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The Foundation of the City The Foundation of the City
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The Hellenistic Period and the Early Roman Empire The Hellenistic Period and the Early Roman Empire
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The Earthquake of ad 115 and the City of the Second Century The Earthquake of ad 115 and the City of the Second Century
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Apamea and the Parthian Wars of the Third Century Apamea and the Parthian Wars of the Third Century
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Apamea and the Neoplatonic School Apamea and the Neoplatonic School
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The Destruction of the Temple of Zeus Belos and the First Christian Churches The Destruction of the Temple of Zeus Belos and the First Christian Churches
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Apamea, Capital of Syria Secunda, and the Earthquakes of the Sixth Century Apamea, Capital of Syria Secunda, and the Earthquakes of the Sixth Century
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The Persian Wars of the Sixth Century and the Arab Conquest The Persian Wars of the Sixth Century and the Arab Conquest
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Bibliography Bibliography
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42 Apamea on the Orontes
Get accessJanine Balty, Dr. habil., honorary researcher at the Centre belge de recherches archéologiques à Apamée de Syrie. She is author of Mosaïques antiques de Syrie (Brussels, 1977), La mosaïque de Sarrîn (Osrhoène) (Beirut, 1990), and Mosaïques antiques du Proche-Orient: chronologie, iconographie, interprétation (Besançon, 1995). She has published widely on the archaeology and history of Apamea-on-the-Orontes (Syria) and on classical iconography (portraits, sarcophagi, mosaics) in various periodicals; more recently, she has written the chapter titled “Mosaics” in Blackwell Companions’ The Hellenistic and Roman Near East edited by Ted Kaizer (Hoboken, 2022). She is co-author, with Jean-Charles Balty, of the large “Introduction historiographique” in the new edition of Franz Cumont’s Recherches sur le symbolisme funéraire des Romains (Rome, 2015). Forthcoming is the publication of the mosaics of the Maison du Cerf at Apamea in Balty et al., La Maison du Cerf et ses mosaïques: la Maison des Chapiteaux à consoles, Fouilles d’Apamée de Syrie, 5 (Brussels, 2022).
Jean-Charles Balty, D.Phil., has been curator of Greek and Roman antiquities in the Musées royaux d’art et d’histoire, Brussels (1963–1995) and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles (1968–2001). He is professor emeritus of Sorbonne University, where he held the chair of Roman archaeology and history of art (1995–2002), and associated member of the Institut de France (Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres). He is the author of CVRIA ORDINIS: Recherches d’archéologie et d’urbanisme antique sur les curies provinciales du monde romain (Brussels, 1991). He participated in the excavations at Alba Fucens (Italy, 1961–1967) and directed the Belgian excavations at Apamea (Syria, 1965–2001). With Janine Balty, he published Apamée et l’Apamène antique, Scripta varia historica (Brussels, 2013), with Daniel Cazes Portraits impériaux de Béziers: le groupe statuaire du forum (Toulouse, 1995), and with Daniel Cazes and Emmanuelle Rosso the first four volumes of the catalogue of the Roman portraits from Chiragan, Sculptures antiques de Chiragan (Martres-Tolosane), I.1–3 and I.5 (Toulouse 2005, 2008, 2012, 2020).
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Published:22 April 2025
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Abstract
The history of Apamea from the Seleucid period to the Arab conquest emphasizes the city’s military role. Earthquakes (ad 115, 528) changed the city’s appearance. Its intellectual life is attested by teaching philosophers, by the founding of the Apamean Neoplatonic school, and by discovery of mosaic pavements with clear Neoplatonic signification. The temple of Zeus Belos was destroyed about ad 386–388, and within decades many churches were constructed. Apamea was hurt by resumption of the Persian wars; in ad 592, a Persian commander burned the city and took many citizens captive. After battles in ad 636) and 637, Apamea opened its gates to the Muslim army of abu Ubaydah. Deep social changes ensued.
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