Alexandria and Antioch: The History of the Ancient Near East’s Hellenistic Capitals

Despite the infighting among them, one thing Alexander the Great’s generals did agree upon after the Macedonian king's death was their Hellenistic culture. Most famously, Ptolemy’s line firmly established the Hellenistic culture of the Greeks while ruling over Egypt, and by marrying within their family line, the Ptolemaic pharaohs kept their Hellenistic heritage until the very end of Ptolemy’s line, which died with Cleopatra in 30 B.C. Although the Seleucid Empire is less well known, Alexander’s general Seleucus was no less successful in “Hellenizing” Persia and parts of Asia Minor. The Greek influence is still readily visible in the region thousands of years later.  

After Alexander, the city of Alexandria grew and became the most important city in the world for centuries as it watched and played a role in the rise and fall of numerous dynasties. The city also became home to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – the Lighthouse of Alexandria – and a center of culture and learning, which was exemplified by the Library of Alexandria. Truly, Alexandria was as unique as it was great; it was a Greek city built on Egyptian soil that was later ruled by the Romans and then became an important center of early Christian culture. 

Antioch served as the most important city of the Seleucid kingdom from the 3rd century B.C. onwards, and by the 1st century A.D., Antioch had grown into a well-fortified and cosmopolitan Roman city, famous throughout the Roman Empire alongside its neighboring town of Daphne. This rich, beautiful city was the setting of the major gods, goddesses, myths, and legends of the Classical world; a city beloved by divine and mortal, pagan and Christian alike. This was approximately the same time that the Christian Church was founded in Antioch by those fleeing Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, and it was from this city that Saint Paul left on his missionary journeys.