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About 7,000 years ago, a small Neolithic fishing
community settled along the shore at the site of modern-day Byblos.
Several Neolithic-era mono-cellular huts with crushed limestone floors
can be seen by visitors to the archaeological site. Through the fourth
millennium B.C. (4000-3000 B.C.), life continued for these settlers
with little change. Artifacts uncovered at the site show that some new
customs evolved, such as the practice of burying the deceased in large
pottery jars with their earthly possessions. Many tools and weapons of
this period have been found as well. |
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During the Bronze Age (roughly 3500-1200 B.C.), Byblos and the entire Levantine coast were inhabited by the Canaanites.
Modern scholars use the term "Canaanite" in many different ways, and
there is much disagreement about the origins of the Canaanite peoples.
It is unclear how and when the Canaanites, as a distinct group,
descended from the earlier Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlers in the
region.
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Around 3000 B.C., the city of Byblos had developed
into the most important timber shipping center on the eastern
Mediterranean. Ties with Egypt were very close. The Egyptian pharaohs
needed cedar wood and oils for shipbuilding, tomb construction, and
funerary rituals. In return, Egypt sent gold, alabaster, papyrus rolls,
papyrus rope, and linen to Byblos. Thus began a period of prosperity,
wealth, and intense commercial activity.
Around 2300-1900 B.C., 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 goods to
Byblos. Treasures uncovered in the royal tombs of Byblos show the great
wealth that flooded the city.
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Around 1200 B.C., the “Sea People” from the north arrived in the eastern
Mediterranean, and some settled along the southern coast of Canaan in
cities including Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre. These seafarers had a highly
sophisticated maritime technology. Their maritime skills could have
contributed to the development of the flourishing sea trade and maritime
society we know today as Phoenicia. The Phoenician period in Byblos
extended from the arrival of the “Sea People,” around 1200 B.C., until
the conquest by Alexander the Great in 333 B.C.
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Perhaps the Phoenicians’ most significant contribution to the world was
the development of the first phonetic alphabet. Around the end of the
second millennium B.C., the scribes of Byblos developed an alphabetic
phonetic script of 22 letters, the precursor of our modern-day alphabet.
The earliest form of the Phoenician alphabet found to date is an
inscription on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram of Byblos (10th century
B.C.), now on display at the National Museum in Beirut. By 800 B.C., the
Phoenician alphabet had traveled to Greece, and it was later adapted by
the Romans, changing forever the way people communicated. |
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Throughout the first millennium B.C., Byblos continued to benefit from
its extensive sea trade, in spite of invasions by the Assyrians and
Babylonians. Then came invasion by the Persians, who held sway from
555-333 B.C. The remains of a fortress from this period, located outside
the early Bronze Age city walls, 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 in 333 B.C., Byblos fell under
Greek rule. During the Hellenistic Period (333-64 B.C.), the residents
of Byblos adopted Greek customs, culture, and language. It is the Greeks
who gave the city its name “Byblos,” which means “papyrus” or “paper.”
The city continued to be an important center for trading papyrus, on
which many religious texts, public documents, private letters,
astronomical texts, and mathematical texts were written. 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 399 A.D. In Byblos, the Romans built large temples, baths, and other public
buildings, as well as a street bordered by a colonnade that surrounded
the city.
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After the division of the Roman Empire into the east and west, Byblos
fell under the rule of Constantinople. There are few remains of the
Byzantine Period (399-636 A.D.) in Byblos, partly because construction
was of soft sandstone and generally of poor quality. Byzantine stones
were also quarried for use in later buildings.
The Arabs conquered Byblos and the surrounding region in 636 A.D. Under
Arab rule Byblos was generally peaceful, but it had declined in
importance over the centuries and archaeological evidence from this
period is limited. |
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In 1104, Byblos was conquered by the Crusaders, who used the large Roman
stones and granite columns to construct their own castle and moat. With
the departure of the Crusaders, Byblos continued under Mamluke rule
(13th–16th centuries A.D.) and Ottoman rule (16th–20th centuries
A.D.) as a small fishing town. Its ancient remains were gradually
covered with debris and other buildings.
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Excavations
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 that confirmed trade relations
between Byblos and ancient Egypt. Afterward, Maurice Dunand began his
excavation work in Byblos in 1926 and continued until 1975.
Visiting the site 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.
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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 the castle or walk around the periphery from outside the wall to identify the major
monuments.
With its many restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops, and
hotels, Byblos is well prepared to welcome tourists.
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