One of the most spectacular sites of the era of Roman domination in syria, Apamea looks out from a plateau on the eastern edge of the Orontes valley towards the coastal mountains to the west. Originally a settlement of the Seleucid Greeks (an important centre for their cavalry and elephants), it flourished throughout the Roman and Byzantine periods. The colonnaded axis of the Roman / Byzantine periods, which still strides north to south across the town, is perhaps the most significant avenue constructed in Antiquity, a striking sight 34 metres across flanked by white limestone columns contrasting with the lush pastures and the mountains.