Descripción del sitio
The River Orontes divides Antioch into two spheres; an old town and a newer town. Its bank is home to the peoples of Antioch that still speak the antique language of Syriac (or Aramaic). In early Byzantine mythology, the River is often personified as a swimming man, showing the great power that the river had on the development of the city, namely to the Byzantines themselves. Also, the river has served a perhaps greater role as a powerful means of defense to the inhabitants of the city. It provided Antioch not only with a means of transportation but also gave crusaders an obstacle to tackle before invasion, stressing its beneficial function in the development of the city itself.