Beirut During the Roman Period and Middle Ages
Beirut has a pretty long history. It begins in 140 BC where the city was almost destroyed by Diodotus Tryphon in order to take the throne. However the city was rebuilt in the Hellenistic plan and it was renamed Laodicea in Phoenicia in honor of Seleucid Laodice. The modern city of Beirut lies on the ancient city. The civil war ended in 1991 and many of the destroyed sites have been reopened as archaeological sites. A discovery was made in 1994 where the archeologists found out those modern streets like Souk Tawile has influence of the Roman and the Hellenistic era.
The mid first century coins have the head of the goddess of fortune called Tyche. On the reverse side there is a picture of a dolphin entwined in an anchor. The design was the idea of 15th century printer called Aldus Manutius. The city was again conquered by Agrippa in 64 BC and the city was renamed as Julia in honor of his daughter.
The fifth Macedonian and the third Gallic were then established in the city. These were the two Roman legions. The city was heavily influenced by the Roman civilization. They erected large public buildings and monuments and Berytus enjoyed the status of an emperor. Under the rule of Herod the Great, Beirut’s School of Law was established in 14 BC. Tow of Rome’s famous jurists at that time, Papinain and Ulpian began to teach students in this school.
In 635 AD, the Arabs began to rule over Beirut. It was then ruled by the Arslan family for 477 years. Between 1110 and 1291 AD, Beirut was in the hands of the Crusaders Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Old Lord of Beirut, John of Ibelin, rebuilt the entire city after war with Saladin. He also constructed the Ibelin family palace.
