexanderthe Great, crossed the river; Zeugma, deriving its name from thebridge of boats across the Euphrates at this point; the town was foundedby Seleucus Nicator to secure the passage of the river from the capital,Antioch; it stood opposite Apamea or Bir; and lastly, Samosata, inCommagene, which commanded the most northern passage betweenCappadocia and Mesopotamia. History.—The history of Syria, as an independent country, com-mences with the establishment of the dynasty of the Seleucidee, B.C.312. Seleucus Nicator, the first of that dynasty, acquired nearly allthe provinces of

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