About 7,000 years ago, a small Neolithic fishing community settled along the shore at the site of modern-day Jbail (Byblos). Several Neolithic-era mono-cellular huts with crushed limestone floors can be seen by visitors to the archaeological site. Through the fourth millennium B.C. (4000-3000 B.C.), life continued for these settlers with little change. Artifacts uncovered at the site show that some new customs evolved, such as the practice of burying the deceased in large pottery jars with their earthly possessions. Many tools and weapons of this period have been found as well.

During the Bronze Age (roughly 3500-1200 B.C.), Jbail (Byblos) and the entire Levantine coast were inhabited by the Canaanites. Modern scholars use the term "Canaanite" in many different ways, and there is much disagreement about the origins of the Canaanite peoples. It is unclear how and when the Canaanites, as a distinct group, descended from the earlier Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlers in the region.

Around 3000 B.C., the city of Jbail (Byblos) had developed into the most important timber shipping center on the eastern Mediterranean. Ties with Egypt were very close. The Egyptian pharaohs needed cedar wood and oils for shipbuilding, tomb construction, and funerary rituals. In return, Egypt sent gold, alabaster, papyrus rolls, papyrus rope, and linen to Jbail (Byblos). Thus began a period of prosperity, wealth, and intense commercial activity.

Around 2300-1900 B.C., Amorite tribes from the desert overran the coastal region and set fire to Jbail (Byblos). But once the Amorites had settled in, the city was rebuilt, and Egypt again began to send costly goods to Jbail (Byblos). Treasures uncovered in the royal tombs of Jbail (Byblos) show the great wealth that flooded the city.

Around 1200 B.C., the “Sea People” from the north arrived in the eastern Mediterranean, and some settled along the southern coast of Canaan in cities including Jbail (Byblos), Saida (Sidon), and Sour (Tyre). These seafarers had a highly sophisticated maritime technology. Their maritime skills could have contributed to the development of the flourishing sea trade and maritime society we know today as Phoenicia. The Phoenician period in Jbail (Byblos) extended from the arrival of the “Sea People,” around 1200 B.C., until the conquest by Alexander the Great in 333 B.C.

Perhaps the Phoenicians' most significant contribution to the world was the development of the first phonetic alphabet. Around the end of the second millennium B.C., the scribes of Jbail (Byblos) developed an alphabetic phonetic script of 22 letters, the precursor of our modern-day alphabet. The earliest form of the Phoenician alphabet found to date is an inscription on the sarcophagus of King Ahiram (10th century B.C.), now on display at the National Museum in Beirut. By 800 B.C., the Phoenician alphabet had traveled to Greece, and it was later adapted by the Romans, changing forever the way people communicated.

Throughout the first millennium B.C., Jbail (Byblos) continued to benefit from its extensive sea trade, in spite of invasions by the Assyrians and Babylonians. Then came invasion by the Persians, who held sway from 555-333 B.C. The remains of a fortress from this period, located outside the early Bronze Age city walls, show that Jbail (Byblos) was a strategic part of the Persian defense system in the eastern Mediterranean.

After conquest by Alexander the Great in 333 B.C., Jbail (Byblos) fell under Greek rule. During the Hellenistic Period (333-64 B.C.), the residents of Jbail (Byblos) adopted Greek customs, culture, and language. It is the Greeks who gave the city its name “Byblos,” which means “papyrus” or “paper.” The city continued to be an important center for trading papyrus, on which many religious texts, public documents, private letters, astronomical texts, and mathematical texts were written. Both the Greek language and culture persisted throughout the Roman era, which was to come.

In the first century B.C., the Romans, under Pompey, took over Jbail (Byblos) and other Phoenician cities, ruling them from 64 B.C. to 399 A.D. In Jbail (Byblos), the Romans built large temples, baths, and other public buildings, as well as a street bordered by a colonnade that surrounded the city.

Excavations

Before Jbail (Byblos) was excavated, the ruins of successive cities had formed a mound about 12 meters high covered with houses and gardens. The ancient site was rediscovered in 1860 by the French writer Ernest Renan, who made a survey of the area. In 1921-1924, Pierre Montet, a French Egyptologist, began excavations that confirmed trade relations between Jbail (Byblos) and ancient Egypt. Afterward, Maurice Dunand began his excavation work in Jbail (Byblos) in 1926 and continued until 1975.

Visiting the site today

A thriving modern town with an ancient heart, Jbail (Byblos) is a mix of sophistication and tradition. The old harbor is sheltered from the sea by a rocky headland. Nearby are the excavated remains of the ancient city, the Crusader castle and church, and the old market area.

The area of excavations is surrounded by a wall with the entrance at the Crusader castle. To get a good view of this large, somewhat complex site, either climb to the top of the castle or walk around the periphery from outside the wall to identify the major monuments.

With its many restaurants, cafés, souvenir shops, and hotels, Jbail (Byblos) is well prepared to welcome tourists.