Orontes
The Orontes River, known in ancient times as Axius, is a significant waterway in western Syria. It originates in the Bekaa Valley, situated between the Libanus and Anti-Libanus mountain ranges in Lebanon, and flows through key historical cities such as Homs and Apamea before reaching the Mediterranean Sea near Seleucia in Pieria, Turkey. The river has been integral to the region's trade and military movements since antiquity, serving as a vital route for commerce and armies traveling between Egypt and northern territories. Strabo, an ancient geographer, noted the river's navigability and the fertility of its valley, highlighting its importance in the surrounding ecosystem. Additionally, the Orontes is steeped in local myth, with stories suggesting it was named after a man who first bridged it and referencing its mysterious underground flow in ancient times. The river continues to hold cultural and historical significance, making it a point of interest for both locals and visitors.
Subject Terms
Orontes
(River), also known as Axius (now Nahr Al-Asi)
The principal river of western Syria, the Orontes rises north of Heliopolis (Baalbek) in the Bekaa valley between Mounts Libanus (Lebanon) and Anti-Libanus in Phoenicia (Lebanon), flows north-northeast past Emesa (Homs), north-northwest past Apamea (Qalaat el-Mudik), and finally southwest past Antioch (Antakya in the Hatay, Turkey), to enter the sea at Seleucia in Pieria.
Strabo, recording that this lowest stretch was navigable, quotes a myth indicating that the river was named after the man who first bridged it, and refers to a locality where in ancient times it flowed underground (hence its additional names Draco and Typhon, a dragon that was struck by lightning and fled beneath the earth); he also praises the fertility of the river valley. In antiquity, as later, the Orontes served as the principal route followed by traders and armies moving between Egypt and the north.