Gigarta (also known as Gigartus in classical sources) was an ancient settlement in northern Lebanon. Noted primarily in the Museiliha inscription found in the vicinity of the Mseilha Fort, Gigarta appears to have been involved in a territorial dispute with Caesarea ad Libanum (modern Arqa) during the first century AD. Historical accounts suggest that Gigarta's status was below that of a fully developed Roman city ( civitas ), yet above that of a minor settlement or hamlet ( vicus ). Gigarta's precise location remains unknown; scholars have speculated that it may correspond to either modern-day Gharzouz, Zgharta, or Hannouch, all localities in North Lebanon.
The precise location of Gigarta remains debated among scholars due to scarce archaeological evidence directly linked to the site; information about the settlement comes from inscriptions and ancient texts suggesting it was situated on the western foothills of Mount Lebanon. [1] First century AD Greek geographer Strabo refers the place as "Gigartus", one of the strongholds of the "Arabians and Itureans", and describes its location as being on the slopes of the Libanus. [2] Pliny the Elder writing in the first century AD, situated Gigarta between Tripolis to the north and Botrys to the south. [3] [4] The Museiliha inscription referencing Gigarta was discovered in Aabrine, south of the promontory of Ras ash-Shaq'a. It was reported to have been transported from its findspot in the vicinity of the Mseilha Fort. This inscription, now housed in the Louvre Museum, [5] [6] is in Latin and records a boundary-marking operation between Caesarea ad Libanum and the people of Gigarta, from the vicus (village) of the Sidonians, on the order of a procurator. [4] [6] Gigarta does not appear to have attained the status of a civitas, even during the early Byzantine period (330–717). Byzantine geographer George of Cyprus, [7] writing as late as the early seventh century, still referred to it as a village. [8]
French orientalist Ernest Renan suggested that Gigarta is modern Gharzouz, [4] while French archeologist René Dussaud proposed present-day Zgharta, based on proximity and descriptions from ancient texts. [9] Recent research by Lebanese archaeologist Hassan Salame-Sarkis proposes that Gigarta may correspond to the location of the site known as Hannouch (or Selaata) situated on the coast close to Batroun. Sarkis based his identification of Gigarta on findings that include remnants of a Byzantine basilica and other ancient structures in Hannouch, suggesting historical importance that aligns with accounts of Gigarta. He posits that Hannouch's proximity to the ancient route to Arqa, along with its closeness to the findspot of the Museiliha inscription, supports the identification of Hannouch with the ancient settlement of Gigarta. [10] According to French historian Julien Aliquot, Gigarta was a settlement of greater statutory importance than a vicus but of lower rank than a city: it was probably the capital of a more or less fragmented canton or pagus, comprising one or more vici, including the one called "vicus of the Sidonians" mentioned in the Museiliha inscription. [11]
Sidon or better known as Saida is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, to the south, and the Lebanese capital of Beirut, to the north, are both about 40 kilometres away. Sidon has a population of about 80,000 within the city limits, while its metropolitan area has more than a quarter-million inhabitants.
Byblos, also known as Jebeil, Jbeil or Jubayl, is an ancient city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. The area is believed to have been first settled between 8800 and 7000 BC and continuously inhabited since 5000 BC. During its history, Byblos was part of numerous cultures including Egyptian, Phoenician, Assyrian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Genoese, Mamluk and Ottoman. Urbanisation is thought to have begun during the third millennium BC and it developed into a city making it one of the oldest cities in the world, if not the oldest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Batroun (Arabic: ٱلْبَتْرُون al-Batrūn;, ancient Botrys, is a coastal city in northern Lebanon and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It is the capital city of Batroun District.
The sarcophagus ofEshmunazar II is a 6th-century BC sarcophagus unearthed in 1855 in the grounds of an ancient necropolis southeast of the city of Sidon, in modern-day Lebanon, that contained the body of Eshmunazar II, Phoenician King of Sidon. One of only three Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi found outside Egypt, with the other two belonging to Eshmunazar's father King Tabnit and to a woman, possibly Eshmunazar's mother Queen Amoashtart, it was likely carved in Egypt from local amphibolite, and captured as booty by the Sidonians during their participation in Cambyses II's conquest of Egypt in 525 BC. The sarcophagus has two sets of Phoenician inscriptions, one on its lid and a partial copy of it on the sarcophagus trough, around the curvature of the head. The lid inscription was of great significance upon its discovery as it was the first Phoenician language inscription to be discovered in Phoenicia proper and the most detailed Phoenician text ever found anywhere up to that point, and is today the second longest extant Phoenician inscription, after the Karatepe bilingual.
Kadisha Valley, also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha, is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governorate of Lebanon. The valley was carved by the Kadisha River, also known as the Nahr Abu Ali when it reaches Tripoli. Kadisha means "Holy" in Aramaic, and the valley is sometimes called the Holy Valley. It has sheltered Christian monastic communities for many centuries. The valley is located at the foot of Mount al-Makmal in northern Lebanon.
Ehden is a mountainous city in the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon and on the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal in the Mount Lebanon Range. Its residents are the people of Zgharta, as it is within the Zgharta District.
Iturea or Ituraea is the Greek name of a Levantine region north of Galilee during the Late Hellenistic and early Roman periods. It extended from Mount Lebanon across the plain of Marsyas to the Anti-Lebanon Mountains in Syria, with its centre in Chalcis ad Libanum.
The tourism industry in Lebanon has been important to the local economy historically and comprises a major source of revenue for the country.
The Temple of Eshmun is an ancient place of worship dedicated to Eshmun, the Phoenician god of healing. It is located near the Awali river, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northeast of Sidon in southwestern Lebanon. The site was occupied from the 7th century BC to the 8th century AD, suggesting an integrated relationship with the nearby city of Sidon. Although originally constructed by Sidonian king Eshmunazar II in the Achaemenid era to celebrate the city's recovered wealth and stature, the temple complex was greatly expanded by Bodashtart, Yatonmilk and later monarchs. Because the continued expansion spanned many centuries of alternating independence and foreign hegemony, the sanctuary features a wealth of different architectural and decorative styles and influences.
The Mseilha Fort is a historic fortification located in Northern Lebanon, strategically positioned on the right bank of the Al-Jaouz River, in Hamat, approximately 2.5 kilometers northeast of the city of Batroun in North Lebanon. The fort's location enabled it to oversee key passages through the valley and control the ancient pathways circumventing the coastal Ras ash-Shaq'a promontory, a significant geological formation along the Lebanese coast that historically posed challenges to travelers.
Eshmunazar II was the Phoenician king of Sidon. He was the grandson of Eshmunazar I, and a vassal king of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. Eshmunazar II succeeded his father Tabnit I who ruled for a short time and died before the birth of his son. Tabnit I was succeeded by his sister-wife Amoashtart who ruled alone until Eshmunazar II's birth, and then acted as his regent until the time he would have reached majority. Eshmunazar II died prematurely at the age of 14. He was succeeded by his cousin Bodashtart.
Qalaat Faqra is an archaeological site in Kfardebian, Lebanon, with Roman and Byzantine ruins. Located near the Faqra ski resort on the slopes of Mount Sannine at an altitude of 1500 m, it is one of the most important sites of the UNESCO-listed valley of Nahr al-Kalb.
The Roman temple of Bziza is a well-preserved first century AD building dedicated to Azizos, a personification of the morning star in ancient Arab polytheism. This Roman temple lends the modern Lebanese town of Bziza its current name, as Bziza is a corruption of Beth Azizo meaning the house or temple of Azizos. Azizos was identified as Ares by Emperor Julian.
Umm Al Amad, or Umm el 'Amed or al Auamid or el-Awamid, is an Hellenistic period archaeological site near the town of Naqoura in Lebanon. It was discovered by Europeans in the 1770s, and was excavated in 1861. It is one of the most excavated archaeological sites in the Phoenician heartland.
The Baal Lebanon inscription, known as KAI 31, is a Phoenician inscription found in Limassol, Cyprus in eight bronze fragments in the 1870s. At the time of their discovery, they were considered to be the second most important finds in Semitic palaeography after the Mesha stele.
The Thrones of Astarte are approximately a dozen ex-voto "cherubim" thrones found in ancient Phoenician temples in Lebanon, in particular in areas around Sidon, Tyre and Umm al-Amad. Many of the thrones are similarly styled, flanked by cherubim-headed winged lions on either side. Images of the thrones are found in Phoenician sites around the Mediterranean, including an ivory plaque from Tel Megiddo (Israel), a relief from Hadrumetum (Tunisia) and a scarab from Tharros (Italy).
The royal necropolis of Byblos is a group of nine Bronze Age underground shaft and chamber tombs housing the sarcophagi of several kings of the city. Byblos is a coastal city in Lebanon, and one of the oldest continuously populated cities in the world. The city established major trade links with Egypt during the Bronze Age, resulting in a heavy Egyptian influence on local culture and funerary practices. The location of ancient Byblos was lost to history, but was rediscovered in the late 19th century by the French biblical scholar and Orientalist Ernest Renan. The remains of the ancient city sat on top of a hill in the immediate vicinity of the modern city of Jbeil. Exploratory trenches and minor digs were undertaken by the French mandate authorities, during which reliefs inscribed with Egyptian hieroglyphs were excavated. The discovery stirred the interest of western scholars, leading to systematic surveys of the site.
This article lists historical events that occurred between 501–600 in modern-day Lebanon or regarding its people.
Phoenice Libanensis, was a province of the Roman Empire, covering the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and the territories to the east, all the way to Palmyra. It was officially created c. 392, when the Roman province of Phoenice was divided into Phoenice proper or Phoenice Paralia, and Phoenice Libanensis, a division that persisted until the region was conquered by the Muslim Arabs in the 630s.
The Museiliha inscription is a first-century AD Roman boundary marker that was first documented by French orientalist Ernest Renan in 1864. Inscribed in Latin, the stone records a boundary set between the citizens of Caesarea ad Libanum and Gigarta, hinting at a border dispute. The personal name of the involved procurator was deliberately erased. The inscription was named after its reported findspot, the medieval Mseilha Fort, located in Northern Lebanon; it is now held in the Louvre's collection.