Byblos Submerged Necropolis Reef
Middle Bronze Age (2000–1600 BCE)·Canaanite Byblos·🇱🇧 Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
About
About Byblos Submerged Necropolis Reef
Byblos Submerged Necropolis Reef in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon is a Middle Bronze Age (2000–1600 BCE) submerged-city attributed to Canaanite Byblos. Coastal chamber tomb field now 6 m offshore under sediment near Byblos harbour. Artin Byblos offshore tombs with Cypriot pottery at reef edge.
Why it mattersKey submerged harbour illustrating Canaanite Byblos maritime engineering
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Sea-level change marker
- 02Harbour engineering
Theories
- 01Canopic branch shifting
- 02Mediterranean port typology
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 2000 BCE
- Period
- Middle Bronze Age (2000–1600 BCE)
- Culture
- Canaanite Byblos
- Purpose
- Coastal chamber tomb field now 6 m offshore under sediment near Byblos harbour
- Excavation
- Submerged
c. 2000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1500 CE
Submergence by sea-level rise
c. 1995 CE
Underwater survey
On the ground
Structures & features
34.1200° N · 35.6400° E · -6 m · 3 mapped features
Byblos Submerged Necropolis Reef — Breakwater / Mole
moleHarbour mole or breakwater structure
34.1201° N · 35.6401° EByblos Submerged Necropolis Reef — Anchorage Basin
basinHarbour basin with mooring stones
34.1198° N · 35.6401° EByblos Submerged Necropolis Reef — Storehouse / Quay
quayWarehouses or quay wall
34.1204° N · 35.6398° E