Roman Forum, Beirut
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The Roman Forum is located in
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
,
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
.


Overview

The façade of an ancient Roman public building was revealed in 1994, during the construction of the parliamentary offices, which indicated the presence of a
Roman forum A forum (Latin: ''forum'', "public place outdoors", : ''fora''; English : either ''fora'' or ''forums'') was a public square in a municipium, or any civitas, of Ancient Rome reserved primarily for the vending of goods; i.e., a marketplace, alon ...
. Next to it there was a theatre with a huge Roman hippodrome (one of the biggest five in the eastern
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
shores).Map showing the theater and hippodrome over a contemporary map of Beirut
/ref> In recent years there has been a confrontation on the preservation of these Roman archeological remnants, mainly for the Roman hippodrome and
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...
located just on the north side of the Roman Forum.


Construction

Archaeological excavations undertaken during the construction of parliamentary offices in 1994 revealed the northern façade of a Roman public building. The colonnades and decorated façades of the Forum expressed the city’s power and prosperity. A temple precinct marked the southern limit of the Forum, while a large bath complex flanked its northern side. After the 551 Beirut earthquake, the Forum‘s public buildings were partially restored. In the early 1970s, the clock tower in Etoile Square was dismantled to permit the archaeological investigation of the site. Several Roman columns were exposed. Today, they remain intact beneath the clock tower, which was re-erected in 1998 during Beirut's post-war reconstruction.


History

During the construction of parliamentary offices in 1994, archaeological excavations revealed the northern façade of a Roman public building embellished with marble arched niches. The colonnades and decorated façades of the Forum, the central meeting place of Roman Berytus, expressed the city's power and prosperity. A temple precinct marked the southern limit of the Forum, while a large bath complex flanked its northern side. After the earthquake of 551 AD, the Forum‘s public buildings were only partially restored. Part of the bath complex remained in service well into the 10th century. The pavement of the Cardo Maximus, the city’s main street during Roman times, continued to be in use within Souk al-Najjarin until 1934. It was removed at this time to make way for the execution of the star-shaped plan of Etoile Square. In the early 1970s, the clock tower at the center of the square was dismantled to permit the archaeological investigation of the site. Several Roman columns were exposed. These remain intact beneath the clock tower, which was re-erected in 1998 during
Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...
's post-war reconstruction.


Timeline

*551 A.D.: Roman forum's public buildings were partially restored after the earthquake. *Roman era: Pavement of the Cardo Maximus, the city’s main street; continued to be in use within Souk al-Najjarin until 1934. *10th century: Part of the bath complex remained in service until then. *1934: Cardo Maximus removed to make way for the execution of Etoile Square. *Early 1970s: Clock tower at the center of Etoile Square was dismantled to permit the archaeological investigation of the site. *1994: Archaeological excavations revealed the northern façade of a Roman public building. *1998 Re-erection of the clock tower during Beirut’s post-war reconstruction.


Notes


See also

* Beirut Central District * Berytus * Cardo * Place Charles de Gaulle


References

*Lauffray, Jean (1944–45) « Forums et monuments de Béryte », BMB 7 : 13–81. *Marquis, Philip and Ortali-Tarazi, Renata (1996) « Bey 009 L’immeuble de la Banco di Roma ». ''Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaises'' 1:148–175. *Curvers, Hans H. and Stuart, Barbara (2004) “BCD Archeology Project 1994 – 2003: issues and results” in: Claude Doumet-Serhal et al. ''Decade: A Decade of Archaeology and History in the Lebanon'', The Lebanese British Friends of the National Museum, London; Beirut: 248–265. *Curvers, Hans H. and Stuart, Barbara (2007)” The BCD Archaeology Project, 2000–2006”, ''Bulletin d’Archéologie et d’Architecture Libanaises'' 9: 189–221. {{coord missing, Lebanon Ancient Roman forums Monuments and memorials in Lebanon Tourist attractions in Beirut