Byblos was the ancient Phoenician port city of Gebal (called Byblos by the Greeks) on the coast of the Mediterranean sea in what is, today, Lebanon. According to the historian Durant, “Byblos thought itself the oldest of all cities; the god El had founded it at the beginning of time, and to the end of its history it remained the religious capital of Phoenicia." Because papyrus was one of the principal articles in its trade, the Greeks took the name of the city as their word for book - biblos - and from their word for books named our Bible - ta biblia - which means 'the books'. Byblos is among the cities listed as candidates for the distinction of 'oldest city in the world' as it has been continuously inhabited for over 7,000 years. Byblos is listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 4000 BCE - c. 3000 BCETrade contact between Byblos and Egypt.
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1725 BCEInvasion of the Hyksos.
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1580 BCE - c. 800 BCEByblos liberated and occupied by the Egyptians. Phoenecian alphabet developed and spread through trade.
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c. 1200 BCE - c. 800 BCEFirst wave of Phoenician colonization where largely trading-posts are founded throughout the Mediterranean.
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1100 BCE - 725 BCEDecline of Byblos as the sister city of Tyre rises in prominence.
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c. 1000 BCEDeath of Ahiram (or Ahirom) of Byblos, whose sarcophagus bears the oldest inscription of the Phoenician alphabet.
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c. 800 BCE - 600 BCESecond stage of Phoenician colonization where trading-posts become full colonies throughout the Mediterranean.
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332 BCEConquest of the Levant by Alexander the Great who destroys Tyre.
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330 BCE - 64 BCEHellenistic Period in Byblos.
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64 BCEByblos conquered by the Roman general Pompey the Great.
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64 BCE - 395 CEByblos is a colony of the Roman Empire.
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395 CE - 637 CEByblos is a colony of the Byzantine Empire (formerly known as the Eastern Roman Empire).
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637 CEMuslim invasion of the Levant. The Byzantines are driven out.
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637 CEMuslim rule of Byblos and surrounding region. Byblos steadily declines through neglect.
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1098 CEChristian Crusaders invade Byblos.
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1099 CEMuslim rule restored in the region. Byblos continues to decline until it is forgotten.
