ANTIOCH ON THE MAEANDER
Turkey.
City in Caria near Azizabat, 20 km E of Nazilli, on the
S bank of the Maeander. Founded according to Stephanos Byzantios by Antiochos II; but the rest of his
notice is unreliable. Pliny (
HN 5.108) says it replaced
two cities called Symmaithos and Kranaos. Strabo (
630）
calls it a modest city, but possessed of extensive territory
on both sides of the river; he notes that the region is
liable to earthquakes. The city gained some importance
from a bridge over the Maeander, now vanished, but has
little or no individual history.
Remains are scanty. On the hill is a mediaeval fortress
and castle incorporating some ancient blocks, and on the
NW side is the hollow of the theater, but no masonry
survives. Marble blocks and column drums are scattered
over the ground, especially on a level space near the top
on the N side. In the 19th c. there were many remains
of buildings, arches, massive acropolis walls, and a stadium 0.8 km to the E, but little is to be seen today.
There is even some disagreement about the exact site.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
W. I. Hamilton,
Researches in Asia
Minor (1842) 529; A. Laumonier,
Les Cultes Indigènes
en Carie (1958) 471.
G. E. BEAN
