The New York Times, February 23, 1997, p. 15:
Under Beirut's Rubble, Layers Left by Successive Civilizations
By Douglas Jehl
Beirut, Lebanon -- Archaeologists digging beneath the war rubble of
central Beirut have found the remains of nearly 5,000 years of successive
civilizations.
The excavations, done as part of a major effort to rebuild the city center after
the devastating civil war, are the largest ever undertaken here, and they have
confirmed a long-held belief that Beirut was founded as early as 3,000 B.C.,
before Jerusalem, Athens, Damascus, or any other current capital.
In a vast area where hundreds of buildings demolished during the 1975-1990
civil war have now been razed, archaeologists have uncovered layers of
Canaanite, Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman and Ottoman civilization.
Much of the area is soon to be transformed into a futuristic complex by
Solidere, the company that is rebuilding central Beirut. Only a few of the
ancient remains are to be preserved in place, prompting criticism from people
who fear that Lebanon is giving short shrift to its archaeological heritage.
But most of the $8 million cost of the renovation has been financed by
Solidere, and archaeologists associated with the project say they are confident
that the most important artifacts will be preserved even as planners rush to
give
the city a face-lift.
"We are living in the heart of Beirut, and you cannot let the heart die because
of archaeology," said Hareth al-Boustani, a professor of the history of
architecture at the Lebanese University who is an adviser to Solidere.
"Civilizations are intertwined, and we don't have the right to cut the link
between ourselves and the older civilizations."
The excavations, which began in 1993, have uncovered some 860,000 square
feet, about one-twentieth of the area under development by Solidere, and have
been carried out by teams that have included scientists from France, Italy,
Germany and the Czech Republic.
All of the work has been finished except for a continuing effort to uncover
remnants of the Law School of Berytus, described in Roman, Byzantine and
Arabic texts as the most prominent in the Roman Empire before Beirut was
destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 551.
Boustani, 52, was part of a Lebanese team that began an excavation project
during a lull in the civil war in 1977 but had to set it aside for 17 years
after
the fighting resumed. The discovery of the Law School would be a major find, he
said, but what has been unveiled so far, while less notable, is also important.
"This is ancient Beirut's premiere in the modern world," Boustani said.
In ancient Byblos, now known as Jbeil, 30 miles north of Beirut, Lebanon
already claims to be the home of the oldest city in the world, continuously
inhabited for 7,000 years. And in Baalbek, in the Bekaa region, it boasts
colossal Roman ruins including the Temple of Jupiter, whose six remaining
stone columns are each 65 feet high.
To these and other ruins, the Lebanese authorities now intend to add for public
display at least parts of the six new sites in Beirut deemed worthy of
preservation, including a Canaanite hill and a Phoenician quarter that will be
left entirely in place.
Three other sites -- a Hellenistic quarter, a Byzantine commercial site and some
Roman ruins -- are to be dismantled and rebuilt, while the Cardomaximus, the
main north-south street of Roman Beirut, is to be repaired and preserved.
Some 27,000 square feet of mosaics found in excavations are to be installed in
traditional souks, or covered markets, scheduled to be built as part of the
project next year.
-----
Other Places of Interest on the Web:
The place of archaeology in the reconstruction of Beirut, from Al Mashriq
http://www.hiof.no/almashriq/lebanon/900/930/930.1/beirut/reconstruction/ind
ex.html
[Excellent site with bountiful information]
[End]
Under Beirut's Rubble, Layers Left by Successive Civilizations
By Douglas Jehl
Beirut, Lebanon -- Archaeologists digging beneath the war rubble of
central Beirut have found the remains of nearly 5,000 years of successive
civilizations.
The excavations, done as part of a major effort to rebuild the city center after
the devastating civil war, are the largest ever undertaken here, and they have
confirmed a long-held belief that Beirut was founded as early as 3,000 B.C.,
before Jerusalem, Athens, Damascus, or any other current capital.
In a vast area where hundreds of buildings demolished during the 1975-1990
civil war have now been razed, archaeologists have uncovered layers of
Canaanite, Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman and Ottoman civilization.
Much of the area is soon to be transformed into a futuristic complex by
Solidere, the company that is rebuilding central Beirut. Only a few of the
ancient remains are to be preserved in place, prompting criticism from people
who fear that Lebanon is giving short shrift to its archaeological heritage.
But most of the $8 million cost of the renovation has been financed by
Solidere, and archaeologists associated with the project say they are confident
that the most important artifacts will be preserved even as planners rush to
give
the city a face-lift.
"We are living in the heart of Beirut, and you cannot let the heart die because
of archaeology," said Hareth al-Boustani, a professor of the history of
architecture at the Lebanese University who is an adviser to Solidere.
"Civilizations are intertwined, and we don't have the right to cut the link
between ourselves and the older civilizations."
The excavations, which began in 1993, have uncovered some 860,000 square
feet, about one-twentieth of the area under development by Solidere, and have
been carried out by teams that have included scientists from France, Italy,
Germany and the Czech Republic.
All of the work has been finished except for a continuing effort to uncover
remnants of the Law School of Berytus, described in Roman, Byzantine and
Arabic texts as the most prominent in the Roman Empire before Beirut was
destroyed by an earthquake in A.D. 551.
Boustani, 52, was part of a Lebanese team that began an excavation project
during a lull in the civil war in 1977 but had to set it aside for 17 years
after
the fighting resumed. The discovery of the Law School would be a major find, he
said, but what has been unveiled so far, while less notable, is also important.
"This is ancient Beirut's premiere in the modern world," Boustani said.
In ancient Byblos, now known as Jbeil, 30 miles north of Beirut, Lebanon
already claims to be the home of the oldest city in the world, continuously
inhabited for 7,000 years. And in Baalbek, in the Bekaa region, it boasts
colossal Roman ruins including the Temple of Jupiter, whose six remaining
stone columns are each 65 feet high.
To these and other ruins, the Lebanese authorities now intend to add for public
display at least parts of the six new sites in Beirut deemed worthy of
preservation, including a Canaanite hill and a Phoenician quarter that will be
left entirely in place.
Three other sites -- a Hellenistic quarter, a Byzantine commercial site and some
Roman ruins -- are to be dismantled and rebuilt, while the Cardomaximus, the
main north-south street of Roman Beirut, is to be repaired and preserved.
Some 27,000 square feet of mosaics found in excavations are to be installed in
traditional souks, or covered markets, scheduled to be built as part of the
project next year.
-----
Other Places of Interest on the Web:
The place of archaeology in the reconstruction of Beirut, from Al Mashriq
http://www.hiof.no/almashriq/lebanon/900/930/930.1/beirut/reconstruction/ind
ex.html
[Excellent site with bountiful information]
[End]