Roman Berytus: Beirut in Late Antiquity

404 Pages·2004·3.34 MB·English

by  Linda Jones Hall

ROMAN BERYTUS
ROMAN BERYTUS
Beirut in Late Antiquity
Linda Jones Hall
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2004
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
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© 2004 Linda Jones Hall
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Hall, Linda Jones, 1941–
Roman Berytus: Beirut in late antiquity/Linda Jones Hall.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Beirut (Lebanon)—History. 2. Romans—Lebanon—Beirut.I.Title.
DS89.B4H34 2004
939'.44–dc22
2003018556
ISBN 0-203-49907-7 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-57178-9 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-28919-X (Print Edition)
Dedicated to the memory of
my mother
Zona Sears Jones
(February 21, 1918–December 9, 1994)
and
my first Latin teacher
Helen Dannettelle Kesler
(February 24, 1902–June 6, 1983)
CONTENTS
List of illustrations x
Preface xi
Acknowledgments x iii
List of abbreviations x vii
Spelling conventions x xi
1 Introduction 1
Historiographical background 2
Aspects of self-identification 4
Methodology 4
Sources 6
2 The geographical setting 15
Location 15
The harbor 15
The coast road 16
Berytus and other cities 17
3 The economic base of the city 21
Traditional view of the ancient economy 21
The economy of Late Antique Berytus 22
Trade 23
Textile production and trade 24
Taxation as a measure of trade 27
Wealth from agricultural products 31
Redistribution of wealth by the church 34
vi
Urban exchange of artisan goods and services 35
The effect of the law schools on the economy of Berytus 36
Conclusions about the economy of Berytus 36
4 Berytus as Colonia and Civitas 44
The earlier eras 44
Colonia Romana 45
The military connections of the colony 46
Citizenship in the colony 48
The colony in the time of the Severans and Late Antiquity 49
City and council (Boule): the role of the curial classes 52
5 The built environment of Berytus 59
Urban life in the Classical and Late Antique city 59
Hellenistic polis and Roman colonia: the physical 61
structures
The physical structures of Late Antique Berytus 61
Evidence of the earthquake narratives 68
6 Provincial organization in the Roman and Late 84
Antique eras
Syria under the Julio-Claudians and the Flavians 84
The founding of the Roman province of Phoenicia 93
Early governors of Phoenicia 94
Governors known from the correspondence of Libanius 96
Phoenicia in the late fourth century 1 02
Phoenicia in the fifth century 1 05
Phoenicia in the sixth century 1 09
7 Paganism and cultural identity 1 27
Paganism and cultural identification in Classical Berytus 1 27
‘Roman’ religion of the Colonia Augusta 1 28
Phoenician heritage in the religion of Berytus and environs 131
Severan construction of Phoenician religion 1 34
vii
Julian and Late Antique paganism in Berytus and 1 37
Phoenicia
Julian and the construction of Late Antique ethnicity and 1 38
religion
Late Antique paganism as a restoration of the status quo 1 39
Paganism as ethnic expression in Late Antiquity 1 41
Paganism as traditional praxis in the environs of Late 1 44
Antique Berytus
Conclusion about paganism in and near Late Antique 1 48
Berytus
8 Christianity as change in religious identity 1 59
Conversion within the city of Berytus 1 59
Conversion outside the city of Berytus: the monastic 1 63
phenomenon
The Late Antique church in Berytus and the construction of 1 69
group identity
The churches of Berytus 1 69
Bishops of Berytus 1 75
Evidence for individual religious belief in Late Antique 1 80
Berytus
Conclusion about Christian identity in Late Antique 1 81
Berytus
Jews in Berytus: separateness and togetherness 1 82
Second to fourth centuries 1 82
Early sixth century 1 83
9 A city of lawyers, professors, and students 1 92
The lawyers and the law students: construction of identity 1 92
by education
Cultural diversity of the students 1 93
Self-identification of the law students and their professors 1 96
Latin, indigenous languages, and cultural identity 1 97
Religion, law, and Late Antique construction of self 1 98
viii
Imperial confirmation of the role of Berytus 1 98
Education in Roman Berytus 1 99
Professors of the third and fourth centuries 2 00
Students in Berytus in the third century 2 00
Students in the fourth century 2 02
Professors of the fourth century 2 03
Fourth-century professors known from the letters of 2 04
Libanius
Students known from the letters of Libanius 2 04
The fifth century in Berytus 2 06
Known law professors from the fifth and sixth centuries 2 07
10 Artisans, occupational identity, and social status 2 18
Silk workers 2 20
Linen workers 2 23
Weavers 2 24
Producers of purple: sellers, dyers, and ‘fishers’ 2 25
Purple dyers 2 27
‘Collectors of purple dye fish’ 2 30
‘Beautiful writer’: scribe, artist, or embroiderer? 2 32
Artists and mosaicists 2 33
Glass artisans 2 36
Metal workers 2 37
Conclusion about the artisans of Berytus and environs 2 39
11 Conclusion 2 51
Appendix I: Province of Syria 2 56
Appendix II: Province of Phoenicia 2 64
Appendix III: Lawyers, law professors, and law students 2 76
Appendix IV: Coins attributed to the mint in Berytus 2 82
Bibliography 2 95
ix
Primary sources 2 95
Secondary sources 3 04
Index 3 55