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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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to top |
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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