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Why did I choose Ancient Antioch as the setting for my debut novel, The Malignancy? After all, it's one of the best historical fiction books to ever take place in the city. (Just kidding.)



a crowd of people in colorful togas standing outside ancient roman buildings

Sometimes people ask me why I decided to choose that particular city during that particular time period. Ancient Antioch is an interesting city, to be sure, but it wasn’t what first came to mind. I knew that I wanted the book to take place during the principate period of the Roman Empire. Specifically, during the Nerva-Antonine dynasty. However, I needed a more specific year, and I needed a city. Rome itself came to mind, but I considered that to be too basic. I wanted something different. I visited the ancient city of Ephesus once a few years ago during a cruise of the Mediterranean. That city was very tempting, but ultimately I settled on Antioch because of its unique cultural and religious situation in the second century AD. I looked at some of the best historical fiction books and realized that none of them take place in Ancient Antioch. So I could have my little niche.


There was also a massive earthquake in 115AD and both Trajan and Hadrian were in the city at the time. I knew I could exploit that event for dramatic purposes. I also knew that the tense religious and cultural scene would be narrative gold. So, armed with these facts, I set out upon learning more about Ancient Antioch. The research I did was exhaustive, but don’t be surprised if parts of my book are historically inaccurate. I created my fictional Antioch based on a blend of historical facts and convenient fictions to enhance authenticity and relatability. Basically, I tried to write a good story. The best historical fiction books have an emphasis on storytelling rather than rigid historical accuracy. It did make things easier in that I didn’t have to write a society from scratch. Aside from my interest in history, I like writing historical fiction because there is a template to build from. Some may historical fiction actually more difficult to write then say, fantasy or contemporary romance, but I disagree.


So why the Roman Empire? This is a question that is harder to answer, but I will try. Basically, I have Tourettes. That’s it. There’s the answer. When I am ticking at home after holding them in all day, I see “movies.” These are action packed sequences that I play through in my head. My muscles twitch, I make noises, and it’s time consuming if I want them to run their course. It can be a lot of fun as well. I can choose these “movies.” Sometimes if I just watched an action film on Netflix, I will decide to tic to that. Other times, I’ll imagine that I am an old man slowly dying and saying my final words. Orchestral music ensues. A lot of the time, though, I find myself traversing through the informative pages of Wikipedia.


When I read the biography of Trajan, Roman emperor, I can imagine the events taking place in my mind. I can see the battles and imagine myself fighting in them. Or maybe characters or historical figures. It’s chaotic and exciting and bizarre. Most of all, it is exceedingly hard to explain or articulate. Yet I do my best. So for years, I have exhaustively read the biographies of the Roman Emperors. Augustus and Tiberius and Claudius and Trajan and Antonius Pius. I would read about the principate and the dominate periods. The principate was the era of the Roman Empire where most Romans believed they still lived in a republic. The Emperors wielded immense power that was notably not hereditary, and their authority derived from the people and Senate of Rome rather than from any divine source. Aristocratic rather than outwardly monarchial. This changed under Diocletian after the crisis of the third century. The Dominate government style portrayed the emperor as semi-divine and, later on, as the supreme leaders of the church, once Christianity gained influence. In fact, the emperors appointed the pope until the mid-eighth century. Hence, the Catholic Church is called the Roman Catholic Church. It is the last surviving instrument of the Roman state that survives to this day. It’s also why the official language of Vatican City is Latin.


I’m getting off-topic. I do not just read about the Roman empire, or the eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire. Depending on my mood, I’ll fall down many rabbit holes. The British Empire, Ancient Egypt, WWII, WWI, the Russian Revolution, Ancient China, or maybe Anglo-Saxon Britain. Whatever I want. And it can be the most exciting thing. So really, I had wide a wide variety of historical eras that I could choose from. I love history. Yet, I chose the Roman Empire because I really just keep finding myself coming back to it. Maybe it’s because once you are aware of some of the history, you start to see the Roman Empire wherever you look. It has had such a legacy on western culture. For example, July is named after Julius Caesar and August is named after Augustus. The calender that we use today is itself a Roman invention, albeit changed slightly by Pope Gregory in the sixteenth century. (Hence, the Gregorian calender.)


Of course, you can’t glorify the Roman Empire too much. There was nothing comparable in Europe before or since, and they did implement a number of innovations that have had a profound impact on western culture even today. Regardless, one must remember that the Romans were a brutal and warlike people that enslaved those who opposed them in their relentless thirst for expansion. The Roman Empire was a dictatorship, and while some emperors, such as Marcus Aurelius, were extremely capable rulers, they would be considered tyrants in the modern age. Indeed, many even in that time regarded them as tyrants. In the beginning of the Empire, there were multiple civil wars caused by aristocratic attempts to preserve the (highly exclusionary) “democracy” of the Roman Republic. There were several republican plots that took place over the years, especially during the Julio-Claudian dynasty, but they were all quashed.


Ancient Antioch was founded in 300 BC by King Seluceus I Nicator. He was a Greek and a general of Alexander the great. After the death of Alexander, there were a series of civil wars that ultimately resulting in Alexander’s generals carving out their own empires out of the massive Macedonian state. Seluceus gained control over parts of Turkey and Syria, and went about creating new Greek colony-cities. One of them was Antioch. He took a piece of meat and gave it to an eagle, which was the bird of Zeus. The eagle flew and dropped the piece of meat where Antioch was to be built.


In 63 BC, the city was conquered by the Roman Republic. During the following centuries, the Romans altered the architectural landscape of the city. Given the proximity of Persia, there are some Persian architectural influences as well. So by the second century AD, there were a wide variety of architectural styles in Antioch. But the most significant building constructed during the early Roman period was the circus of Antioch. It was a chariot racing stadium that could host up to half a million spectators. It was modelled on the Circus Maximus in Rome.


The religious situation in Antioch was turbulent. Antioch served as one of the early cradles of Christianity. In fact, it is part of Eastern Orthodox tradition that Saint Peter himself visited the city and preached there. The fact remains that Antiochenes were the first to describe themselves as Christians. Nevertheless, a wide variety of religions flourished in the city during the early Roman era. There were Jews, first of all. There was a massive population of Jews in Antioch, and that’s probably why the Christians chose the city to focus their conversion efforts first. Jewish people were most susceptible to conversion during Early Christianity because of the similarities between the Jewish and christian faiths. After all, Jesus was a Jew. There were those who worshipped the Roman Gods. these gods included deified emperors, but they were essentially analogous to the Greek Gods which had their own fervent supporters in the city. And then there were those who worshipped Zoroastrianism, which was the state religion of the Parthian empire. Since Antioch served as a key junction on the route of the spice trade, Persian traders passed through often.


Nevertheless, Roman paganism and Zoroastrianism never achieved a dominant position in Antioch. The big three were Jews, Christians, and Greek pagans. The Roman Empire generally was tolerant of other religions, including Christianity, so long as the ultimate obedience to the state was maintained. Certain bouts of persecution did take place during time of unrest, however. An example would be the aftermath of the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt in 70AD. The Romans burned Jerusalem to the ground and rebuilt it to their liking. And of course, there were the infamous Christian persecutions under Diocletian. However, these were exceptions to the rule.


I could write for quite a while, but I want to finish this blog post. Maybe I’ll do a part two. Antioch is cool. Now you know.


Thanks for reading,


Liam

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