AMRIT
/ AMURRE
Founded
by Amorite colonists from Arvad in the late third millennium BC,
Amrit was a town in the modern Latakia Province which was situated
50km (30 miles) to the north of Tripoli. Initially under the authority
of Arvad, like the rest of the region, it saw a procession of various
peoples and powers, including Canaanites, Phoenicians, and the great
empires of the first millennium BC.
By
the time Alexander the Great annexed the region to his Greek empire.
Amrit was one of the biggest cities in the ancient world. At least
until the first century BC it apparently played an important role,
with coins being minted here. Today it houses the remains of the
only well-preserved Phoenician temple in the world, the Temple of
Amrit.
c.1600
- 1100 BC : Under Arvad's authority.
1100
- 625 BC : Amrit is conquered by Assyria.
625
- 604 BC : Under Arvad's authority.
604
- 539 BC : Amrit is conquered by Babylonia.
Sarepta
:
This
was a Phoenician city which spent much of its existence under the
control of Sidon (eight miles to the north). It was first mentioned
in Egyptian records in the fourteenth century BC, and the Old Testament
comments on it being subject to Sidon during the reign of the Samarian
king, Ahab (870-848 BC). There it is called Zarephath. By the first
century AD the Roman port of Sarepta existed about a kilometre to
the south (as mentioned by Josephus). The city survived until at
least the fourteenth century AD, after the collapse of the Crusader
kingdoms in the area.
(Additional
information from Jewish War & Jewish Antiquities, Flavius Josephus.)
Amrit
as per Wikipedia :
![](640px-Amrit01.jpg)
The
Temple of Amrit (Click on image to enlarge)
![](amrit.jpg)
Amrit
Shown Within Syria in Red Dots
Alternative
name : Amrith, Marathus, Marathos
Location : 6 km (3.7 mi) from Tartus, Syria
Region : Phoenicia
Coordinates : 34.8388°N 35.9071°E
Type
: Settlement
History :
Founded : Third millennium BC
Abandoned : c. 148 BC
Periods : Phoenician (Persian, Hellenistic)
Site notes :
Excavation dates : 1954
Archaeologists : Maurice Dunand
Condition : Ruins
Management : Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums
Public access : Yes
Amrit,
the classical Marathus (Greek: Marathos), was a Phoenician port
located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millennium
BC, Marat (Phoenician: mrt) was the northernmost important city
of ancient Phoenicia and a rival of nearby Arwad. During the 2nd
century BC, Amrit was defeated and its site largely abandoned, leaving
its ruins well preserved and without extensive remodeling by later
generations.
History
:
The city lies on the Mediterranean coast around 6 km (3.7 mi) south
of modern-day Tartus. Two rivers cross the city: Nahr Amrit, near
the main temple, and Nahr al-Kuble near the secondary temple, a
fact that might be linked to the importance of water in the religious
traditions in Amrit. The city was probably founded by the Arvadites,
and served as their continental base. It grew to be one of the wealthiest
towns in the dominion of Arwad. The city surrendered, along with
Arwad, to Alexander the Great in 333 BC. During Seleucid times the
town, known as Marathus, was probably larger and more prosperous
than Arwad. In 219 BC Amrit gained independence from Arwad, and
was later sacked by forces from the latter city in 148 BC.
Excavation
:
Excavations of the site principally began in 1860 by Ernest Renan.
Excavations were again carried out in 1954 by French archaeologist
Maurice Dunand. Ceramic ware finds at Amrit indicated the site had
been inhabited as early as the third millennium BC. Middle and Late
Bronze Age "silo tombs" were also excavated, with contents
ranging from weapons to original human remains. Excavations at the
necropolis south of the town yielded several tomb structures. The
funeral art found in some tombs with pyramidal-or cube-shaped towers,
is considered some of "the most notable grave-monuments of
the Phoenician world." Excavations also uncovered the town's
ancient harbor, and a U-shaped stadium that dates back to the 4th
and 3rd centuries BC and measures around 230 m (750 ft) in length.
Temples
:
One of the most important excavations at Amrit was the Phoenician
temple, commonly referred to the "ma'abed," dedicated
to the god Melqart of Tyre and Eshmun. The colonnaded temple, excavated
between 1955 and 1957, consists of a large court cut out of rock
measuring 47 × 49 m (154 × 161 ft) and over 3 m (9.8
ft) deep, surrounded by a covered portico. In the center of the
court a well-preserved cube-shaped cella stands. The open-air courtyard
was filled with the waters of a local, traditionally sacred spring,
a unique feature of this site. The temple—which was dated
to the late 4th century BC, a period following the Persian expansion
into Syria—shows major Achaemenid influence in its layout
and decoration. According to Dutch archaeologist, Peter Akkermans,
the temple is the "best-preserved monumental structure from
the Phoenician homeland."
A
second temple, described by visitors to the site in 1743 and 1860
and thought to have disappeared, was later discovered by the Syrian
archaeological mission near the Nahr al-Kuble spring.
Stadium
:
![](640px-Stadio_Amrit_1-2.jpg)
The
Pre-Olympic Phoenician Stadium north of Amrit
About 200 m (660 ft) northeast of the main temples of ancient Marathos
and 180 m (590 ft) north of the Amrit Tell are the remains of a
rock-carved Phoenician stadium. It is separated from the other two
archaeological sites by the Nahr al-Amrit and a site called by the
locals al-Meqla '(the quarry'). The Stadium of Amrit was first described
in 1745 by Richard Pococke in Part 2 of his book, A Description
of the East, and Some Other Countries, as the site where an ancient
Circus was held. Ernest Renan examined it in 1860 and discussed
it in his book Mission de Phénicie, making the conclusion
that the complex was not Roman in its entirety and that the stadium
was undoubtedly Phoenician. The stadium is about 225 to 230 meters
long and 30 to 40 meters wide, it has similar dimensions to the
stadium of Olympia in Greece (213 × 31/32 meters). Seven rows
of seats have been partially preserved. The stadium was open to
the west and had two entrances on the east side between seats. In
addition, there was a tunnel to the interior. The stadium is located
approximately at a right angle to the main temple of Amrit, the
Maabed. The temples to the north and west have open sides or which
the stadium forms a common intersection. It is believed that the
Amrit stadium was the location for sacred competitions where anointing
and funeral games took place. Labib Boutros, former director of
athletics at the American University of Beirut has conducted recent
studies of the stadium and suggested that its construction may date
back as far as 1500 BC, saying that the Amrit stadium was "devoted
to sports in Phoenicia several centuries before the Olympic Games".
Necropolis
:
![](640px-Meghazil_2.jpg)
Burial
towers at Amrit called "al Maghazil" or The Spindles
The Necropolis in the south of Amrit consists of underground burial
chambers and two distinguishing burial towers called by the locals
"al Maghazil" or The Spindles that stand up to 7.5 m (25
ft) high. The larger tower is composed of a square stone base with
a slightly upward tapering cylindrical block with a base diameter
of 3.7 m (12 ft), rising to a pyramid as a top termination, which
is badly damaged. The second is approximately 12 meters southeast
and is not quite 7 m (23 ft) tall. At its base are three cylindrical
parts whose diameters decrease and terminate in a dome. At the lower
cylinder, to the corners of the square base plates, four lions decorate
the building, which may not have been completed. Excavations of
the burial chambers east of the towers has uncovered finds dated
back as far as the 5th century BC. Plain limestone and clay sarcophagus
were found arranged in cassette-like formation within the chambers.
Other tombs are located south of the Nahr al-Qubli, the "al-Burg
Bazzaq" or Worm tower, a phenomenal structure that was originally
19.50 meters high and the Hypogeum "Hagar al-Hubla" with
three burial chambers, which were still used in Roman times.
Conservation
:
Amrit was included on the 2004 and 2006 World Monuments Fund watch
lists of endangered archaeological sites. The Fund called attention
to the site's rapid deterioration due to vandalism and encroaching
development. In 2006 a three-day workshop was organized with participation
from the UNESCO, Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums
of Syria and local administrators responsible for the sites of Amrit,
Tartus and Arwad.
Gallery
:
![](Amrit_Sepolcro_-_GAR_-_1-01.jpg)
Meghazil
tomb, Amrit in 2006
![](Amrit_Santuario_Fenicio_-_GAR_-_2-01.jpg)
Phoenician
Temple (Ma'abed), cella at the center of the court, Amrit in 2006
![](Amrit_Stadio_Ellenistico_-_GAR_-_2-01.jpg)
Phoenician
Stadium, Amrit in 2006
Samudra
Manthan (churning of sea) and Analysis of Dr. Gaurav A. Vyas :
![](640samudramanthan.jpg)
Samudra
Manthan (Churning of Sea)
Aryan
Scriptures such as Bhagavat Puran and Vishnu Puran mentions about
Samudra Manthan i.e. churning of sea. In which Mount Mandara was
used as the churning rod, and Vasuki, a nagaraj (king of snakes)
who abides on Shiv's neck, became the churning rope. The Asurs holded
the head of the snake, while the Devtas holded its tail. When the
mountain was placed in the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu, in the
form of Kurma (lit. turtle), came to their rescue and supported
the mountain on his shell.
In
the churning of sea Amrit i.e. Nectar / Ambrosia came out of Sea
which was taken by Devtas.
When
we deeply analyse this story we find that Aryans and Maruts (Amorites
/ Amurru) were on one side and Asurs (Assyrians) were on other side
and this place known as Amrit was won by Devtas i.e. Aryans and
Maruts (Amorites / Amurru).
Above
all this place Amrit is also located near Sea and was ruled by Aryans.
The
snake and tortoise were worshipped by Chaldeans hence, there may
be some role of them in this power struggle and they might have
played neutral.
Source
:
https://www.historyfiles.co.uk/
KingListsMiddEast/
CanaanOtherCities.htm#Amrit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrit