JBEIL BYBLOS

her God, The "creator of creatures" and supreme father is also the "King" and, sometimes "Bull El, my Father. "El" is the Semitic word for God; it appears, for example, in the biblical El and Elohim. Another of El's titles was "Father of Years" which made him the God of time. The name BYBLOS is Greek; papyrus received its early Greek name (byblos, byblinos) from its being exported to the Aegean through Byblos. Hence the English word Bible is derived from byblos as "the (papyrus) book. The Byblos syllabary, also known as the Pseudo-hieroglyphic script, Proto-Byblian, Proto-Byblic, or Byblic, is officially an undeciphered writing system, known from ten inscriptions found in Byblos. The inscriptions are engraved on bronze plates and spatulas, and carved in stone. They were excavated by Maurice Dunand, from 1928 to 1932, and published in 1945 in his monograph Byblia Grammata (Letters). The inscriptions are conventionally dated to the second millennium BC, probably between the 18th and 15th centuries BC. The Story:
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 early possessions. Many tools and weapons of this period have been found as well. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. In the first century B.C., the Romans, under Pompey, took over Byblos and other Phoenician cities, ruling them from 64 B.C. 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. 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. 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. GEBAL was the capital of the GIBILITES, or 'Mountaineers'
These ancient peoples were the leading tribe of Lebanon in the days of Joshua. Research into the Giblites shows they appeared to have been an educated and enterprising people in a very remote age. They were even King Solomon's chief architects when he built the Temple. It is also told in the Bible, in (I Kings, 5: 18/ Ezekiel 27:9/ Joshua 13:5), that Hiram King of Tyre sent the Gibilites (Jbeïlis, people of Byblos) to cut wood for the construction of the temple of Jehovah in Jerusalem in the time of King Solomon, about 930 B.C. Not only were they great architects, but the Giblites were famous as ship-builders. We know this because the ancients of Byblos were the leading men in the dock-yards of Tyre. (a waterside area containing docks, workshops, warehouses, etc., for building, outfitting, and repairing ships, for storing naval supplies, etc. )
The Pharaohs of the Old Kingdom of Egypt had an important merchant colony. As a result, GEBAL became an important export center, especially for papyrus. Also, being boat builders of the Biblical period, GEBAL became well-versed in the maritime skills. JBEIL-BYBLOS Today is a modern prosperous city that still retains its historical past. Byblos remains as one of Lebanon's major tourist sites due to its rich history and scenic mountains overlooking the Mediterranean. Is well prepared to welcome tourists with its hotels, beach resorts, restaurants and souvenir shops. References:
Most of the text is taken from:
- The pamphlet “BYBLOS,” text: Elian Larwood, Marilyn Raschka, Dr. Hassan Salamé-Sarkis
- The Ministry of Tourism.