Baalbek Through the Ages
Trace 9,000 years of human history at Baalbek, from Bronze Age Phoenician worship through Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Crusader, and Ottoman layers to the modern city that surrounds one of the world great archaeological sites.
- 1
Bronze Age Foundation
Learn about the Bronze Age Phoenician sanctuary that pre-dates the Roman temple complex at Baalbek, where worship of the local storm god Hadad on this tell preceded the Roman identification with Jupiter by thousands of years.
- 2
Hellenistic Layer
See the evidence of the Hellenistic period when Alexander the Great renamed the city Heliopolis, City of the Sun, and the Greek-speaking Seleucid rulers began the monumental building program that the Romans would vastly expand.
- 3
Byzantine Church
Find the remains of the Byzantine church built within the Roman temple precinct after Christianity became the official religion of the empire, the repurposing of pagan temples for Christian worship visible in the archaeological layers.
- 4
Arab Fortification
See the Arab fortifications added to the ancient temple complex after the Muslim conquest, the military reuse of the massive Roman walls creating a medieval citadel out of the religious precinct.
- 5
Ottoman Baalbek
Walk the Ottoman city that grew around the ancient temples where traditional Lebanese architecture, mosques, and souks developed in the shadow of the Roman monuments, the living city coexisting with the monumental past.
- 6
Modern Archaeological Work
Learn about the ongoing archaeological work at Baalbek where German, French, and Lebanese teams continue to excavate the site, recent discoveries including additional stones in the quarry and new understanding of the construction sequence.
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