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Baalbeck History
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Baalbeck in History |
Historical Timeline |
The Temples in History |
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For centuries the temples of Baalbeck lay under meters of rubble,
obscured by medieval fortifications. But even in ruin the site
attracted the admiration of visitors, and its historical
importance was recognized.
The first survey and restoration work at Baalbeck was begun by the
German Archeological Mission in 1898. In 1922, French scholars
undertook extensive research and restoration of the temples, work
which was continued by the Lebanese Directorate General of
Antiquities.
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Baalbeck’s temples were built on an ancient tell that goes back at
least to the end of the 3rd millennium B.C. Little is known about
the site during this period, but there is evidence that in the
course of the 1st millennium B.C., an enclosed court was built on
the ancient tell. An altar was set in the center of this court in
the tradition of the biblical Semitic high places.
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During the Hellenistic period (333-64B.C.) the Greeks identified
the god of Baalbeck with the sun god, and the city was called
Heliopolis or “City of the Sun.” At this time the ancient enclosed
court was enlarged, and a podium was erected on its western side
to support a temple of classical form. Although the temple was
never built, some huge structures from this Hellenistic project
can still be seen. It was over the ancient court that the Romans
placed the present Great Court of the Temple of Jupiter. |
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The temple was begun in the last quarter of the 1st century B.C.
and was nearing completion in the final years of Nero’s reign (37-68 A.D. ). The Great Court Complex of the Temple of Jupiter, with
its porticoes, exedrae, altars, and basins, was built in the second
century A.D. Construction of the so-called Temple of Bacchus was
also started about this time.
The Propylaea and the Hexagonal Court of the Jupiter Temple were
added in the 3rd century under the Severan Dynasty (193-235 A.D.),
and work was presumably completed in the mid-3rd century. The
small circular structure known as the Temple of Venus was probably
finished at this time as well.
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When Christianity was declared an official religion of the Roman
Empire in 313 A.D., Emperor Constantine officially closed the
Baalbeck Temples. At the end of the 4th century, the Byzantine
Emperor Theodosius tore down the alters of Jupiter’s Great Court
and built a basilica using the temple’s stones and architectural
elements. The remnants of the three apses of this Basilica,
originally oriented to the west, can still be seen in the upper
part of the stairway of the Temple of Jupiter. |
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After the Arab Conquest in 636 A.D., the temples were transformed
into a fortress, or qal’a, a term still applied to the Acropolis
today.
During the next centuries Baalbeck fell successively to the
Umayyad, Abbasid, Toulounid, Fatimid, and Ayoubid dynasties.
Sacked by the Mongols around 1260, Baalbeck later enjoyed a period
of calm and prosperity under Mamluke rule. |
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