Antioch in Syria
A History from Coins (300 BCE–450 CE)

Combines ancient coins and innovative digital technologies to study the citizens of Syrian Antioch and their imperial conquerors.

Kristina M. Neumann (Author)

9781108940375, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 March 2023

438 pages, 104 b/w illus. 53 maps 27 tables
24.4 x 17 x 2.3 cm, 0.753 kg

'Kristina M. Neumann's book is exceptionally well grounded in the original and secondary sources for its history, as well as in the evidence provided by epigraphy and archaeology. Moreover, she provides a noteworthy aid to future such undertakings by sharing the data …' Alan Stahl, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

Antioch in Syria critically reassesses this ancient city from its Seleucid foundation into Late Antiquity. Although Antioch's prominence is famous, Kristina M. Neumann newly exposes the gradations of imperial power and local agency mediated within its walls through a comprehensive study of the coins minted there and excavated throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. Patterns revealed through digital mapping and Exploratory Data Analysis serve as a significant index of spatial politics and the policies of the different authorities making use of the city. Evaluating the coins against other historical material reveals that Antioch's status was not fixed, nor the people passive pawns for external powers. Instead, as imperial governments capitalised upon Antioch's location and amenities, the citizens developed in their own distinct identities and agency. Antioch of the Antiochians must therefore be elevated from traditional narratives and static characterisations, being studied and celebrated for the dynamic polis it was.

List of figures
Chronology of rulers
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
Introduction
1. Counting change
2. Imperial beginnings (300–129 bce)
3. Imperial transitions (129–31 bce)
4. Provincial negotiations (31 bce-192 ce)
5. Imperial creations (192–284 ce)
6. Imperial city (284–450 ce)
Conclusion
Appendix 1 – S methodology for digitally analyzing coin finds
Appendix 2 – list of excavation reports
Appendix 3 – coin hoards with antioch coins
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Church history [HRCC2], Classical Greek & Roman archaeology [HDDK], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA]