The prosperity of Zidon was suddenly cut short by an unsuccessful revolt against Persia, which led to one of the most disastrous catastroplies recorded in history. Unlike the siege and capture of Tyre by Alexander the Great, which is narrated by several writers, and which is of commanding interest through its relation to such a renowned conqueror, the fate of Zidon is only known
through the history of Diodorus (xvi, 42-45), and is mainly coimected with Artaxerxes Ochus (B.C. 859- 338), a monarch who is justly regarded with mingled aversion and contempt. Hence the calamitous over- throw of Zidon has not, perhaps, attracted so much at- tention as it deserves. The principal circumstances were these. While the Persians were making prepara- tions in Phoenicia to put down the revolt in Egypt, some Persian satraps and generals behaved oppressively and insolently to Zidonians in the Zidonian division of the city of Tripolis. On this the Zidonian people pro- jected a revolt; and, having first concerted arrange- ments with other Phoenician cities and made a treaty with Nectanebus, they put their designs into execution. They commenced by committing outrages in a residence and park (Trapri^sKToc) of the Persian king; they burn- ed a large store of fodder which had been collected for the Persian cavalry; and they seized and put to death the Persians who had been guilty of insults towards the Zidonians. Afterwards, under their king Tennes, with the assistance from Egypt of four thousand Greek mercenaries under Mentor, they expelled the Persian satraps from Phoenicia; they strengthened the defences of their city ; they equipped a fleet of one hundred tri- remes; and prepared for a desperate resistance. But their king Tennes proved a traitor to their cause; and, in performance of a compact Avith Ochus, he betrayed into the king's power one hundred of the most distin- guished citizens of Zidon, who were all shot to death with javelins. Five hundred other citizens, who went out to the king with ensigns of supplication, shared the same fate ; and, by concert between Tennes and Mentor, the Persian troops were admitted within the gates and occupied the cit}' walls. The Zidonians, before the ar- rival of Ochus, had burned their vessels to prevent any one leaving the town ; and when they saw themselves surrounded by the Persian troops, they adopted the des- perate resolution of shutting themselves up with their families, and setting fire each man to his own house (B.C. 351). Forty thousand persons are said to have perished in the flames. Tennes himself did not save liis own life, as Ochus, notwithstanding his promise to the contrary, put him to death. The privilege of search- ing the ruins was sold for money.
After this dismal tragedy Zidon gradually recovered from the blow ; fresh immigrants from other cities must have settled in it; and probably many Zidonian sailors survived who had been plying their trade elsewhere in merchant vessels at the time of the cajiture of the city. The battle of Issus was fought about eighteen years af- terwards (B.C. 333) ; and then the inhabitants of the re- stored city opened their gates to Alexander of their own accord, from hatred, as is expressly stated, of Darius and the Persians (Arrian, Anali. Al. ii, 15). The impolicy as well as the cruelty of Ochus in his mode of dealing with the revolt of Zidon now became apparent ; for the Zidonian fleet, in joining Alexander, was an essential element of his success against Tyre. After aiding to bring upon Tyre as gi'eat a calamity as had afflicted their own city, they were so far merciful that they saved the lives of many Tj-rians by concealing them in their ships and then transporting them to Zidon (Quint. Curtius,iv, 4, 15). From this time Zidon, being dependent on the fortunes of war in the contests between the successors of Alexander, ceases to play any important political
Greek Coin of Zidon.
ZIDON
1095
ZIDON
part in history. It became, however, again a flourish- ing town; and Polybius (v, 70) incidentally mentions that Antiochus, in his war with Ptolemy riiilopator. en- camped over against Zidon (I5.C. '21S), hut did not vent- ure to attack it from tlie abundance of its resources and the great numl)er of its inhabitants, either natives or refugees. JSubsetiuently, according to Josephns (Aiit, xiv, 10, "i), Julius C'iusar wrote a letter resjiectiug Ilyr- canus, whicli he addressed to the '^ j]f(i;/isl rates. Couiiri/, iind Demos of Sidon." This shows that ii|) to that time the Zidonians enjoyed the forms of liberty, though Dion Cassias says (Ixiv, 7) that Augustus, on his arrival in the East, deprived them of it for seilitions conduct. Not long after Strabo, in his account of I'haMiicia, says of Tyre and Sidon, " Both were illustrious and si)lcndid formerly, and now ; but which should be called the cap- ital of Phienicia is a matter of dispute between the in- habitants" (xvi, 75G'). lie adds that it is situated on the mainland, on a line, naturally formed harbor. He speaks of the inhabitants as cultivating the sciences of arithmetic and astronomy; and says that the best op- portunities were alforded in Zidon for ac(piiring a knowl- edge of these and of all otlier branches of philosophy. He adds that in his time there were distinguished phi- losophers— natives of Zidon — as Hoe thus, with whom he studied the philosophy of Ar- istotle, and his broth- er Diodotus. It is to be observed that both these names were Greek ; and it is to be presumed that in Stra- bo's time Greek was the language of the educat- ed classes at least, both in Tyre and Zidon. This is nearly all that is known of the state of Zidon when it was visited by Christ. It is about fifty miles distant from Nazaretli, and is the most northern city which is mentioned in connection with his journeys. Pliny notes the manufacture of glass at Zidon (_Nat. Hist. V, 17, 19) ; and during the Roman pe- riod we may conceive Tyre antl Zidon as two thriving cities, each having an extensive trade, and each having its staple manufacture — the latter of glass, and Tyre of purple dyes from shell-lish.