As soon as this decision had been taken, Antiochus ordered his admiral Diognetus to sail to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Seleucia&groupId=233&placeId=484">Seleucia</a>, while he himself, leaving <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Apamea&groupId=340&placeId=660">Apamea</a> with his army, came and encamped at the hippodrome about five stades from the town.
He sent off Theodotus Hemiolius with a sufficient force to <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Coele-Syria&groupId=484&placeId=908">Coele-Syria</a> to occupy the narrow passage and protect him on that side.
The situation of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Seleucia&groupId=233&placeId=484">Seleucia</a> and the nature of its surroundings are as follows.
It lies on the sea between <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cilicia&groupId=467&placeId=350">Cilicia</a> and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Phoenicia&groupId=894&placeId=464">Phoenicia</a>, and above it rises a very high mountain called Coryphaeum,
washed on its western side by the extreme waters of the sea separating <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Cyprus&groupId=119&placeId=356">Cyprus</a> from <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Phoenicia&groupId=894&placeId=464">Phoenicia</a>, but overlooking with its eastern slopes the territories of Antioch and <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Seleucia&groupId=233&placeId=484">Seleucia</a>.
<a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Seleucia&groupId=233&placeId=484">Seleucia</a> lies on its southern slope, separated from it by a deep and difficult ravine. The town descends in a series of broken terraces to the sea, and is surrounded on most sides by cliffs and precipitous rocks.
On the level ground at the foot of the slope which descends towards the sea lies the business quarter and a suburb defended by very strong walls.
The whole of the main city is similarly fortified by walls of very costly construction and is splendidly adorned with temples and other fine buildings.
On the side looking to the sea it can only be approached by a flight of steps cut in the rock with frequent turns and twists all the way up.
Not far from the town is the mouth of the river Orontes, which rising in the neighbourhood of Libanus and Antilibanus and traversing what is known as the plain of <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Amyce&groupId=322&placeId=626">Amyce</a>, passes through Antioch
carrying off all the sewage of that town by the force of its current and finally falling into the Cyprian Sea near <a class="linkToPlace" target="_blank" href="/place?placename=Seleucia&groupId=233&placeId=484">Seleucia</a>.
Walbank Commentary