Bechamoun ( ar, بشامون), is an
area
Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape
A shape or figure is a graphics, graphical representation of an obje ...
near
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in the
Mount Lebanon Governorate french: Gouvernorat du Mont-Liban
, native_name_lang =
, image_map = Administrative divisions of Lebanon 2017-08 (Numbered).png
, map_caption = The governorates of Lebanon, including Mount Lebanon (in pink, label ...
of
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
. It has an elevation between 40 and 580 meters above sea level, 8 kilometers from Beirut airport and
Beirut
Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
downtown. Bechamoun's population exceeds 15,000.
Bechamoun was the first area to raise the Lebanese flag after gaining independence from France.
Name
Bchamoun's name is derived from “Beit Chamoun” (Arabic) The word comes from Syriac Aramaic spoken by the Canaanites.
, “House of Chamoun” (English), "Temple of Eshmun" (Syriac Aramaic), a Phoenician god.
Schools
Bchamoun has 10 schools, 8 private and 2 governmental.
Hospitals
There is only one hospital in Bchamoun which is Bchamoun Speciality Hospital.
Archaeology
An archaeological site was discovered east of
Khalde
Khaldah ( ar, خلدة) is a coastal town located south of Beirut, Lebanon. It is famous as a tourist destination in the summer, especially for its various beach resorts.
The southern portion of Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport is loca ...
by V. Hankey in 1963. The site is located on the western terraces of a
conical hill
A conical hill (also cone or conical mountain) is a landform with a distinctly conical shape. It is usually isolated or rises above other surrounding foothills, and is often of volcanic origin.
Conical hills or mountains occur in different sha ...
, west of the main village called Qalaa' Tahun-el-Haoua. An unpublished collection was also made by R. Saidah. Various pot
sherd
In archaeology, a sherd, or more precisely, potsherd, is commonly a historic or prehistoric fragment of pottery, although the term is occasionally used to refer to fragments of stone and glass vessels, as well.
Occasionally, a piece of broken p ...
s were found and dated back to the
Early Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...
by
Maurice Dunand
Maurice Dunand (4 March 1898 – 23 March 1987) was a prominent French archaeologist specializing in the ancient Near East, who served as director of the Mission Archéologique Française in Lebanon. Dunand excavated Byblos from 1924 to 1975, and ...
. Amongst the pottery was a sherd with a cylinder seal showing pattern of marching and alternating
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
s and
lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
s that was similar to sherds showing a similar type of
animalism from
Byblos
Byblos ( ; gr, Βύβλος), also known as Jbeil or Jubayl ( ar, جُبَيْل, Jubayl, locally ; phn, 𐤂𐤁𐤋, , probably ), is a city in the Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate of Lebanon. It is believed to have been first occupied between 880 ...
,
Megiddo Megiddo may refer to:
Places and sites in Israel
* Tel Megiddo, site of an ancient city in Israel's Jezreel valley
* Megiddo Airport, a domestic airport in Israel
* Megiddo church (Israel)
* Megiddo, Israel, a kibbutz in Israel
* Megiddo Junction, ...
and other
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
and
Syrian
Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...
sites dating to the EB period. Although some thinner pink ware was found, sherds were usually red or grey, thick and well fired. The forms suggested were large, flat based jars with flared rims. Decorations found included incised patterns, made with combs to form bands of chevrons. Similar finds were discovered at
Jaita I,
Kaffer Jarra Roueisse,
Nahr Damour,
Aramoun and
Khallet-el-Khazen {{unreferenced, date=September 2015
El-Khazen Tract or "El-Khazem Tract" known as Khallet el-Khazem (خلة خازن او خلة خازم) is on the southern part of the mountain of Lebanon with altitudes between 750m and 910m above sea level. The ...
. Two used
flint
Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fir ...
blades were found along with part of a
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...
object.
See also
*
Druze in Lebanon
Lebanese Druze ( ar, دروز لبنان, durūz lubnān) are Lebanese people who are Druze. The Druze faith is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion, and an ethnoreligious esoteric group originating from the Near East who self identify as ...
*
Christianity in Lebanon
Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures purport that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, whom they affiliated to the ancient patriarchate of Antioch. The spread of Christianity in Lebanon was ...
References
External links
Bchamoun localiban
Populated places in Aley District
Druze communities in Lebanon
Christian communities in Lebanon
Archaeological sites in Lebanon
Bronze Age Asia
Prehistoric Lebanon
Ancient cities of the Middle East
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