Early Settlements


Head to the archaeological complex's most modern building – a rather lovely 19th-century house – to inspect its oldest. Just south of the house, you can see an oval-shaped Chalcolithic dwelling, while some Neolithic and early Bronze traces are adjacent to that and more lie to the north of the house. The intriguing large structure on a platform east of the house is a Bronze Age building of unusual dimensions, whose size and columns perhaps indicate some sort of royal palace.


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Nearby attractions

1. King's Spring

0.05 MILES

Used at least as far back as the Neolithic period, this spring supplied the city with water until the end of the Hellenistic era (and where, according to…

2. Temple of Baalat Gebal

0.07 MILES

The site's oldest temple dates back to the early 3rd millennium BC and was dedicated to the goddess of the city. Destroyed by the Amorites, it was…

3. Temple of Resheph

0.07 MILES

This temple dates from the 3rd millennium BC and is thought to have been burned down during the Amorite invasions. It was then replaced with the Temple of…

4. Obelisk Temple

0.09 MILES

Remains of the early 2nd millennium BC Obelisk Temple have 1500 gold-covered votive offerings in the shape of human figures, which were discovered here in…

5. Royal Tombs

0.09 MILES

These nine tombs were cut in impressive vertical shafts deep into the rock in the 2nd millennium BC and discovered after a landslip. Some of the…

6. Roman Theatre

0.09 MILES

To get access to earlier temples beneath it, this 3rd-century AD Roman theatre was moved and reconstructed by the sea cliff in the 1930s. It's one-third…

7. City Ramparts

0.12 MILES

You can begin your tour here by turning left to explore the ruins, which include the remains of city ramparts dating from the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC.

8. Crusader Castle

0.12 MILES

A restored 12th-century Crusader castle surrounded by a 10m-wide dry moat is located just inside the entrance to Byblos' atmospheric archaeological site…