Abraham Ortelius:  Daphne (Antiocha)

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Title: Daphne (Antiocha)

Map Maker: Abraham Ortelius

Description:

Decorative view of the paradise of Daphne, near Antioch in Syria, which appeared in the later editions of Ortelius' Parergon Theatri, the first modern world atlas.

Daphne was founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals.  It was located about 4 miles west of Antioch, in modern Syria.  Also created by Seleucus I, Daphne consisted of a park of woods and waters, with a great temple to the Pythian Apollo, which later became a cult-statue of the god, as Musagetes, by Bryaxis.  A companion sanctuary of Hecate was constructed underground by Diocletian. The beauty and the lax morals of Daphne were celebrated all over the western world and became a favorite topic for early modern historians.

Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the Near East and was a cradle of early Christianity.   It was one of the four cities of the Syrian tetrapolis.   Its residents are known as Antiochenes.  Once a great metropolis of a half million people, it declined to insignificance during the Middle Ages because of repeated earthquakes, the slaughter of its inhabitants by a Mameluk army in 1268, and a change in trade routes, following the Mongol conquests.

For his depiction of Daphne, Ortelius draws upon ancient sources, including Ammianus, Strabo, Zozomenus and Philostratus.  It is also possible that Ortelius' friend Ioachimus Axonius who travelled in this area made a sketch which served as an example for Ortelius' drawing.

Related Categories:
Maps of the Middle East