Berytus
Berytus (/ˈbɛrɪtəs, bəˈraɪtəs/; Phoenician: 𐤁𐤓𐤕, romanized: Biruta; Ancient Greek: Βηρυτός, romanized: Bērytós; Latin: Bērȳtus; Arabic: بِيرِيتُوس), briefly known as Laodicea in Phoenicia (Ancient Greek: Λαοδίκεια ἡ ἐν Φοινίκῃ) or Laodicea in Canaan from the 2nd century to 64 BCE, was the ancient city of Beirut (in modern-day Lebanon) from the Roman Republic through the Roman Empire and Early Byzantine period/late antiquity. Berytus became a Roman colonia that would be the center of Roman presence in the Eastern Mediterranean shores south of Anatolia.
Roman ruins of Berytus, in front of Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in modern-day Beirut | |
Shown within Lebanon | |
| Alternative name | Laodicea in Phoenicia (Ancient Greek: Λαοδίκεια ἡ ἐν Φοινίκῃ) or Laodicea in Canaan (2nd century to 64 BCE) |
|---|---|
| Location | Beirut, Lebanon |
| Coordinates | 33°53′44.8″N 35°30′18.5″E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | Roman republic (merchants from early Laodicea/Berytus recorded by 110–109 BCE) |
| Periods | Roman and Early Byzantine/late antiquity; previous port dating back to Iron Age III and Persian periods |
| Cultures | Phoenician, Roman |
The veterans of two Roman legions under Augustus were established in the city (the fifth Macedonian and the third Gallic), that afterward quickly became Romanized and was the only fully Latin-speaking city in the Syria-Phoenicia region until the fourth century. Although Berytus was still an important city after earthquakes, around 400 CE Tyre was made the capital of the Roman province of Phoenicia. "Of the great law schools of Rome, Constantinople, and Berytus", the law school of Berytus stood "pre-eminent". The Code of Justinian (one part of the Corpus Juris Civilis, the codification of Roman law ordered early in the 6th century CE by Justinian I and fully written in Latin) was mostly created in this school.