Under the city centre,the ancient harbour. Tyre and Sidon: heritages to preserve |
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Institution: | 1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, CDRH/OSEL/DIDSR, 10903 New Hampshire Ave., Bldg. 62 Rm. 4110, Silver Spring, MD 20993;2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, CDRH/OIR/DRH, Silver Spring, Maryland |
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Abstract: | The exact location and chronology of the ancient harbours of Phoenicia's two most important city-states, Tyre and Sidon, is a longstanding debate. New geoarchaeological research reveals that the early ports actually lie beneath the modern urban centres. During the Bronze Age, Tyre and Sidon were characterised by semi-open marine coves. After the first millennium BC, our bio-sedimentological data attest to early artificial harbour infrastructure, before the later apogees of the Roman and Byzantine periods. Post-1000 AD, silting-up and coastal progradation led to burial of the ancient basins, lost until now, beneath the city centres. The outstanding preservation properties of such fine-grained sedimentary contexts, coupled with the presence of the water table, means these two Levantine harbours are exceptionally preserved. This work has far-reaching implications for our understanding of Phoenician maritime archaeology and calls for the protection of these unique cultural heritages. |
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