ANTA´RADUS
ANTA´RADUS (
Ἀντάραδος,
Ptol. 5.15.16; Hierocles, p. 716:
Tartús), a town of Phoenicia, situated at its northern extremity, and on the mainland over against the island of Aradus, whence its name.
According to the Antonine Itinerary and Peutinger Table, it was 24 M. P. from Balanea, and 50 M. P. from Tripolis.
The writer in Ersch and Gröer's
Encyclopädie (s. v.) places Antaradus on the coast about 2 miles to the N. of Aradus, and identifies it with Carne (
Steph. B. sub voce or Carnos, the port of Aradus, according to Strabo (
xvi. p.753; comp.
Plin. Nat. 5.18).
It was rebuilt by the emperor Constantius, A.D. 346, who gave it the name of Constantia. (Cedren.
Hist. Comp. p. 246.)
It retained, however, its former name, as we find its bishops under both titles in some councils after the reign of Constantius.
In the crusades it was a populous and well fortified town (Guil. Tyr. 7.15), and was known under the name of Tortosa (Tasso,
Gerusalem. Liberata, 1.6; Wilken,
Die Kreuzz, vol. i. p. 255, ii. p. 200, vii. p. 340, 713). By Maundrell and others the modern
Tartús has been confounded with Arethusa, but incorrectly.
It is now a mean
[p. 1.139]village of 241 taxable Moslems and 44 Greeks, according to the American missionaries. (
Bibliotheca Sacra, vol. v. p. 247.)
The walls, built of heavy
bevelled stones, are still remaining the most imposing specimen of Phoenician fortification in Syria. (
Mémoires sur les Pheniciens par l'Abbé Mignot,
Acad. des Belles Lettres, vol. xxxiv. p. 239; Edrisi,
par Jaulert, p. 129, 130.)
[
E.B.J]
