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55-564: The family ruled the city of Byblos (in present-day Lebanon ), styling themselves "Lord (Signore) of Gib(e)let" or "Gibelletto", the name which the city was called at the time. Their rule lasted for almost 200 years, from 1100 to the late 13th century. They arrived in the Kingdom of Jerusalem as early as 1099, with Guglielmo Embriaco and his brother Primo di Castello. They had Byblos, given to Ugo I Embriaco by Bertrand of Toulouse , from about 1110, thanks to Embriaco's military assistance in

110-534: A bishopric was established in Byblos, and the town grew rapidly. Although a Sasanian colony is known to have been established in the region following the early Muslim conquests of 636, there is little archaeological evidence for it. Trade with Europe effectively dried up, and it was not until the coming of the First Crusade in 1098 that prosperity returned to Byblos, known then as Gibelet or Giblet. In

165-459: A collection of fossilised fish, sharks, eel, flying fish, and other marine life, some of which are millions of years old. The old medieval part of Byblos is surrounded by walls running about 270m from east to west and 200m from north to south. Byblos Castle was built by the Crusaders in the 12th century. It is located in the archaeological site near the port. Work on the church started during

220-589: A few years earlier than the conventional date of 1550 BC. The radiocarbon date range for its beginning is 1570–1544 BC, the mean point of which is 1557 BC. The pharaohs of Dynasty XVIII ruled for approximately 250 years (c. 1550–1298 BC). The dates and names in the table are taken from Dodson and Hilton. Many of the pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes (designated KV). More information can be found on

275-485: A hereditary fief, undertaking to pay an annual fee to Genoa and the church of San Lorenzo (Genoa's Cathedral). The Embriaco family's residence, the Byblos Castle , along with the fortified town, served as an important military base for the Crusaders. The remains of the castle are among the most impressive architectural structures now visible in the town centre. The town was taken by Saladin in 1187, re-taken by

330-411: A protected landing place for boats. Dunand discovered around twenty houses although some of the settlement was suggested to have been lost to the sea, robbed or destroyed. Dwellings were rectangular with plastered floors, pottery was usually Dark faced burnished ware with some shell impressions. The Middle Neolithic was a smaller settlement of no more than 0.15 ha (0.37 acres) adjacent to

385-454: Is 'Gebul' or 'Jabul'), as they're derivatives of ג־ב־ל ('g-ḇ-l' / 'g- b -l' / 'g-v-l'), which means 'twist as a rope', '(be a, set) border' or 'bound(aria)', which tells us that it is a North Boundary of Canaan. Situated approximately 42 km (26 mi) north of Beirut , Byblos holds a strong allure for archaeologists due to its accumulations of various strata resulting from countless centuries of human dwelling. The initial excavation

440-498: 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

495-480: Is an old market. This summer music festival is an annual event that takes place in the historic quarter. The Armenian Genocide Orphans' Aram Bezikian Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving the memory of the Armenian Genocide and its survivors. Byblos is twinned with: XVIII Dynasty The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVIII , alternatively 18th Dynasty or Dynasty 18 )

550-608: Is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt , the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty spanned the period from 1550/1549 to 1292 BC. This dynasty is also known as the Thutmoside Dynasty ) for the four pharaohs named Thutmose . Several of Egypt's most famous pharaohs were from the Eighteenth Dynasty, including Tutankhamun , whose tomb

605-606: Is known. In 1334 Akhenaten's son, Tutankhaten, ascended to the throne: shortly after, he restored Egyptian polytheist cult and subsequently changed his name in Tutankhamun , in honor to the Egyptian god Amun . His infant daughters, 317a and 317b mummies , represent the final genetically related generation of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The last two members of the Eighteenth Dynasty— Ay and Horemheb —became rulers from

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660-638: The 19th dynasty , only to decline during the 20th and 21st dynasties. In addition, when the New Kingdom collapsed in the 11th century BC, Byblos ceased being a colony and became the foremost city of Phoenicia. Although the archaeological evidence seems to indicate a brief resurgence during the 22nd and 23rd dynasties, it is clear after the Third Intermediate Period the Egyptians started favouring Tyre and Sidon instead of Byblos. Archaeological evidence at Byblos, particularly

715-734: The 4th-dynasty pharaoh Sneferu ( fl.  2600   BC) and as Gubla ( 𒁺𒆷 ) in the Akkadian cuneiform Amarna letters to the 18th-dynasty pharaohs Amenhotep III and IV . In the 1st   millennium   BC, its name appeared in Phoenician and Punic inscriptions as Gebal ( 𐤂𐤁𐤋 , GBL ); in the Hebrew Bible as Geval ( גבל ); and in Syriac as GBL ( ܓܒܠ ). The name seems to derive from GB ( 𐤂𐤁 , " well ") and ʾL ( 𐤀𐤋 , " god "),

770-644: The Achaemenid Empire (538–332 BC), Byblos was the fourth of four Phoenician vassal kingdoms established by the Persians; the first three being Sidon , Tyr , and Arwad . Hellenistic rule came with the arrival of Alexander the Great in the area in 332 BC. Coinage was in use, and there is abundant evidence of continued trade with other Mediterranean countries. During the Greco-Roman period,

825-576: The Canaanite war god Resheph , but this had fallen into ruins by the time of Alexander the Great . In the Assyrian period, Sibittibaal of Byblos became tributary to Tiglath-Pileser III in 738 BC, and in 701 BC, when Sennacherib conquered all Phoenicia , the king of Byblos was Urumilki . Byblos was also subject to Assyrian kings Esarhaddon (r. 681–669 BC) and Ashurbanipal (r. 668–627 BC), under its kings Milkiasaph and Yehawmelek . In

880-652: The Grand Serail in Beirut . Byblos was chosen by Condé Nast Traveler as the second best city in the Middle East for 2012, beating Tel Aviv and Dubai , and by the World Tourism Organization as the best Arab tourist city for 2013. The Byblos Wax Museum displays wax statues of characters whose dates of origin range from Phoenician times to current days. The Byblos Fossil Museum has

935-981: The Lebanese American University (LAU) . The LAU Byblos Campus houses the Medical School, the Engineering School, the School of Architecture and Design, the Pharmacy School, which offers the only Pharm.D. Program outside the United States accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) , the School of Business, and the School of Arts and Sciences. Byblos is re-emerging as an upscale touristic hub. With its ancient port , Phoenician , Roman, and Crusader ruins, sandy beaches and

990-608: The Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period, approximately 8800 to 7000 BC (Durand's Early Neolithic). Early Neolithic Byblos was a later settlement than others in the Beqaa Valley such as Labweh and Ard Tlaili . It was located on the seaward slope of the larger of the two hills that used to compose ancient Byblos, with a watered valley in between. The original site spread down into the valley and covered an area of 1.2 ha (3.0 acres) providing fertile soils and

1045-696: The 12th and 13th century, Byblos became part of the County of Tripoli , a Crusader state connected to, but largely independent from, the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem . As Gibelet or Giblet, it came under the rule of the Genoese Embriaco family , who created for themselves the Lordship of Gibelet , first as administrators of the city in the name of the Republic of Genoa , and then as

1100-637: The 3rd millennium BC, the first signs of a town can be observed, with the remains of well-built houses of uniform size. This was the period when the Canaanite civilization began to develop. Neolithic remains of some buildings can be observed at the site. Jacques Cauvin published studies of flint tools from the stratified Neolithic and Chalcolithic sites in 1962. Remains of humans found in Chalcolithic burials have been published by Henri Victor Vallois in 1937. Tombs from this era were discussed by Emir Maurice Chehab in 1950. Early pottery found at

1155-674: The Arabic form of the name is used, it is typically rendered Jbeil , Jbail , or Jbayl in English. All of these, along with Byblos, are etymologically related. During the Crusades , this name appeared in Western records as Gibelet or Giblet . This name was used for Byblos Castle and its associated lordship . The Phoenician City, known to the Greeks as Býblos ( Βύβλος ) and to

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1210-727: The Crusaders, and conquered by Baibars in 1266, but it remained in the possession of the Embriacos until around 1300. Having voluntarily surrendered to the Mamluks, the city was relatively spared from looting following its capture. Its fortifications were subsequently restored by Baybars . From 1516 until 1918, the town and the whole region became part of the Ottoman Empire . Byblos and all of Lebanon were placed under French Mandate from 1920 until 1943 when Lebanon achieved independence. The 2006 Lebanon War negatively affected

1265-686: The Crusades in 1115. It was considered a cathedral and was partially destroyed during an earthquake in AD 1170. It was later given to the Maronite bishop as a gift by Prince Yusuf Shihab . The old mosque by the Castle dates back to the Mamluk period, and adopted the name of Sultan Abdulmejid I after he renovated it. In the southeast section of the historic city, near the entrance of the archaeological site,

1320-588: The New Kingdom pharaohs of Ancient Egypt Around 1350 BC, the Amarna letters include 60 letters from Rib-Hadda and his successor Ili-Rapih who were rulers of Byblos, writing to the Egyptian government. This is mainly due to Rib-Hadda's constant pleas for military assistance from Akhenaten . They also deal with the conquest of neighbouring city-states by the Habiru . It appears Egyptian contact peaked during

1375-543: The Romans as Byblus , was important for their import of papyrus out of Ancient Egypt – to the extent that " Byblos " came to mean "papyrus" in Greek. The English word " Bible ", therefore, ultimately derives from the Greek name of the city, Βύβλος ('Βύblos / Byblos') , a Greek mumbo-jumble of גְּבָל ('Gāḇal / Gə b al Gobâl'..., that is, 'Gebal' or 'Jebel'), which shares the same root as גְּבוּל ('Gəḇūl / Gā b ūl, that

1430-487: The ancient city by covering its harbour and town walls with an oil slick that was the result of an oil spill from a nearby power plant. Byblos's inhabitants are predominantly Christian, mostly Maronite , with minorities of Armenian Apostolic , Greek Orthodox , and Greek Catholics . There is also a minority of Shi`i Muslims . It is said that the city of Bint Jbeil ("Daughter of Byblos") in Southern Lebanon

1485-501: The area as Kush and it was administered by the Viceroy of Kush . The 18th dynasty obtained Nubian gold, animal skins, ivory, ebony, cattle, and horses, which were of exceptional quality. The Egyptians built temples throughout Nubia. One of the largest and most important temples was dedicated to Amun at Jebel Barkal in the city of Napata. This Temple of Amun was enlarged by later Egyptian and Nubian Pharaohs, such as Taharqa . After

1540-657: The creation of the Crusader states , on behalf of the Republic of Genoa . Guglielmo Embriaco's son, Ugo I, was the first administrator of "Gibelletto" in the name of the Genoese republic, he then obtained the city as a hereditary fief, undertaking to pay an annual fee to Genoa and to the church of San Lorenzo . The family always protected the Genoese traders in the Levant, exempting them from all duties. Their power in Byblos lasted, apart from occupation by Saladin 1187–1197, to

1595-533: The end of the Hyksos period of foreign rule, the Eighteenth Dynasty engaged in a vigorous phase of expansionism, conquering vast areas of the Near-East , with especially Pharaoh Thutmose III submitting the "Shasu" Bedouins of northern Canaan , and the land of Retjenu , as far as Syria and Mittani in numerous military campaigns circa 1450 BC. Radiocarbon dating suggests that Dynasty XVIII may have started

1650-853: The end to the thirteenth century, when they were defeated by Bohemond VII of Tripoli , and finally pushed out by Muslim advances. The Embriacos were Lords of lands in Liguria and in Lunigiana . And had properties and a square in Genoa. The male line of the family died out in the middle of the 15th century . 34°07′12″N 35°38′47″E  /  34.1200°N 35.6464°E  / 34.1200; 35.6464 Byblos Byblos ( / ˈ b ɪ b l ɒ s / BIB -loss ; ‹See Tfd› Greek : Βύβλος ), also known as Jebeil , Jbeil or Jubayl ( Arabic : جُبَيْل , romanized :  Jubayl , locally Jbeil [ʒ(ə)beːl] ),

1705-507: The extent of which can only be compared with those of the much longer reign of Ramesses II during Dynasty XIX. Amenhotep III's consort was the Great Royal Wife Tiye , for whom he built an artificial lake, as described on eleven scarabs. Amenhotep III may have shared the throne for up to twelve years with his son Amenhotep IV. There is much debate about this proposed co-regency, with different experts considering that there

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1760-576: The five Byblian royal inscriptions dating back to around 1200–1000 BC, shows existence of a Phoenician alphabet of twenty-two characters; an important example is the Ahiram sarcophagus . The use of the alphabet was spread by Phoenician merchants through their maritime trade into parts of North Africa and Europe. One of the most important monuments of this period is the Temple of the Obelisks , dedicated to

1815-468: The form of one copper hook, found in a jar. Some jars were lined with white plaster that was applied and self-hardened after firing. Copper appeared more frequently in the Late Chalcolithic period along with multiple burials in tombs and jar handles with impressed signs. According to Lorenzo Nigro , Byblos moved from being a fishermen's village to its earlier urban form at the beginning of

1870-600: The greatest military pharaoh ever, also had a lengthy reign after becoming pharaoh. He had a second co-regency in his old age with his son Amenhotep II . Amenhotep II was succeeded by Thutmose IV , who in his turn was followed by his son Amenhotep III , whose reign is seen as a high point in this dynasty. Amenhotep III's reign was a period of unprecedented prosperity, artistic splendor, and international power, as attested by over 250 statues (more than any other pharaoh) and 200 large stone scarabs discovered from Syria to Nubia. Amenhotep III undertook large scale building programmes,

1925-547: The latter a word that could variously refer to any of the Canaanite gods or to their leader in particular . The name thus seems to have meant the "Well of the God" or "Source of the God". Its present Arabic name Jubayl ( جبيل ) or J ( e ) beil is a direct descendant of these earlier names, although apparently modified by a misunderstanding of the name as the triliteral root GBL or JBL , meaning " mountain ". When

1980-503: The older site. The pottery was more developed with red washes and more varied forms and elaborate decorations, buildings were poorer with unplastered floors. The Late Neolithic period showed development from the middle in building design, a wider range of more developed flint tools and a far larger variety of pottery with fabrication including silica. The Late Chalcolithic featured developments of " Canaanite blades " and fan scrapers. Adult burials in jars started to appear along with metal in

2035-502: The oldest Egyptian words for an oceangoing boat was "Byblos ship". Archaeologists have recovered Egyptian -made artifacts as old as a vessel fragment bearing the name of the Second dynasty ruler Khasekhemwy , although this "may easily have reached Byblos through trade and/or at a later period". Objects have been found at Byblos naming the 13th Dynasty Egyptian king Neferhotep I . The rulers of Byblos maintained close relationships with

2090-465: The picturesque mountains that surround it make it an ideal tourist destination. The city is known for its fish restaurants, open-air bars, and outdoor cafes. Yachts cruise into its harbor today as they did in the 1960s and 1970s when Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra were regular visitors to the city. Byblos was crowned as the "Arab Tour Capital" for the year 2016 by the Lebanese minister of tourism in

2145-420: The ranks of officials in the royal court, although Ay might also have been the maternal uncle of Akhenaten as a fellow descendant of Yuya and Tjuyu . Ay may have married the widowed Great Royal Wife and young half-sister of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun , in order to obtain power; she did not live long afterward. Ay then married Tey , who was originally Nefertiti's wet-nurse. Ay's reign was short. His successor

2200-520: The reign of Tutankhamun, when the statue was made. The cartouches of King Ay, Tutankhamun's successor appearing on the statue, were an attempt by an artisan to "update" the sculpture. The Eighteenth Dynasty empire conquered all of Lower Nubia under Thutmose I . By the reign of Thutmose III , the Egyptians directly controlled Nubia to the Nile river, 4th cataract, with Egyptian influence / tributaries extending beyond this point. The Egyptians referred to

2255-416: The south up to Kanisah Kurgus beyond the fourth cataract of the Nile. Thutmose I was succeeded by Thutmose II and his queen, Hatshepsut , who was the daughter of Thutmose I. After her husband's death and a period of regency for her minor stepson (who would later become pharaoh as Thutmose III) Hatshepsut became pharaoh in her own right and ruled for over twenty years. Thutmose III , who became known as

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2310-472: The subject of debate within the academic community. Some state that Akhenaten created a monotheism, while others point out that he merely suppressed a dominant solar cult by the assertion of another, while he never completely abandoned several other traditional deities. Later Egyptians considered this " Amarna Period " an unfortunate aberration. After his death, Akhenaten was succeeded by two short-lived pharaohs, Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten , of which little

2365-400: The tell was published by E.S. Boynton in 1960 with further studies by R. Erich in 1954 and Van Liere and Henri de Contenson in 1964. Prehistoric settlements at Byblos were divided up by Dunand into the following five periods, which were recently expanded and re-calibrated by Yosef Garfinkel to correlate with Tell es-Sultan (Jericho): The site first appears to have been settled during

2420-411: The temple of Resheph was elaborately rebuilt, and the city, though smaller than its neighbours such as Tyrus and Zidonia, was a centre for the cult of Adonis . King Herod of Judaea , known for his extensive building projects, including beyond his own kingdom, constructed a city wall for Byblos. In the 3rd century, a small but impressive theatre was constructed. With the rise of Christianity ,

2475-707: 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 . It was in Ancient Byblos that the Phoenician alphabet , likely the ancestor of the Greek , Latin and all other Western alphabets, was developed. Eusebius' Onomasticon stated that Byblos was called "Gobel / Gebal" in Hebrew. The name appears as Kebny in Egyptian hieroglyphic records going back to

2530-567: The third millennium BC. Early Bronze Age remains were characterised by the development of Byblos combed ware and a lithic assemblage studied by Jacques Cauvin. Watson Mills and Roger Bullard suggest that during the Old Kingdom of Egypt and Middle Kingdom of Egypt Byblos was virtually an Egyptian colony. The growing city was a wealthy one and seems to have been an ally (among "those who are on his waters") of Egypt for many centuries. First Dynasty tombs used timbers from Byblos. One of

2585-495: The throne next. Horemheb also died without surviving children, having appointed his vizier, Pa-ra-mes-su, as his heir. This vizier ascended the throne in 1292 BC as Ramesses I , and was the first pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty . This example to the right depicts a man named Ay who achieved the exalted religious positions of Second Prophet of Amun and High Priest of Mut at Thebes . His career flourished during

2640-426: Was Horemheb, a general during Tutankhamun's reign whom the pharaoh may have intended as his successor in case he had no surviving children, which is what came to pass. Horemheb may have taken the throne away from Ay in a coup d'état . Although Ay's son or stepson Nakhtmin was named as his father/stepfather's Crown Prince, Nakhtmin seems to have died during the reign of Ay, leaving the opportunity for Horemheb to claim

2695-504: Was a lengthy co-regency, a short one, or none at all. In the fifth year of his reign, Amenhotep IV changed his name to Akhenaten ( ꜣḫ-n-jtn , "Effective for the Aten ") and moved his capital to Amarna , which he named Akhetaten. During the reign of Akhenaten, the Aten ( jtn , the sun disk) became, first, the most prominent deity, and eventually came to be considered the only god. Whether this amounted to true monotheism continues to be

2750-477: Was conducted by Ernest Renan in 1860, documented in his work "Mission de Phénicie" (1865–1874) . This was succeeded by Pierre Montet 's efforts from 1921 to 1924, and later by Maurice Dunand , who continued excavations from 1925 for a span of forty years. Renan's expedition was to "provide the evidence that the city did not move and that Gebeil is Byblos". Fragments attributed to the semi-legendary pre- Homeric Phoenician priest Sanchuniathon say Byblos

2805-458: Was deified after she died. Ahmose was succeeded by his son, Amenhotep I , whose reign was relatively uneventful. Amenhotep I probably left no male heir and the next pharaoh, Thutmose I , seems to have been related to the royal family through marriage. During his reign, the borders of Egypt's empire reached their greatest expanse, extending in the north to Carchemish on the Euphrates and in

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2860-496: Was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Other famous pharaohs of the dynasty include Hatshepsut (c. 1479 BC–1458 BC), the longest-reigning woman pharaoh of an indigenous dynasty, and Akhenaten (c. 1353–1336 BC), the "heretic pharaoh", with his Great Royal Wife , Nefertiti . The Eighteenth Dynasty is unique among Egyptian dynasties in that it had two queens regnant , women who ruled as sole pharaoh: Hatshepsut and Neferneferuaten , usually identified as Nefertiti. Dynasty XVIII

2915-483: Was founded by Ahmose I , the brother or son of Kamose , the last ruler of the 17th Dynasty . Ahmose finished the campaign to expel the Hyksos rulers. His reign is seen as the end of the Second Intermediate Period and the start of the New Kingdom. Ahmose's consort, Queen Ahmose-Nefertari was "arguably the most venerated woman in Egyptian history, and the grandmother of the 18th Dynasty." She

2970-458: Was founded by those Shi`i Muslims. Byblos has three representatives in the Parliament of Lebanon : two Maronites and one Shi`i Muslim. As of 2022, the religious make-up of the town's 9,247 registered voters were roughly 65.8% Maronite Catholics , 8.7% Armenian Orthodox , 7.2% Shia , 6.3% Sunni , 4.6% Greek Orthodox , and 7.4% others. Byblos is home to the professional schools of

3025-733: Was the first city erected in Phoenicia and was established by the god Cronus . (Cronus was considered the nearest equivalent to the Canaanite Baal / Baal Hammon in the syncretising system used by the ancient Greeks and Romans.) According to the writer Philo of Byblos (quoting Sanchuniathon, and quoted in Eusebius ), Byblos was founded by the Phoenician shrine god El (whom the Greeks identified with their god Cronus ). During

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