Download Byblos: The History and Legacy of the Oldest Ancient Phoenician City AudioBook Free
Of all individuals of the old In close proximity to East, the Phoenicians are among the most recognizable but also possibly the least understood. The Phoenicians never built an empire like the Egyptians and Assyrians; in reality, the Phoenicians never created a unified Phoenician state but instead existed as indie city-state kingdoms dispersed throughout the Mediterranean region. However, even though there is never a "Phoenician Empire," the Phoenicians became more prolific in their exploration and colonization than any individuals in world record before Spanish during the Age of Breakthrough. Byblos, known today as Jubayl, has been known by many labels over the age ranges: the Phoenicians called it Gebal; for the Egyptians it was Kepen or Kupna; the Assyrians and Akkadians described it as Gubla (this name was repeated throughout the Old Testament); the Arabs called it Jbeil, and eventually the European Crusaders offered it the name of Gibelet. This long etymology displays the city's unique history value, because Byblos is one of the oldest constantly inhabited cities ever before to have existed in the world. The city was frequently brought up in the fantastic archives of antiquity, but its origins lay in the depths of prehistory. Its tactical location, with a lot of shipbuilding timber from the near by mountains, made many powerful states eager to control the place. Over time, Byblos and its own encompassing area were occupied by the Amorites, Canaanites, Phoenicians, Assyrians, Persians, Macedonians, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, Mamelukes, and Ottomans. From the earliest of that time period, Byblos was an active commercial center, trading thoroughly with Egypt, where it exported cedar timber from the Phoenician homelands in exchange for papyrus. Because of this, Egypt could have a significant influence on the art work and culture of Byblos, and the location quickly assumed a position of supremacy in the Mediterranean, thanks a lot in part to its early use of writing. Archaeological information uncovered at the location show the lifetime of a Phoenician alphabet being used from as soon as 1200 BCE, and the remains of Phoenician cities along the coastline of Lebanon keep witness to the top role they enjoyed as a meeting place between the east and western world, making it a center point for the fusion of civilizations in the old world. The Phoenicians did not generally seek political advantages or territorial extension in their homeland - their interest was mostly in international trade. A lot of the coastline of the region is greatly urbanized, which likely obscures many further interesting constructions that might completely change the narrative of the site if indeed they were uncovered. Furthermore, many of the archaeological remains are openly subjected to the elements. The engineering of a modern jetty has modified the coastal configuration, which has exacerbated the problem of influx energy from the strong storms that regularly batter the coastline. Some makes an attempt at coastal executive have been made to prevent environmental change, and the site's environmental history value has been known (being the first archaeological coastline in Lebanon to also become a protected natural landscape), but further steps will need to be taken maintain the unique history of Byblos.
