Names
Transliterated Name Source Name
Beirut English
Bayrūt Arabic بيروت
Beyrouth French
Bērytós Greek Βηρυτός
Berytus Latin
Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix Berytus Latin
Barut French (Crusaders)
Baruth French (Crusaders)
bēʾrūt Phoenician
Biruta Akkadian cuneiform - Amarna letters
Introduction

Beirut has a long history of occupation starting in prehistorical times. During the Byzantine period, Beirut was known as Berytus where it was renowned in the Roman world as a commercial center but most especially for its school of law, which flourished from the third to the sixth centuries CE. (Issam Ali Khalifeh in Meyers, 1997). The Beirut Quake of 551 CE apparently caused the city to shrink in size. Archaeological excavations in the port area of Beirut where the old Roman/Byzantine city was located have been limited.

Maps and Plans Chronology
551 CE Earthquake

South Section BEY 004 Figure 5

South Section

JW: Flame features are drawn in the bottom layer of the section.

Saghieh-Beydoun (2004)


South Section BEY 004 Figure 4

Seismites and Liquefactions

JW: Flame features are visible at the very bottom of the section (e.g. from the white part of the pole downward).

Saghieh-Beydoun (2004)


In Sector BEY 004 (Lebanese University Site ?), Saghieh-Beydoun (1997) discovered some soft sediment liquefaction features known as flame features at the base of what appears to be be a destruction layer or debris flow deposit. This deposit may be dated to the mid 6th century CE - the date of the images above are not entirely clear in the article and I don't currently have access to the report. The flame features shown in the images above are diagnostic of pore fluid overpressures which are commonly caused by liquefaction during earthquakes. Their presence at the bottom of the debris layer may suggest a tsunami debris flow deposit that was then agitated by seismic shaking that then created the liquefaction features. This observation is speculative and further investigation is warranted. These flame features could support the observation in John of Ephesus and the Annals attributed to Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre that the tsunami preceded the earthquake suggesting, as noted by Mordechai (2020) that the main earthquake struck after a powerful foreshock. The speculative sequence of sedimentation would be deposition of a debris flow followed by earthquake induced liquefaction which created the flame features right below the base of the deposit.

Mordechai (2020) surveyed archeoseismic evidence in Beirut:
A late antique layer of destruction, followed by fire in some cases, was found in several excavation sites in the city and was attributed to the 551 earthquake based on several pieces of evidence. [54] One archaeologist described how a diagnostic sounding revealed the earthquake’s ‘horrors in an archaeological inferno over the whole [single] excavated area’ through a layer of destruction between 0.75m and 1.00m thick. [55] This layer, however, was uneven and much thinner in other areas. Other teams asserted that the buildings in their site did not collapse immediately – as evident from the absence of smashed collections of pottery and household goods. [56]

Footnotes

[54] The excavations revealed objects that were buried in the debris such as a wrapped coinroll (see below), a hanging bronze polykandelon and human and animal remains near a collapsed wall, and another group of coins. For the objects, see respectively Mikati & Perring,‘Metropolis to ribat’ (cit. n. 4), pp. 47–49, Perring, ‘Excavations in the Souks’ (cit. n. 41), pp.21–23
, and M. Steiner, ‘The Hellenistic to Byzantine souk: results of the excavations at BEY 011’, ARAM 13–14 (2001–2002), pp. 113–127. Other teams were uncertain whether the destruction layer was to be dated to the sixth or seventh century. See P. Arnaud, E. Llopis & M. Bonifay,‘Bey 027 Rapport préliminaire’, BAAL 1 (1996), pp. 98–134, at p. 109.

[55] Saghieh, ‘Bey 001 & 004’ (cit. n. 46), p. 40.. M. Saghieh-Beydoun, ‘Evidence for earthquakes in the current excavations of Beirut city centre’, [in:] C. Doumet-Serhal (ed.), Decade: A Decade of Archaeology and History in the Lebanon, Beirut 2004, pp. 280–285, at p. 284 later reported finding soil liquefaction, an earthquake-related phenomenon, but did not attribute it to a dated seismic event.

[56] For layer of destruction, see for example Figure 6 in L. Badre, ‘The Greek Orthodox cathedral of Saint George in Beirut, Lebanon: The archaeological excavations and crypt museum’, JEMAHS 4 (2016), pp. 72–97, at p. 78.. For buildings not collapsing, see D. Perring et al., ‘Bey 006, 1994–1995: The souks area interim report of the AUB Project’, BAAL 1 (1996), pp. 176– 206, at pp. 196–198. K. Butcher & R. Thorpe, ‘A note on excavations in central Beirut 1994– 1996’, JRA 10 (1997), pp. 291–306, at p. 299, assert that ‘evidence for earthquake damage on the Souks site is virtually absent...’, and M. Heinz & K. Bartl, ‘Bey 024 “Place Debbas” preliminary report’, BAAL 2 (1997), pp. 236–257, at p. 256, similarly assert that ‘traces of violent destruction (earthquake) were not visible’.
Hall (2004) noted that:
Some archeological evidence has been interpreted to suggest rebuilding on a scale not quite the match of the previous construction (compare Agathias above). Lauffray has found columns of mismatched colors in a building he considers either a church or a basilica. He thinks these columns may represent replacement work after the earthquake. It is notable that Zacharias in his description of the church of Eustathius insists very strongly that the original columns were of purest white and were carefully matched. [115] When summing up the archeological evidence for Berytus, Lauffray thought that some restorations were made to the civic basilica in the sixth century AD. Lauffray also suggested that after the earthquake some of the baths and certain parts of the porticos of the streets were restored. Lauffray notes the difficulty of securely identifying the churches and some other buildings.

[115] Lauffray (1944–6) 62, referring to a colonnade indicated by five column bases.

Seismic Effects
551 CE Earthquake

Seismic Effects include

  • flame features at the bottom of a collapse layer
  • collapse layer
  • Fallen Columns (inferred)

Intensity Estimates
551 CE Earthquake

Effect Description Intensity
Collapsed Walls inferred from collapse layer VIII +
Fallen Columns inferred V +
The archeoseismic evidence requires a minimum Intensity of VIII (8) when using the Earthquake Archeological Effects chart of Rodríguez-Pascua et al (2013: 221-224).

Notes and Further Reading
References

Mordechai, L. (2020). "Berytus and the aftermath of the 551 earthquake." Studies in Source Criticism.

Lauffray (1944–6) 62

Saghieh-Beydoun (1997) Evidence of Earthquakes in the Current Excavations of Beirut City Centre. National Museum News, 5th issue, Spring 1997

Saghieh, M. (1996). "BEY 001 & 004 preliminary report." 1: 23-59.

M. Saghieh-Beydoun, ‘Evidence for earthquakes in the current excavations of Beirut city centre’, [in:] C. Doumet-Serhal (ed.), Decade: A Decade of Archaeology and History in the Lebanon, Beirut 2004, pp. 280–285

L. Badre, ‘The Greek Orthodox cathedral of Saint George in Beirut, Lebanon: The archaeological excavations and crypt museum’, JEMAHS 4 (2016), pp. 72–97, at p. 78.

D. Perring et al., ‘Bey 006, 1994–1995: The souks area interim report of the AUB Project’, BAAL 1 (1996), pp. 176– 206, at pp. 196–198.

K. Butcher & R. Thorpe, ‘A note on excavations in central Beirut 1994– 1996’, JRA 10 (1997), pp. 291–306

BIBLIOGRAPHY from Issam Ali Khalifeh in Meyers (1997)

Badre, Leila. "Th e Historic Fabric of Beirut." In Beirut of Tomorroio, edited by Friedrich Ragette, pp . 65-76 . Beirut, 1983. Historical outline and review of archaeological remains unearthed to the date of publication.

Forest, J. D . "Fouilles a municipalite de Beyrouth, 1977. " Syria 59 (1982): 1-26. Primarily the results of soundings that produced Roman, Byzantine, and later material. Jidejian, Nina. Beirut through the Ages. Beirut, 1973. Useful history of Beirut.

Mouterde , Rene , and Jean Lauffray. Beyrouth ville romaine: Histoire et monuments. Beirut, 1952. Helpful study of the history and archaeology of Beirut in the Roman period. Mouterde , Rene. Regards sur Beyrouth; Phinicienne, hellenislique et romaine. Beirut, 1966. Good review of Beirut's historical and archaeological monuments and remains.

Saidah, Roger. "Archaeology in the Lebanon, 1968-1969. " Berytus 18 (1969): 119-142 . Useful information on archaeological activities in the late 1960s.

Saidah, Roger. "The Prehistory of Beirut." In Beirut: Crossroads of Cultures, pp . 1-13 . Beirut, 1970. Good review of archaeological evidence for the prehistoric periods.

Turquety-Pariset, Francoise. "Fouille de la municipalite de Beyrouth, 1977: Les objects." Syria 59 (1982): 27-76 . Good catalog of objects from the Roman, Byzantine, and later periods.

Ward, William A. "Ancient Beirut." In Beirut: Crossroads of Cultures, p p . 14-42 . Beirut, 1970. Uses the scant archaeological remains to reconstruct the history of Beirut, with some freewheeling interpretations.