Antioch, the crusaders discovered, was a mighty fortress; much stronger than that of Nicaea. The landscape surrounding the city enhanced its defenses. Antioch is strategically located between the Orontes River and the foothills of two mountains: Staurin and Silpius.
In the sixth century, the Romans had built a massive wall – about 3 miles long – around the city. “So fortified was it with walls and towers and barbicans, that it had no need to fear the assault of any machine or the attack of any man, not even if all mankind were to come together against it,” said Raymond D’Aguilers*. The wall boasted sixty towers, about three stories tall; high enough for any watchman to see the enemy advancing miles ahead.
The northern and western walls ran alongside the bank of the Orontes River, making the land in that area marshy, unfit for an army to lay siege. The southern and eastern walls ran up and along the mountainside. Near the peak of Mount Silpius stood a citadel. This citadel had been weathered by time and by earthquakes, yet it was still formidable. It warded off any advantage an attacking force would otherwise have.
Antioch was also known for its gates. There were five large gates: St. Paul’s Gate located in the east, the Dog’s Gate opening to the marshes, the Duke’s Gate, so called because Godfrey of Bouillon had camped his army outside that gate, St. Georges’ Gate to the west and the Bridge Gate. There were several smaller gates that opened to the mountains, enabling messengers to slip out of the city, unnoticed and unharmed, to seek reinforcements and/or food from allies.
There was literally no flat, dry stretch of land from where the crusaders could attack the city’s garrison. So, they were left with only two methods of assault: starvation and treachery. But first, they had to camp their army. Bohemond settled his troops in the hills, close to St. Paul’s Gate. Raymond of Toulouse took Dog’s Gate with his army and Godfrey remained outside of Duke’s Gate with his force. But there were three gates left unblocked, not to mention the ones that opened to the mountains. The Turks inside the city could freely come and go as they pleased.
Possibly for those reasons, the crusaders and the Turkish garrison fell into an uneasy stalemate. Pilgrims and warriors took advantage of the fertile countryside, feeding off the apple orchards and grape vineyards. The princes also planned their first offensive. They realized they didn’t have moveable siege towers, mangonels or scaling ladders, so they built a makeshift bridge across the Orontes River from which point they would attempt to strengthen their stranglehold on Antioch via partial blockade.
*Raymond D’Aguilers was a chronicler of the First Crusade. He was also Count Raymond’s priest.
Sources Used:
Asbridge, Thomas. The Crusades: The Authoritative History of The War For The Holy Land. Ecco; New York, 2011.
Hindley, Geoffrey. A Brief History of The Crusades. Constable & Robinson, Ltd; London, 2003.
Yewdale, Ralph B. Bohemond I, Prince of Antioch. Princeton University Press; Princeton, 1917.
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