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Byblos is one
of the top contenders for the
"oldest continuously inhabited city" award. According to Phoenician
tradition it was founded by the God El, and even the Phoenicians considered
it a city of great antiquity. Although its beginnings are lost in
time, modern scholars say the site of Byblos goes back at least 7,000
years.
Ironically, the words "Byblos" and "Phoenicia"
would not have been recognized by the city’s early inhabitants. For
several thousand years it was called "Gubla" and later "Gebal," while
the term "Canaan" was applied to the coast in general.
It was the Greeks, some time after 1200 B.C., who
gave us the name "Phoenicia," referring to the coastal area. And they
called the city "Byblos"
(papyrus" in Greek), because this commercial center was important
in the papyrus trade. |
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The Souk |
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| Today Byblos (Jbeil in Arabic) on
the coast 37 kilometers north of Beirut, is a prosperous place
with glass-fronted office buildings and crowded streets. But within
the old town, medieval Arab and Crusader remains are continuous reminders
of the past. Nearby are the extensive excavations that make Byblos
one of the most important archaeological sites in the area. |
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Roman theater built near the sea |
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History
About 7,000 years ago a small Neolithic fishing
community settled along the shore and several of their monocellular
huts with crushed limed stone floors can be seen on the site. Many
tools and weapons of this stone age period have been found as well.
The Chalcolithic Period (4,000-3,000 B.C.) saw
a continuation of the same way of life, but brought with it new burial
customs where the deceased were laid in large pottery jars and buried
with their earthly possessions.
By the beginning of the Early Bronze Age (about
3000 B.C.). Canaanite Byblos had developed into the most important
timber shipping center on the eastern Mediterranean and ties with
Egypt were very close. The pharaohs of the Old Kindgom needed the
cedar and other wood for shipbuilding, tomb construction and funerary
ritual. In return, Egypt sent gold, alabaster, papyrus rope and linen.
Thus began a period of prosperity, wealth and intense activity. |
Several centuries later Amorite tribes from the desert
overran the coastal region and set fire to Byblos. But once the Amorites
had settled in, the city was rebuilt and Egypt again began to send
costly gifts to Byblos. Treasures from the royal tombs of Byblos show
the great wealth that flooded the city.
Around 1200 B.C. a wave of the so called "Sea Peoples"
from the north spread to the eastern Mediterranean, and some settled
on the southern coast of Canaan. These seafarers probably contributed
their skills to maritime society we know |
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Detail of the Sarcophagus of Ahiram, 13th century
B.C (National Museum of Beirut) |
today as Phoenicia.
About this same time the scribes of Byblos developed
an alphabetic phonetic script, the precursor of our modern alphabet.
By 800 B.C., it had traveled to Greece, changing forever the way man
communicated. the earliest form of the Phoenician alphabet found to
date is the inscription on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram of Byblos.
Throughout the first millennium B.C., Byblos continued
to benefit from trade in spite of Assyrian and Babylonian encroachments.
Then came the Persians who held sway from 550-330 B.C. The remains
of a fortress outside the Early Bronze Age city walls from this period
show that Byblos was a strategic part of the Persian defense system
in the eastern Mediterranean. |
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Bronze figurines covered
in gold from the temple of Obelisks
(National Museum of Beirut) |
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After conquest by Alexander the Great,
Byblos was rapidly hellenized and Greek became the language
of the local intelligentsia. During this Hellenistic Period
(330-64 B.C.), residents of Byblos adopted Greek customs and
culture. Both the Greek language and culture persisted throughout
the Roman era which was to come.
In the first century B.C. the Romans under Pompey took over
Byblos and |
other Phoenician cities, ruling them
from 64 B.C. to 395 A.D. In Byblos they built large temples,
baths and other public buildings as well as a street bordered
by a colonnade that surrounded the city.
There are few remains of the Byzantine Period
(395-637 A.D.) in Byblos, partly because construction was of
soft sandstone and generally of poor quality.
Byzantine stones were also quarried for later buildings. During
this era the city
became the see of a Christian bishopric. |
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Baptistery of the Crusader church
of St. John |
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Under Arab rule beginning 637 A.D. Byblos
was generally peaceful but it had declined in importance
over the centuries and archeological evidence from this period
is fragmentary.
In 1104 Byblos fell to the Crusaders who
came upon large stones and granite columns of the Roman buildings
and used them for their castle and moat. With the departure
of the Crusaders, Byblos continued under Mamluke and Ottoman
rule as a small fishing town, and its antiques remains were
gradually covered with dust. |
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Excavations
Before Byblos was excavated, the ruins
of successive cities had formed a mound about 12 meters high
covered with houses and gardens. The ancient site was rediscovered
in 1860 by the French writer Ernest Renan, who made a survey
of the area. In 1921-1924 Pierre Montet, a French Egyptologist,
began excavations which confirmed trade relations between Byblos
and ancient Egypt. Maurice Dunand began his work in Byblos in
1925 and continued with various campaigns until 1975. |
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The Crusader Castle |
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Byblos Today
A thriving modern town with an ancient
heart, Byblos is a mix of sophistication and tradition. The
old harbor is sheltered from the sea by a rocky headland. Nearby
are the excavated remains of the ancient city, the Crusader
castle and church and the old market area.
For a real taste of Byblos, stroll through the streets and byways.
This part of town is a collection of old walls (some medieval)
overlapping properties and intriguing |
half-ruins. Don't hesitate to explore.
Should you happen to intrude on someone's property the hospitable
townspeople will be pleased to show you around.
The area of excavations is surrounded by
a wall with the entrance at the Crusader castle. To get a good
view of this large, somewhat complex site, either climb to
the top of castle or walk around the periphery from outside
the wall to identify
the major monuments.
After visiting the archeological site, a
quick and entertaining introduction to Lebanon's past can be
found at the Wax Museum near the castle. The wax figures illustrate
scenes from the history and rural life of the country. There
is a modest entrance fee.
With its many restaurants, snack bars, souvenir
shops and hotels, Byblos is well prepared to welcome tourists.
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If you have time
Out of old Byblos and into the town's higher
elevations in the foothills are a number of very old churches
such as the catacomb-like Mar Nohra cut from rock and the Mar
Semaan chapel.
Just north of Byblos, Amchit sits
on the coast and climbs briefly up the lower elevations of Mt.
Lebanon. This town has the country's only organized campsite,
a pleasant, clean place with attractive beaches available to
campers. The town is well known for its lovely traditional houses.
Among others, there is the home of the French writer Ernest
Renan who lived in Amchit in the 19th century. |
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The Harbor of Byblos |
| Nahr Ibrahim,
6 kilometers south of Byblos. This valley of the ancient Adonis
River is one of the most wild and beautiful in Lebanon. The
road leads to the source at Afqa high in the mountains,
where you will find the ruins of the great temple of Aphrodite-Venus
in front of the cave. |
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