Editing Antioch (section)

==Archaeology==
[[File:Tyche Antioch Vatican Inv2672.jpg|thumb|250px|The ''Týkhē'' (Fortune) of Antioch, Galleria dei Candelabri, the [[Vatican Museums]].]]

Few traces of the once great Roman city are visible today aside from the massive fortification walls that snake up the mountains to the east of the modern city, several aqueducts, and the [[Church of Saint Peter|Church of St Peter]] (St Peter's Cave Church, Cave-Church of St. Peter), said to be a meeting place of an [[Early Christian]] community.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/turkey/antioch-cave-church-of-peter.htm|title=Sacred Destinations|access-date=2008-07-01}}</ref> The majority of the Roman city lies buried beneath deep sediments from the Orontes River, or has been obscured by recent construction.

Between 1932 and 1939, archaeological excavations of Antioch were undertaken under the direction of the "Committee for the Excavation of Antioch and Its Vicinity", which was made up of representatives from the [[Louvre Museum]], the [[Baltimore Museum of Art]], the [[Worcester Art Museum]], [[Princeton University]], [[Wellesley College]], and later (1936) also the [[Fogg Art Museum]] at [[Harvard University]] and its affiliate [[Dumbarton Oaks]].

The excavation team failed to find the major buildings they hoped to unearth, including [[Domus Aurea (Antioch)|Constantine's Great Octagonal Church]] or the imperial palace. However, a great accomplishment of the expedition was the discovery of high-quality Roman mosaics from villas and baths in Antioch, Daphne and Seleucia Pieria.

The principal excavations of Mosaics at Antioch led by Princeton University in March 1932 recovered nearly 300 mosaics. Many of these mosaics were originally displayed as floor mosaics in private homes during the second through sixth centuries AD, while others were displayed in baths and other public buildings. The majority of the [[Antioch mosaics]] are from the fourth and fifth centuries, Antioch's golden age, though others from earlier times have survived as well.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Downey|first1=Glanville|title=Personifications of Abstract Ideas in the Antioch Mosaics|journal=Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association|date=1938|volume=6|pages=349–363|doi=10.2307/283184|jstor=283184}}</ref> The mosaics depict a variety of images including animals, plants, and mythological beings, as well as scenes from the daily lives of people living in the area at the time. Each mosaic is bordered by intricate designs and contains bold, vibrant colors.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Fant|first1=Clyde E.|last2=Reddish|first2=Mitchell G.|title=A Guide to Biblical Sites in Greece and Turkey|date=2003|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-513918-1|page=150}}</ref>

One mosaic includes a border that depicts a walk from Antioch to Daphne, showing many ancient buildings along the way. The mosaics are now displayed in the [[Hatay Archaeology Museum]] in [[Antakya]]. A collection of mosaics on both secular and sacred subjects which were once in churches, private homes, and other public spaces now hang in the [[Princeton University Art Museum]]<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Jones|first1=Frances F|title=Antioch Mosaics in Princeton|journal=Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University|date=1981|volume=40|issue=2|pages=2–26|doi=10.2307/3774611|jstor=3774611}}</ref> and museums of other sponsoring institutions. The non-Islamic coins from the excavations were published by [[Dorothy B. Waage]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Butcher |first=Kevin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9FlmAAAAMAAJ&q=dorothy+waage |title=Coinage in Roman Syria: Northern Syria, 64 BC–AD 253 |date=2004 |publisher=Royal Numismatic Society |isbn=978-0-901405-58-6 |pages=2, 362 |language=en}}</ref>

A statue in the [[Apostolic Palace|Vatican]] and a number of figurines and statuettes perpetuate the type of its great patron goddess and civic symbol, the [[Tyche]] (Fortune) of Antioch&nbsp;– a majestic seated figure, crowned with the [[Defensive wall|rampart]]s of Antioch's walls and holding wheat stalks in her right hand, with the river Orontes as a youth swimming under her feet. According to [[William Robertson Smith]] the Tyche of Antioch was originally a young virgin sacrificed at the time of the founding of the city to ensure its continued prosperity and good fortune.<ref name=Robertson_1889>{{cite book | last = Smith | first = William Robertson | author-link =  | date = 1889 | title = Lectures on the Religion of the Semites | url = https://archive.org/details/lecturesonrelig00smit/page/n5/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=antioch | location = University of Cambridge | publisher = D. Appleton and Company | page = 356}}</ref>

The northern edge of Antakya has been growing rapidly over recent years, and this construction has begun to expose large portions of the ancient city, which are frequently bulldozed and rarely protected by the local museum.

In April 2016, archaeologists discovered a Greek [[mosaic]] showing a skeleton lying down with a wine pitcher and loaf of bread alongside a text that reads: "Be cheerful, enjoy your life", it is reportedly from the third century BC. Described as the "reckless skeleton" or "skeleton mosaic", the mosaic is once thought to have belonged in the dining room of an upper-class home.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/archaeologists-discover-ancient-mosaic-with-message-be-cheerful-enjoy-your-life-a6998346.html|title=Archaeologists discovered an ancient mosaic with a wonderful message|date=April 24, 2016|website=The Independent}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2016/04/22/2400-year-old-mosaic-found-in-southern-turkey-says-be-cheerful-enjoy-your-life|title=2,400 year-old mosaic found in southern Turkey says 'be cheerful, enjoy your life'|date=April 22, 2016|website=Daily Sabah}}</ref>