>>Phoenician
Baalbek in Arabic
This
book of Lina Murr Nehme - 'Phoenician Baalbek',
'A visit to the Temples of the Roman Epoch', translated by
Alfred Murr, is a treasure of Lebanese History!
Characteristic
of the book: Beirut, Aleph and Taw
104 pages with many images and illustrations - 16 x 11.4 cm
Extracts
from the book:
‘Dated graffito proves that the Romans could not have built
or financed Baalbek.’
When the peristyle of the sanctuary of Baal was finished, a mason
carving the top of one of its columns engraved on it a graffito
that began with these words: "To good Fortune! In the year
371, the second day of the month of Lôos (August 60 AD),
the katochoi put off their beards". (Above)
Centuries later, the column that bore this graffito fell off
and broke. A fragment containing the writing and a piece of astragal
(see glossary) ended up in the sacrificial court of the temple
of Baal, where archaeologists found it before World War 2.
Its calibre and astragal shoed that it came from the top of a
column belonging to the peristyle of the sanctuary of Baal (see
opposite).The ritual it seems to refer to is unknown, but the
date implies that the peristyle was finished in the year 60 (in
the time of Nero).
Stones, in Baalbek, were carved and dressed from top to bottom,
after the end of the construction only. (See the unfinished niche,
image page 24).
In this case, the building of the sanctuary could not have begun
later then the year 20 B.C.
This discovery turned archaeological beliefs upside down by proving
that it was a mistake to attribute this construction to Antoninus
Pius (note p. 16), proving also that the Roman emperors neither
built nor even financed the greater sanctuary of Baalbek. For
if the Roman emperors had had something to do with the construction
and financing of Baalbek, they would have been interested in it
before, not after, its temples and theatre became famous. And
above all (considering the cost of these works and the centuries
they have lasted), they would have mentioned it in many texts
and inscriptions.
But they became interested in Baalbek only in the second century
AD. One of them, Septimus Severus, even gave Baalbek the jus italicus,
or status of "Roman" city, making its people Roman citizens.
It was as good a way as any other, to endow Rome with treasures
that belonged in fact to the provinces and were impossible to
move.
Another way was to call upon Phoenician architects, and have
them build in Rome monuments on the scale of those of the Levant.
This is what the emperor Trajan, who is considered as the greatest
builder among the Roman emperors, did. By taking Apollodorus of
Damascus as his architect, he made this Phoenician the Father
of Roman architecture - as historians call him.
The financing of Baalbek was, therefore, provided by its worshippers:
in three and a half centuries, an internationally frequented religious
centre like Baalbek attracted enough rich pilgrims to make it
very wealthy. (Concerning the nationality of Baalbek, other proofs
can be found in Baalbek Monument Phénicien.)
The Religious Complex of Baalbek
In Antiquity, the religious complex of Baalbek consisted of three
temples and a theatre.
The peristyle of the sanctuary of the biggest of these temples
was, as we said, finished in the year 60. But the general work
remained unfinished in 391 (see p. 74), and it still is.
This construction went on, therefore, for more than three centuries
and a half, which is far too much for one single temple. This
can only be understood if the three temples were being built at
the same time.
That is the case. What proves it is, first, the fact that the
three temples are in the same state of completion - or incompletion.
Second, they were constructed in the same way, their stones cut
and dressed in the same way, with the same finish. Finally, they
have the same decoration.
No promoter builds three temples of this importance (see following
pages) at a time, in order to put the three gods of the city together
in one of these temples, while comfortably accommodating one accessory
god in each of the two other temples. Rather, he dedicates each
temple to one god, seeing that the size and decoration - and the
price - of each temple match the supposed importance of this god.
Now, who were these three gods of Baalbek? We often find their
portraits in Lebanon (below, relief of Fneidek), and abroad (as
far as Rome or Nimes).
Baal, god of the first temple:
The most important god of Baalbek is called Jupiter in Longinus'
inscription... ...
Atargatis, goddess of the second temple: etc....
Adonis, god of the third temple: etc...
The twin towers of Baalbek: etc...
The Sacrificial Court or Great court: etc...
The theatre of Baalbek: etc...
The world's three greatest stones ever built:
etc...
And more... ...
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