Lot 880: Circle of Anton Schranz 1769-1839- "General View

Circle of Anton Schranz 1769-1839- "General View of Tyre"; pencil, inscribed and dated 1836 in pencil, annotated by a later hand verso, 39x57cm, (unframed) Note: In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great set out to conquer Tyre a strategic coastal base in the war between the Greeks and the Persians. Unable to storm the city, he blockaded Tyre for seven months. Again Tyre held on. Alexander used the debris of the abandoned mainland city to build a causeway and once within reach of the city walls, Alexander used his siege engines to batter and finally breach the fortifications. It is said that Alexander was so enraged at the Tyrians' defense and the loss of his men that he destroyed half the city. The town's 30,000 residents were massacred or sold into slavery. Tyre and the whole of ancient Syria fell under Roman rule in 64 B.C.. Nonetheless, for some time Tyre continued to mint its own silver coins. The Romans built great important monuments in the city, including an aqueduct, a triumphal arch and the largest hippodrome in antiquity.

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