Long before Greece and Rome flourished, the ancient town of Byblos was a powerful, independent city-state with its own kings, culture and prosperous trade. Byblos was an ancient city in Phoenicia. Phoenicia’s inhabitants considered themselves a single nation, but Phoenicia was not a unified state. Phoenicia was a group of city-states, which fought amongst each other for dominance. One of the most important of these city-states was Byblos. The name Byblos originated from ‘biblion’, which means ‘book’. The word ‘bible’ is derived from the Greek word ‘tabblia’, which means ‘the books’. Byblos is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. According to Phoenician tradition, Byblos was founded by the god El who surrounded his city with a wall. The massive early Bronze Age city walls on the site reflect this early religious belief. Thus Byblos was considered, even by the ancient Phoenicians, to be a city of great antiquity. This city was most prosperous between the years of 1200 and 800 B.C. However, it is believed that Byblos was first inhabited in about 5000 B.C. At this time, Byblos was just a small fishing community located near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
The kings of Byblos adopted the Egyptian cartouche for their names and their titles. An alphabetic phonetic script was developed in Byblos, which was one of the origins of our modern alphabet. The earliest form of the Phoenician alphabet found is an inscription on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram of Byblos. This sarcophagus is currently located in the Beirut National Museum. Also, it is thought that one of the earliest attempts at city planning was at Byblos. The city was surrounded by a large wall, a narrow street led from the center, secondary lanes branched off forming irregular paths along the houses.
The most important Phoenician contribution to civilization was the alphabet. Purple dye, called Tyrian purple, and the invention of glass, are also credited to the Phoenicians. Their industries, particularly the manufacture of textiles and dyes, metalworking, and glassmaking, were notable in the ancient world. Phoenician cities were famous for their pantheistic religion. Each city had its special deity, usually known as its Baal, or lord, and in all cities the temple was the center of civil and social life.
Extensive archeological investigations begun in 1921. Presently, the ruins of Byblos lie beneath the modern city of Gebeil, Lebanon.
"Byblos" Focus Online Magazine. http://www.focusmm.com/lebanon/byblos_1.htm
"Byblos" Lebanon Online. http://lebanon-online.com/tourism/byblos/
Microsoft Encarta 1999 edition
Written by: Jake Marinenko