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Heliopolis, fully "Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Heliopolitana" (Latin for the "Fortunate Julian Augustan Colony in the City of the Sun"), was a colony of the Roman Empire. It was also known as Heliopolis in Phoenicia to distinguish it from Heliopolis in Egypt. It was known to locals as Baalbek and it has since regained its historic name. Its ruins are a Unesco world heritage site

History

Ancient Baalbek (under its Hellenic name Heliopolis) formed part of the Diadochi kingdoms of Egypt & Syria. It was annexed by the Romans during their eastern wars. The Italic settlers of the Roman colony "Colonia Julia Augusta Felix Heliopolitana" may have arrived as early as the time of Caesar but were more probably the veterans of two Roman Legions under Augustus, during which time it hosted a Roman garrison.

Indeed the veterans of two Roman legions were established in the city (and region) of Berytus by emperor Augustus: the fifth Macedonian and the third Gallic., and Heliopolis from 15 BC to 193 AD formed part of the territory of Berytus. The population was mainly local in the second century under Hadrian with a few descendants of the Roman colonists and likely varied seasonally with market fairs and the schedules of the caravans to the coast and interior.

During Classical Antiquity, the city's temple to Baʿal & Haddu was conflated first with the worship of the Greek sun god Helios and then with the Greek and Roman sky god under the name "Heliopolitan Zeus" or "Jupiter". The present Temple of Jupiter presumably replaced an earlier one using the same foundation. The presence of a huge quarry was one of the reasons for the Roman decision to create a huge "Great Court" of a big pagan temple complex in this mountain site, located at nearly 1100 meters of altitude and on the eastern Borders of the Roman Empire: it took three centuries to create this colossal Roman paganism's temple complex, called Sanctuary of Heliopolis.

Monoliths

Heliopolis contains some of the biggest monoliths of Classical Antiquity, inccuding the Baalbek Trilithon and the Stone of the Pregnant Woman:

References

1. UNESCO: Heliopolis/Baalbeck
2. Roman Berytus: a colony of legionaries
3. Cook Arthur 550
4. Video-Panoramas of the Sanctuary temples at Discover Lebanon: Heliopolis temples
5. Ruprechtsberger 1999, p. 15 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFRuprechtsberger1999 (help)
6. Ruprechtsberger 1999, p. 17 harvnb error: no target: CITEREFRuprechtsberger1999 (help)
7. ^ Adam, Jean-Pierre (1977). "À propos du trilithon de Baalbek: Le transport et la mise en oeuvre des mégalithes". Syria (in French). 54 (1/2): 31–63. doi:10.3406/syria.1977.6623.
8. ^ Coulton, J.J. (1974). "Lifting in Early Greek Architecture". Journal of Hellenic Studies. Vol. 94. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

Bibliography

• Alouf, Michael. History of Baalbek Publisher American Press. Beirut, 1998 ()
• Cook, Arthur Bernard (1914), Zeus: A Study in Ancient Religion, vol. Vol. I: Zeus God of the Bright Sky, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press {{citation}}: External link in |volume= (help).
• Lohmann, Daniel (2010). Giant Strides towards Monumentality: The architecture of the Jupiter Sanctuary in Baalbek/Heliopolis. Bolletino di Archeologia , Special Volume, pp. 29–30.

See also

• Temple of Jupiter (Roman Heliopolis)
• Temple of Bacchus
• Baalbeck
• Roman Berytus
• Roman Phoenicia

v t e Colonies of ancient Rome
With correspondence to modern geography
Europe	Britannia Superior Camulodunum Lindum Colonia Londinium Britannia Inferior Eboracum Roman Dacia Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa Gallia Lugdunensis Lugdunum Gallia Narbonensis Narbo Martius Germania Inferior Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium Mogontiacum Hispania Augusta Emerita Italia Aelia Augusta Aeclanum Castra Taurinorum Florentia Mediolanum Placentia Moesia Singidunum
Levant	Of legion veterans Berytus Caesarea Maritima Aelia Capitolina Ptolemais Of late Empire Laodicea Antioch Seleucia Emesa Heliopolis Palmyra Damascus Arca Caesarea Sidon Tyrus Sebaste Bostra Petra Neapolis Philippopolis Dura-Europos Possible colonies Gaza Ascalon Gerasa Gadara Emmaus Nicopolis Neronias Locations with modern names Israel and the Palestinian territories Jerusalem: Aelia Capitolina Acre: Ptolemais Caesarea Maritima Imwas: Emmaus Nicopolis Banias: Neronias Jordan Petra Umm Qais: Gadara Jerash: Gerasa Lebanon Arqa: Arca Caesarea Beirut: Berytus Baalbek: Heliopolis Saida: Sidon Tyre: Tyrus Syria Bosra: Bostra Damascus Dura-Europos Homs: Emesa Latakia: Laodicea Shahba: Philippopolis Tadmur: Palmyra Turkey Antakya: Antioch Samandağ: Seleucia
UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Proposed; in Danger See also: Legacy of the Roman Empire

v t e Archaeological sites in Lebanon

Aadloun Aaiha Aammiq Aaqbe Ain Aata Ain Choaab Ain Harcha Akbiyeh Akkar plain foothills Al-Bireh Amioun Amlaq Qatih Anjar, Lebanon Antelias cave Apheca Ard Saouda Ard Tlaili Arqa Augusti Pagus Baalbek Baidar ech Chamout Batroumine Batroun Bechamoun Beirut Beit Mery Belat temple Berytus (Roman Beirut) Bustan Birke Byblos Canalizations of Zenobia Dahr El Ahmar Dakoue Deir El Aachayer Deir Al-Ahmar Deir Mar Maroun Dekwaneh Douris (Baalbek) Elaea (Lebanon) Flaoui Fadous Sud Hebbariye Hadeth south Haret ech Cheikh Hashbai Heliopolis in Phoenicia Hermel plains Iaat Jabal es Saaïdé Jbaa Jdeideh Jebel Aabeby Jeita Grotto Joub Jannine Jieh Kafr Zabad Kamid el-Loz Kamouh el Hermel Karak Nuh Kaukaba Kefraya Kafr Tebnit Kfar Qouq Kfarhata Khallet Michte Kharayeb Khirbet El-Knese Kouachra megalith field Ksar Akil Labweh Lake Qaraoun (Ain Jaouze) Libbaya Lion Tower Majdal Anjar Mansourieh Maronite mummies Mayrouba Mdoukha (Jebel Kassir) Moukhtara Mtaileb Nabi Zair Nachcharini Nahle, Lebanon Neba'a Faour Nebi Safa Hosn Niha Phoenician port of Beirut Plain of Zgharta Qaa Qal'at Bustra Qalaat Tannour Qaraoun Qasr el Banat Ras Baalbek I Ras Beirut Ras El Kelb Rashaya Roman Forum of Berytus Roman hippodrome of Berytus Roman temple of Bziza Sands of Beirut Saraain El Faouqa Shheem Sidon Sin el Fil Sarepta Stone of the Pregnant Woman Tahun ben Aissa Taire Tayibe Tell Aalaq Tell Ablah Tell Addus Tell Ahle Tell Ain Cerif Tell Ain el Meten Tell Ain Ghessali Tell Ain Nfaikh Tell Ain Saouda Tell Ain Sofar Tell Ayoub Tell Bar Elias Tell Beshara Tell Bir Dakoue Tell Deir Tell Delhamieh Tell Derzenoun Tell Dibbine Tell el-Burak Tell El Ghassil Tell El Hadeth Tell Fadous Tell Hazzine Tell Hoch Rafqa Tell Karmita Tell Khardane Tell Kirri Tell Jezireh Tell Jisr Tell Kabb Elias Tell Majdaloun Tell Masoud Tell Mekhada Tell Meouchi Tell Mureibit Tell Murtafa Tell Nahariyah Tell Neba'a Chaate Tell Neba'a Litani Tell Qasr Labwe Tell Rasm El Hadeth Tell Rayak Tell Saatiya Tell Safiyeh Tell Saoudhi Tell Serhan Tell Shaikh Hassan al Rai Tell Shamsine Tell Sultan Yakoub Tell Taalabaya Tell Wardeen Tell Zenoub Tell Zeitoun Temnin el-Foka Temple of Bacchus Temple of Eshmun Temple of Jupiter Temple of the Obelisks Toron Tripolis (region of Phoenicia) Tyre Necropolis Tyre Umm al-Amad Wadi Koura Wadi Yaroun Yammoune Yanta Ain W Zain Zahlé

v t e Roman archaeological sites in Lebanon
Roman Berytus (actual Beirut)	Berytus Roman Forum of Berytus Berytus Roman Baths Cisterns of Berytus Baths Berytus Cardo Decumanus Berytus Colonnaded street Byzantine mosaics Roman hippodrome of Berytus Roman Law school of Berytus
Roman Phoenicia (actual Lebanon)	Heliopolis Temple of Bacchus Temple of Jupiter (Baalbek) Temples of Mount Hermon Temples of the Beqaa Valley Aaqbe temple Afqa Ain Aata temple Ain Harcha roman temple Amioun Monastery Arca Caesarea Augusti Pagus Bakka temple Batroumine Bziza temple Canalizations of Zenobia Dakoue temple Mansourieh Roman aqueduct Hebbariye temple Iaat column Kafr Zabad temples Khirbet El-Knese roman temples Labweh Roman temple Libbaya roman temple Monastery of Qozhaya Monastery of Saint Maron Nahle roman temple Nebi Safa temple Niha Hosn Niha Qalaat Faqra Qal'at Bustra temple Castra Chbib Castra El Banat Saraain El Faouqa Schleem roman temple Colonia Aurelia Pia "Sidon" Temnin el-Foka nymphaeum Tripolis in Phoenicia Tyrus Tyre Necropolis Roman temple to Venus in Yammoune
Related	Roman Lebanon Phoenice (Roman province) Palaestina Secunda Phoenice Libanensis Stone of the Pregnant Woman Ulpianus Marcus Valerius Probus Eudokia of Heliopolis Saint Barbara of Heliopolis Coele-Syria List of Christian cathedrals in Lebanon Christianity in Lebanon Catholic Church in Lebanon Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral 2nd century in Lebanon 3rd century in Lebanon 4th century in Lebanon 5th century in Lebanon 6th century in Lebanon 551 Beirut earthquake
UNESCO World Heritage Sites Proposed Category:Roman sites in Lebanon

• Roman sites in Lebanon