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Byblos is one
of the top contenders for the
"oldest continuously inhabited city" award. According to
Phoenician tradition
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.
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Byblos
Harbor from the Sky |
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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. 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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Ancient Roman Theatre by 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. |
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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 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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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. |
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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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Byblos
Citadel by Night |
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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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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. |
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The Old
Marketplace "The Souks" |
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The
Old Sea Port |
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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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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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