Byblos Ruins Archeological Site

Map/Plan of the facility/Installation/City Byblos 2700-2150BCE with subsequent levels till 3300BCE

-First human settlement at the site which would become Byblos.

-First trade contact between Byblos and Egypt

-The Egyptian king Sneferu sends a maritime.expedition to Byblos in search of cedar wood.

-The Temple of Baalat Gebal or The Lady of Byblos is built.

-The conquest of Byblos by the Amorites for Mesopotamia.

-The Amarna Dynasty rules in Egypt, Tutmosis conquers Phoenicia, Byblos became a vassal state of Egypt.

-Earliest appearance of the Phoenician alphabet.

-Phoenician mariners begin to navigate by use of the North Pole Star.

-Death of Ahiram of Byblos.

-First coinage appearance under Persian mandate.

*byblos is mentioned in egyptian sources dating to the old kingdom.

*trading with the pharaohs of egypt starting from the early first dynasties in upper egypt.

*numerous inscribed egyptian objects dating from the end of the 2nd dynasty to the later 6th dynasty have been found in byblos.

*reliefs in memphis from the 5th dynasty (2350 b.c) in egypt show phoenician princess arriving on a byblos ship to marry the pharaoh.

*inscriptions in the temple of the obelisks in byblos mentioning egypt date from the 9th and 10th dynasty.

* during the new kingdom after egypt conquered the levant byblos became a vassal city-state (1550-1300 b.c) with its own king caller ""mayor"" by egypt and use to provide annual payments to egypt.

*from the fourth millennium b.c since the first dynasty in egypt byblos was a very active center for commerce and became the key port city on the levantine coast.

*byblos ruins sites contains layers of civilizations from the neolithic to phoenicians to persians to greeks to romans to the arabs invasion and crusaders era.

*the word byblos comes from bublos the essence used to make paper and byblos has always been associated with papyrus and the writing of books.

*byblos used to be also a main religious center in the region.

*the phoenician female diety the godess baalat-gebal of byblos was associated to aphrodite and astrate and was the goddess patron of the city and protector of the royal family.

*the site is enclosed in a defense wall that the origins goes back to the 4th millennium b.c

*since early antiquity the site had an east gate giving to the mainland and a north gate giving to the sea and the phoenician port of byblos.

* was found in the tombs a reused  egyptian sarcophagus of the king of byblos ahiram dating from around the year 1000 b.c, on this sarcophagus were found the famous inscription of the twenty two letters of the phoenician alphabet.

* the phoenician figurines or statuettes of byblos date to the late third or early second millennium b.c, they were offered by worshipers as a plea for the god reshef in the temple of the obelisks.

*more than 3000 objects were found on the site related to the early ages.

*byblos appears as the first phoenician city to strike a coin a little before the middle of the fifth century.

The old name of Jbeil, Gebal ou Gebla. In the 4th millennium b.c it used to be called Gubia. The Assyrians use to call it Gubil, the Egyptians Kepen, the Greeks, mainly Herodote called it Byblos. The word Byblos comes from Bublos the essence used to make paper and Byblos has always been associated with Papyrus and the writing of Books. Papyrus used to be exported by boats from Egypt on Byblos Boats to other parts of the Mediterranean Sea. The crusaders use to call it Gibelet. With time, the name transformed to Jbeil.

-History of human occupation which dates the tenth millennium BCE.

-Emergence of Byblos as a city-state 4500-3500 BCE.

-Early Bronze Age (EB) 3500-2000 BCE.

-Middle Bronze Age (MB) 2000-1550 BCE.

-Late Bronze Age (LB) 1550-1200 BCE.

-Iron Age I (IA I) 1200-900 BCE.

-Iron Age II (IA 11) 900-586 BCE.

-Babylonian Period 586-539 BCE.

-Persian Period, Phoenicia under Persian occupation 539-332 BCE.

-Alexander the Great conquers Phoenicia 336-323 BCE.

-Hellenistic Period 323-63 BCE.

-Roman era ( Construction of Baalbeck under Augustus Cesar) Constructions under Adrian: 63 to 330 a.d 

-Arab invasion: 637 to 1098 a.d 

-Crusaders rule: 1098 to 1289 

-Reconquest by the Arabs: 1289 to 1516 

-Ottoman rule: 1516 to 1915 

-French mandate: 1915 to 1943 

In the Early Bronze Age emergence of Byblos as the first city-states harvesting of marine resources agriculture and animal husbandry, use of metals and trading Cedar wood with Egypt. In the Early Bronze Age appearance of ceramic objects with decoration with red or reddish-brown slip and pottery  were produced in large quantities. Social stratification was a consistent feature Byblos at that time. Byblos was the wealthiest of all Phoenician states. By the Middle of Bronze Age more construction of cultic temples, shaft tomb was being used, active trade in the textiles trade, production of glass and faience wares. The Late Bronze Age, Byblos was a flourishing and key city in the mediterannean. The Iron Age I and II showed a decline and marginalization of Byblos, schism with Egypt. In  the Babylonian Period, Byblos made alliance with Assyria. In the Persian Period the Phoenicians of Byblos had their own kings and were allowed to rule and paid their tribute to Persia. Byblos was flourishing again in the Persian period. By the end of the fifth century the trade routes stretched from India to Morocco and from the Black Sea to the Red Sea. Byblos struck its first coins in this period with abundance. Construction of roads and trade with Mesopotamia. At the arrival of Alexander The Great, the council of Byblos open their gates to Alexander.

The site is about 14 ha and has a perimeter of around 1500 m, and has a natural spring cut in the rock in a depression in the middle of the site. Every civilization left its mark in an independent zone on the site. Ernest Renan, during the French archaeologist campaign in Byblos at the end of the 19th century said that the biggest destruction of the site happened during the religious wars, the Arab invasions and the Crusaders campaigns. Much of the ruins are remains with no monument in quasi-integral shape except for the crusaders castle. Most of the objects found during the excavations of the site by the English and the French are either in the British museum or the Louvre. More than 3000 objects were found on the site related to the early ages. There is a collection of these objects in the national museum in Beirut.

The site is enclosed in a defense wall that the origins goes back to the 4th millennium b.c. Since early antiquity the site had a East gate giving to the mainland and a North gate giving to the sea and the Phoenician Port of Byblos. It is said that the city had two ports as of the customs on the Phoenicians, one on the North part of the site and one on the South part.

It is not been proved but it is said that perhaps the settlements in the site were reserved to the city personnel and the people taking care of the temples and that the populations lived outside the walls towards the North and East of the acropolis.

 The Quaternary plateau of Byblos and beaches of Byblos is down dropped block covered with poudingues and sandstones on top of the formation of Ghazir Marls. This Quaternary formation is a sheltered bay against the up-thrown block of the formation of Ghazir Marls at the location of Saqiet Zaidane (Clif just 1km north of the port of Byblos) from one side, and the massive Turonian limestone strata south along the shore from Ras Qartaboun to Halate (Clif just 5km south of the port of Byblos) on the other side. This down dropped block forming the plateau and the bay of Byblos were created by a normal faulting occurred since Tertiary time. The differential erosion that followed the faulting coupled with uplift uncovered the substratum of Ghazir Marls at Saqiet Zaidan.

The sources used to study the history of Byblos are the classical sources written by  the Greeks and Romans, the Biblical texts, the outputs of Egypt, Babylon and Assyria and the Hittites, the Amarna letters,  the reports of the Egyptian emissary Wenamun, the Ugarictic texts and the study of some inscription and works on artifacts.

Several Greek histories of the Phoenicians and Byblos once existed. Besides the histories by Menander of Ephesus and Dius, we know of the Phoinikika by Hestiaeus. Philostratus also composed a Phoenician history. The Suda mentions local histories of Byblos and one is by a certain Aspasius of Byblos. Josephus also cites a passage from a Phoenician history by the historian Dius.

Philo of Byblos writing in about 100 BCE, supposedly translated into Greek a much older Phoenician history by San­chuniathon. Porphyry locates Sanchuniathon in the time of Semiramis. Porphyry says Sanchuniathon collected all the ancient history from city records and temple registers and wrote it up in the Phoenician language. Philo of Byblos in his famous book Sanchuniathon wrote the history of the Phoeniciens and Byblos. Philo's work was largely dismissed as Greek storytelling until a treasure trove of Bronze Age mythi­cal texts discovered at the port of Ugarit and fragments of the Hit­tite Kumarbi myths found in Turkey revealed surprisingly close parallels with parts of his text.  

Byblos  is mentioned in hieroglyphic and hieratic records of Egypt for almost 2000 years. The earliest mention of the city's name found on a lintel of a door of a 4th Dynasty at Giza and the city was spelled Kbn. During the 6th Dynasty Kbn is mentioned in the tomb inscription of Pharaoh Khui. In a text from this same dynasty of Pharaoh Pepi the term "Byblos-ships" is mentioned. In the 18th Dynasty the city's name is spelled Kpn instead of kbn. On two 12th Dynasty Coffin Texts the city was mentioned. The transition from Kbn to Kpn took place during the 12th Dynasty. The  mention of the city name is found on a manuscript of the Story of Sinuhe which dates from the late 12th Dynasty . Also in a letter from Kahun the city was mentioned. Byblos name occurs in several Egypt Middle Kingdom inscriptions one of which is on a 12th-Dynasty stele in the British Museum. The city name occurs twice in Sethe's texts. The name occurs also in the Papyrus Ebers written during the Egypt Second Intermediate period. In the Egypt New Kingdom texts Byblos occurs on the Gebel Barkal Stele of Thutmose III and on a stele of War about an officer of Amenhotep II and in an Asiatic list of Amenhotep III. The city's name is also found in the satyrical letter of the Papyrus Anastasi I of the 19th Dynasty. The story of Egyptian emissary Wenamon of the 21st Dynasty tells about his voyage to Byblos. The Amarna Letters of the 14th century BCE talk about the correspondance between Byblos and Egypt. The city is mentioned in the Onomasticon of Amenope which comes from the  22d Dynasty. In cuneiform records from Mesopotamia Byblos is mentioned first in two Drehem texts of the 3d Dynasty of Ur where it is spelled Ku-ub-la. Also from Mesopotamia Byblos is mentioned in the Mari texts of the 18th century BCE. Yantin-Ammu or Inten king of Byblos in the 18th-century BCE is mentioned in cuneiform text found in Mari. Zirmri-Lim of Mari with his son Hammurabi met Yantin-Ammu of Byblos during a military campaign . The city is mentioned in the Assyrian texts from Tiglath-pileser I down to Ashurbanipal, and a Babylonian text from the time of Nebuchadnezzar II where the city is spelled is Gublu, Gubal or Gubla. In Phoenician inscriptions written in alphabetic script the name of Byblos occurs first on the Ahiram Sarcophagus. The name of the city written Gbl found in the Onomasticon of Eusebius. The city is mentioned in a hieroglyphic on obelisk found  in the Obelisk-Temple at Byblos. Byblos is mentioned also several times in the Bible.

Byblos is mentioned four times in the Bible

Joshua 13:5

The area of Byblos; and all Lebanon to the east, from Baal Gad below Mount Hermon to Lebo Hamath.

Kings 5:18

The craftsmen of Solomon and Hiram and workers from Byblos cut and prepared the timber and stone for the building of the temple.

Psalm 83:7

Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 

Ezekiel 27:9

Veteran craftsmen of Byblos were on board as shipwrights to caulk your seams. All the ships of the sea and their sailors came alongside to trade for your wares. 

The role of Byblos was a commercial hub. The Phoenicians of Byblos engaged in trade of various commodities in agricultural products,olive oil, metals, ivory, aromatics, resins, textile and artifacts. Byblos played a major role in trade between Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Cyprus, Crete and Egypt known as the "Byblos Run". Early trade involved obsidian, flint, and lapis lazuli over long distances. Since the third millennium BCE the Phoenicians of Byblos imported raw materials, processed them and exported them in large quantities. The shipment of goods were made using trade mark jars with sealing, stamping, weighing using balance and labelling and using tablets for identification of the products. Byblos had a kind of a capitalist economy. The system was kind of a feudal model with a palatial economy where storage and production was made within the house or palace. International and civil law was not unsophisticated. In the second millennium there were numerous lending contracts for commercial purposes. Some commercial firms functioned as banks. Merchants were like an oligarchy. Metal in various forms as ingots or scrap metal were used as a means of payment. Barley had trading value similar to gold or silver. Byblos had organized metalworking. The Phoenicians of Byblos were skilled metalworkers, ivory makers and jewelry craftsmen.

2900 BCE Exports of Cedar Wood were attested from the fourth millennium dating from the First Dynasty around 2730-2900 ВСЕ. 

2800 BCE Temple of Baalat Gebal was built.

2690 BCE The commercial network established with Byblos continued to operate especially in the reign of the Pharaoh Khasekhemwy. Whose name appears on an offering table found in Byblos. 

2686 BCE Round offering tables in alabaster and calcite found in Byblos were used from the Third and Fourth Dynasties. 

2630 BCE A coffin found at the base of a pyramid of the Third Dynasty Pharaoh Djoser was made using four types of wood imported from Byblos. 2600 Stone bowls dating from the Third Dynasty around 2544-2592 BCE were imported from Byblos. 

2613 BCE The expedition sent to Byblos by the Pharaoh Sneferu. Sneferu relations with Byblos have left a few traces in the city in the foundation deposits of the Temple of Baalat Gebal. An alabaster vase was discovered bearing the name of Meritites. One of Sneferu wiVes. The text mentions a large-scale expedition the arriVal of forty ships laden with cedar imported from Byblos. As the following year he had three further 52 meter-long ships constructed using Cedar Wood. He had Cedar Wood doors from Byblos made for his palace. 

2589 BCE next to the great pyramid of Pharaoh Cheops royal boats were retrieved from inside two sealed pits. It was boats 43 meters long and 5 meters wide composed of 95 percent Cedar Wood from Byblos. On Pharaoh Cheops burial barge are inscriptions about Byblos boats transporting goods to Egypt. The name of Cheops appears on a vase in the shape of a monkey found in Byblos. 

2558 BCE khafre name is inscribed on a cylinder found in Byblos. 

2532 BCE 2100-2800 BCE Inside a cartouche Pharaoh Menkaure was easily read, the builder of the 3rd pyramid. Menkaure is one of the most frequently attested names appearing on fIVe vases found in Byblos. 

2450 BCE At the time of the Fifth and Sixth Egyptian Dynasties around 2118-2435 BCE the L-shaped Temple in Byblos dedicated to an unidentified male deity was erected. 

2446 BCE Little is known about the reign of Pharaoh Neferirkara Kakai where an alabaster vase inscribed with his name was found in Byblos. 

2416 BCE Pharaoh Nyuserre is known for the solar Temple he built at Abu Ghurab with a central obelisk that was to influence sacred architecture in Byblos and he too sent an alabaster vase bearing his name and a statue to Byblos. 

2381 BCE The Pharaoh Djedkare Isesi maintained relations with Byblos where he left his name on several offerings. 

2375 BCE Found in Byblos vases of Pharaohs Unas In the vicinity and under the slab of the Temple of Baalat Gebal. 

2345 BCE Several bear inscriptions found in Byblos in the name of indIViduals or Pharaohs such as Pharaoh Teti. 

2333 BCE Pharaoh Teti ascended to the throne and inaugurated the Sixth Dynasty in around 2305 BCE where an offering disk bearing his name was found in Byblos pharaph by his secessor .

2332 BCE Found in Byblos a vase Pharaoh Pepi I carved in a square block with carved facades representing a building a Pepi I. Relations with Byblos reached their height, nineteen vases and offering trays bearing his name most of them in alabaster. Several inscriptions bear his name also.

2046 BCE The earliest mention of Byblos in Mesopotamian cuneiform texts appears in a Sumerian text from Ur Third Dynasty dated to the reign of Amar-Sin.

1981 BCE Found in Byblos gray stone vase in the name of Pharaoh Amenemhat I. Relations between Byblos and Egypt were perhaps not totally broken off after the Amorites Invasion of Byblos in the reign of Amenemhat I. In the tomb of King Abi-Shmou in Byblos were found artifacts attributed to the four Amenemhat of the twelfth dynasty and the Amenophis of the eighteenth. 

1971 BCE Found in Byblos a sculpture in the name of Pharaoh Senwosret I and a bone cylinder seal in the name of Pharaoh Amenemhat II. Relations were particularly close with Byblos. 

1919 BCE Found in Byblos a bone cylinder seal in the name of Amenemhat II and chests containing a tribute to Byblos by the Paharoh.

1840 BCE Nothing appears to have changed in the city of Byblos since the reigns of Kings Abi-Shemu I. Tomb I contained the skeletal remains of the King of Byblos Abi-Shemu I. Tomb I contained rich presents offered by the Pharaoh Amenemhat III. During the dynasty of Abi-Shemu I numerous personalities left their names in hieroglyphs on bas-reliefs vases and seals. In the tomb of King Abi-Shmou in Byblos were found artifacts attributed to the four Amenemhat of the twelfth dynasty and the Amenophis of the eighteenth. It also contained rich presents offered by the Pharaoh Amenemhat III. Pharaoh Amenemhat III exploited Byblos forest resources and contributed to enhancing the city wealth further. 

1820 BCE The Kings of Mari conducted expeditions up to the cedar mountain of the city of Byblos. 

1820 BCE Nothing appears to have changed in the city of Byblos since the reigns of Kings abi-shemu I and Ipy-Shemu-Abi. Tomb II was that of King Ipy-Shemu-Abi. Ipy-Shemu-Abi had his local title prince or King of Byblos written on his gold pendant and the Pharaoh was not offended by this as he offered him a chest of incense and a vase in his name. The contents of his tomb were just as rich as those of his father tomb. The reign of Ipy-Shemu-Abi corresponded more or less with that of the Pharaoh Amenemhat IV.

1780 BCE Found in Byblos scarabs mention the names of the King of Byblos Inten (or Yantin-Ammu) son of Reyen (or Yakin-Ilu). Reyen was perhaps a contemporary of the Pharaoh Sobekhotep II. 

1775 BCE The Mari texts mention the city of Byblos on several occasions as well as Byblos style fabrics. Yantin-Ammu. Had luxurious gifts sent to King Zimri-Lim of Mari. 

1760 BCE Found in Byblos scarabs mention the name of King of Byblos Inten (or Yantin-Ammu) son of Reyen (or Yakin-Ilu). The King was still very much influenced by Egypt and had luxurious gifts sent to King Zimri-Lim of Mari. King Inten had his name followed by the Egyptian title governor of Byblos and appears on a bas-relief with the name of the Pharaoh Neferhotep I. The name of Inten is also inscribed on an alabaster vase found in tomb IV where he may have been buried. Reyen and Inten used epithets normally reserved for the Pharaoh alone. Tomb IV also deliVered an amethyst scarab inscribed in the name of King Ilimma-Yapi possibly the son of Inten. The Mari texts mention the city of Byblos on several occasions as well as Byblos style fabrics. These two Kings of Byblos probably still belonged to the dynasty of Abi-Shemu I. 

1750 BCE The Hyksos added on the previous defense walls of Byblos with further refurbishing and reinforcement of the wall. Bronze was imported to Scandinavia from the East Mediterranean. Relations with Egypt under the Hyksos remained good and the Kings of Byblos still seemed very Egyptianized. A new ne olis was used outside the city walls and dates back to the Hyksos time. Four Egyptian scarabs were found in the ne olis, two of the Hyksos type. 

1740 BCE Tomb IV in Byblos also delIVered an amethyst scarab inscribed in the name of King Ilimma-Yapi possibly the son of Inten (or Yantin-Ammu). 

1720 BCE King Abi-Shemu II probably buried in tomb IX of Byblos. His name is inscribed on an earthenware vase found in this tomb and on an obelisk in the Obelisk Temple in Byblos. Relations with Egypt under the Hyksos remained good and the Kings of Byblos still seemed very Egyptianized. Abi-Shemu Il He might have been contemporary with the Pharaoh Nehesy of the Fourteenth Dynasty. 

1700 BCE Found in Byblos one inscribed limestone slab reveals the name of King of Byblos Yapa-Shemuabi. Son of Abi-Shemu II. 

1680 BCE Found in Byblos a stele dedicated to the goddess Nut of Egypt mentioning King Akery son of King Abi-Shemu II. 

1660 BCE Found in Byblos a second stele dedicated to Nut of Egypt revealed the name of King Akay (Egliya) of Byblos. 

1640 BCE Kain King of Byblos is bound to be contemporary of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Hyksos Dynasties in the sixteenth cenÂtury. Kain known from a steatite scarab found in Byblos with a dedication to the goddess Hathor of Egypt. 

1630 BCE Found in Byblos the cover inscribed in the cartouche of King Hyksos Khian. 

1620 BCE Rynty prince of Byblos is bound to be contemporary of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Hyksos Dynasties in the sixteenth century. Rynty prince of Byblos whose name is inscribed on a scarab found in Byblos. 

1479 BCE It is attested than Queen Hatshepsut did an expedition to the Land of Byblos. 

1458 BCE It is possible that Djehuty was a commander of Pharaoh Thutmose III army in the Levant. Djehuty was possibly based in Byblos. There was at this time an establishment of an Egyptian administratIVe presence in the city of Byblos. Thutmose launched his 8th campaign against Mitanni from the territory of Byblos. The Egyptian chancellor Sennefri made an expedition to Byblos described by in his tomb. It seems that Sennefri. Having arrIVed in Lebanon gave offerings to the local goddess Baalat Gebal before obtaining the Cedar Wood. Thutmose III commissioned a chapel for the goddess of Byblos in the Temple of the Obelisks in the city of Byblos. This Temple of Thutmose III is attested only by scattered blocks found in the city. Thutmose III chapel would have been dismantled and replaced under Ramesses II. The city of Byblos appears to have played an important strategic role in Thutmose military actIVities. Another important element in the sources of Thutmose III is the role of the Temple of the Lady of Byblos in the economic interactions between Egypt and the city. This can be seen in King of Byblos Rib-Hadda correspondence at that time. 

1390 BCE Egyptian scarabs were found in the necropolis of Byblos with that of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. References made to the presence of a garrison in the territory of Byblos before the time of Amenhotep III. 

1294 BCE Cedar Wood was collected as a tribute and shipped from Byblos; during the campaign of Seti i I. We know from his reliefs in Karnak that Seti i I required the rulers of Lebanon including Byblos to provide Cedar Wood during one of his campaigns. 

1279 BCE Was found in Byblos in the tombs a reused Egyptian sarcophagus of the King Ahiram of Byblos. The Phoenician alphabet was found engraved on this tom. The peace treaty of Qadesh between Hattusili III and Ramesses II and the ensuing period of peace have affected Byblos significantly into maKing Byblos a prosper city. A fragment of a stone vesselfound in Byblos bears the name of Pharaoh Ramesses II. The chapel of Thutmose III in the city was rebuilt by Ramesses Il after his military campaigns confirming that Ramesses II was very actIVe in the city of Byblos. Byblos royal family enjoyed a period of prosperity around that time. Byblos appears in the written sources of the reign of Ramesses II and from the Hittite Empire. Byblos was likely involved in Ramesses II military operations. On an Obelisk form the Temple of the Obelisks in Byblos are inscriptions bearing the name of Ramesses II of Egypt. 

1189 BCE Found in Byblos a plaque is the seal of the sealers of Pharaoh Horus-Sethnakht. 

1100 BCE In Wenamun tale King Zakarbaal of Byblos is mentioned that to have traded in 20 ships form Byblos Cedar Wood with King Smendes of Egypt, and another 50 ships are in Hubur with an indIVidual named Warkatil possibly an Anatolian. 

945 BCE The title Baalat Gebal is reproduced on the inscription found in Byblos of King Abibaal of Byblos. A base of a statue of Pharaoh Sheshonk I was found in Byblos with a dedication by Abibaal, King of Byblos.

924 BCE A dedicatory inscription, of Elibaal King of Byblos was found on a bust of Pharaoh Osorkon I in Byblos. 

874 BCE A statues of Pharaoh Osorkon II found in Byblos. 

858 BCE Byblos is also mentioned in the records of the campaign of King Shalmaneser III where he reached the Phoenician coast from the south. 

740 BCE Tiglath-Pileser III was the first Assyrian monarch to launch attacks directed against Phoenicia. Byblos may have also been annexed, it seems that at that time Byblos still enjoyed a certain measure of autonomy as the King of Byblos Shiptibaal II appears in the tribute lists of Tiglath-Pileser III, 

704 BCE Beginning of the reign of Sennacherib, the Assyrian monarchs took a much more intrusiVe approach in Phoenicia economic affairs and in Byblos. Archaeological excavations in Byblos show that new massIVe fortifications were built at this time. Sennacherib have recelVed tribute from Urumilki King of Byblos. 

550 BCE The first King having reigned in Byblos in the Persian era, since the conquest by Cyrus, was Shipitbaal III. He is also mentioned in an inscription incised on a strip of silver found in Byblos and it indicates the political subordination of the King of Byblos to the Persian King. 

450 BCE In the Temple of Baalat-Gebal gold was largely used in the decorations, as cited in a Stele by King Yehawmelek of Byblos. On an another inscription found written with ink telling of the works undertook by King Yehawmelek of Byblos on the Temple of Baalat Gebal in the city consisting of a ledger of a Phoenician Temple expliciting the expenditures to builders, decorators, and wages paid to officers of the Temple. 

400 BCE It was also proposed that King Elpaal of Byblos be inserted before King Ozbaal. 

370 BCE The inscription mentions Batnoam. The mother of King Ozbaal of Byblos. He proclaimed his Kingship ostentatiously by having inscribed on the coins he minted in the city, Ozbaal King of Byblos. 

350 BCE It was a short reign of King Urimilk III of Byblos. 

345 BCE It was also proposed that King Zakur of Byblos be inserted between King Ozbaal and King Addirmilk. 

340 BCE the coinage found in the city of Byblos give rough chronology of the succession of the Kings of Byblos in the Persian. King Addirmilk would be inserted between King Ozbaal and King Aynel.

330 BCE At the time of King Aynel of Byblos who was the last Phoenician King of Byblos a major development hat signaled a changing social situation in the city. He was allowed to reign under Alexander the great. 

THE GENERAL LAYOUT OF THE TEMPLES IN BYBLOS

The temples area is dissociated from the residential area and follows a concentric plan. All the main sanctuaries were connected through a concentric path. The earliest temple is the Sacred Precincts. From a little later comes the Temple in L and next to it is the Oriental Chapel forming a group in Antis. The Baalat Gebal temple stayed in use till Roman times. A Sacred Pond surrounded by a battered wall became out of use from the Late Bronze Age. The Field of the Offerings arose in the Middle Bronze Age over the razed ruins of a previous Meridian Sanctuary and was an open-air courtyard equipped with a chapel, located between the temple in L and the sacred spring. The Tower temple was located behind the spring next to a palace. It is built over the ruins of the previous Temple of the Stairs.

ARCHEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS

A series of four campaigns in fourteen month were undertook on about five and a half hectares. 

SACRED PRECINCTS

In the Early Bronze IA in Byblos around 3300 BCE the Enceinte Sacrée represents the earliest cult temple. The temple is enclosed in curvilinear masonry wall and probably including the spring. The temple of the Enceinte Sacrée continued to be used in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. 

TEMPLE LADY OF BYBLOS / ASTRATE

The most important temple in Byblos is the temple of Baalat-Gebal 2800 BCE. Egyptian Goddess Hathor has been identified with the goddess of Byblos. Isis will succeed Hathor in the version of the Lady of Byblos. Tye temple was a place for festivities. The first part is the temple of the colossi. The facades of the two parts of the Temple are perpendicular. The door on the north face of the temple of the colossi is perpendicular to the Roman Colonnade. Entering the building from the east we emerge into the great courtyard between the two temples and in front is the altar. This Entrance is reserved to the King and the priests, the crowd goes through the door on the north side. Found in the temple  Inscriptions from the pharaohs of the second dynasty as well as sealed stuffed jars. 

TEMPLE IN L 

The foundations of the L-Shaped Temple date back to early 3rd millennium BCE and was one of the longest lasting active religious sites at Byblos and was probably dedicated to a male diety Baal. The complex was composed of a sacred precinct, a forecourt and two auxiliary sections to the northeast and west which may have been used as an accommodation for the priests. Two enormous obelisks were erected in the L-shaped Temple. In the main courtyard of the Temple en L raises a "Betyl" a stone representing the God. 

SACRED POND

The sacred pond is enclosed between the temple of Baalat and the temple in L. The pond had three quays. A thirty meters paved quay, wide by 1m, covers the entire area to the east. From the quay a staircase of seven to eight steps descending from the road level to the body of water. A gutter crossing the staircase dumped rainwater onto the paving.

TEMPLE OF THE OBELISKS 

The temple of the Obelisks is dedicated to the God Reshef built around 1900 BCE. Found 26 obelisks in the temple. In the middle of the temple rises a big stone called a "betyl". The temple was built over the Temple in "L" and moved during the excavations. The access was through a short staircase and a passage through the ante-cella to the cella. The court gives to an antechamber in front of the cella. Next to the antechamber was the Annexed Chapel commissioned by Ramses II. The eastern part of the Temple was for utilitarian purposes.

ROYAL TOMBS

The royal cemetery or royal necropolis has yielded 9 royal tombs. 4 go back to the 12th dynasty in Egypt 1900 BCE. The face of the opening had no lining and with no ornament. The simplest sarcophagus were of great size and cut in a single rock block. The lids of the sarcophagi were of one stone block. The first group tombs I–IV dates to the Middle Bronze Age. The tombs of the second group tombs V–IX all had been looted in antiquity and could date to the end of the Middle Bronze Age and the beginning of the Late Bronze Age. One tomb known as the tomb of King Ahiram could date to the Late Bronze Age II that is around the time of Ramses II. 

THE ROYAL PALACE 

The Royal palace in Byblos is formed by an East Wing a West Wing and a North Wing. The Palace is located on the top of the upper hill behind the temple of Baalat Gebal and dates at least to the Early Bronze III. The West wing and the North wing might have served for the sovereign family, storage and production. The East Wing was the Royal Wing reserved for the King and his businesses. At the heart of the Palace was the throne room flanked by three rooms. There might have been stairs leading to shore and the main port of Byblos. 

NECROPOLIS K

Necropolis K dates to 1750-1550 BCE. It is constituted of many subterranean rooms. These rooms are all connected with one another. Access was through a well. The most relevant feature of the necropolis is the abundance of Middle Bronze Age Mycenaean and Cypriot vessels. 

TOWER TEMPLE

The temple dates to the end of the 3rd millennium BCE. One of the features of this temple is the presence of stone anchors integrated within its masonry. The imposing staircase and the thick walls indicate that the temple was probably a tall building some suggested 20m high, similar to a tower. 

DEFENSE WALLS OF BYBLOS

Byblos defense walls have been reworked and enhanced over and over since the beginning of the 3rd millennium BCE, 2700BCE. Since the first erection of the walls, two main gates provided access to the inner city enclosed within the walls and theses gates remained during the Middle Bronze Age. These gates are the "Port Gate" and the land gate to the east.

ENEOLITHIC NECROPOLIS

In the Eneolithic necropolis of Byblos the grave goods in burial jars were abundant with an average of 3 objects per tomb and a total of 3652 objects were found in 255 tombs. These burials were inside the house or within its vicinity. 

TYPICAL HOUSES

Early Bronze IB houses and later on in Byblos are rectangular usually with an inner partition at two thirds. House are type T-Shaped house with a courtyard and 2 or 3 rooms facing it. The economic system in this phase was a house economy where economic affairs were done from the house as well as storage and production from inside the house. 

URBAN ORGANIZATION

It was proposed that the town of Byblos is divided into seven quarters by main streets at a short distance from the Baalat Temple between the temple of Baalat and the the temple in "L". A general pattern for which a round shape was proposed not only in the general pattern but also in the organization of the settlement texture with concentric streets leading towards the centre of the site.of their length. Neighborhoods are organized regularly juxtaposed around central courtyards shared by different houses.

THE MARITIME INSTALLATION AT BYBLOS

Byblos is dominated by the geography of Rocky outcrops flattened by the Phoenicians for utilitarian needs. The Egyptian emissary Wenamun mentions in his voyage to Byblos that he camped at the harbor of Byblos. The maritime installation of Byblos is located below the archaeological site and extends from the medieval port in the north to the sandy beach in the south. Found in this area some nails used in shipbuilding and items related to lifting apparatus. More proofs advanced is the numerous "anchor-weight" found underwater in this area.

ARTIFACTS FOUND ON SITE

The excavation campaigns in Byblos uncovered a wide range of artifacts, including vases, cups, plates, axes, lances, daggers, statuettes, jewelry, mirrors, tables, keys, scarabs, and pectorals. The jars found below the pavement of Temple of Baalat Gebal contained numerous artifacts including scarabs with hieroglyphs, cylinder seals with hieroglyphs, vases and beads and date back to the Old Kingdom in Egypt. Circular alabaster tables were used in the Temple of Baalat Gebal and feature dedicatory inscriptions. The deposits of the Temple of the Obelisks contained various objects, including scarabs, bronze pins, torcs, helixes, spearheads, gold figurines. The area next to the northern Glacis yielded pottery objects such as elongated body pots, jugs, bowls, and plates and a triangle section copper rod. The burial jars found inside or near the Neolithic dwellings were decorated with incisions, horizontal bands, and relief decorations. They contained ceramics, metals, stone objects, and art objects. Notable objects found outside the temples and tombs in Byblos include bas-reliefs, steles, statuettes, scarabs, spindle whorls made of pottery or stones , flint blades and terracotta figurines. Some objects found in the Royal Tombs, such as vases and incense boxes, bear the names of pharaohs and were made in Egypt. The jewelry and gold plates found in the tombs resemble Egyptian designs. The silver teapots found in the tombs have characteristics similar to Mycenaean manufacture. Other miscellaneous objects found in great number on site include, terracotta figurines and statuettes. Unfinished green jasper scarabs found on site indicate local production. Six scarabs found in Byblos bear names and titles of rulers of Byblos written in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Byblos had a variety of beads made from different minerals, including carnelian and amethyst. Boat Anchors found in Byblos underwater are associated with Egypt, Ugarit, Crete, and Cyprus. Found in Byblos several royal inscriptions mentioning the names of kings of Byblos that date from the tenth century BCE on steles, one of them on the bust of Egyptian King Osorkon. Byblos has a significant collection of metal weapons dating back to the Middle Bronze Age. The weapons often have engraved signs or symbols on them. Byblos had a significant collection of bronze artifacts, including torques, spirals, belts, pins, swords, and daggers. Found Pseudo-hieroglyphic inscription on bronze tablets and spatulas called linear script. Evidence of woodworking techniques, such as joinery and the use of glue, has been found.