Jbeil, Byblos, has been a human settlement for 8,000 years. This is, at the far extreme of the human lifetime, only about 80 lifetimes old or, on the other hand, 650 or so generations. It feels more dramatic in some ways than Egypt because of the feeling of continuity. Whereas ancient Egypt feels like the past and a break from the present.
We went, finally, to see the site yesterday. The blue of the Mediterranean, a few white clouds, the hills behind, and a vast landscape of antiquity where one could be directed from the new (Crusader castle, Roman amphitheatre) to the old (Phoenecian harbour) to the unimaginably old (unknown temple lined with obelisks and where thousands of tiny black votive figurines were found; neolithic village with urn burials). The heart of it all was a pit like a step well, leading down to a well with a spring between two hills, the eye of Jbeil, where all settlements focused.
In the evening was the weekly farmer’s market where we appeared to be the only customers so I hope that it lasts at least as long as we’re here. We got some good bits and pieces, including some long-desired red chillies and the best sumac I have ever tasted. We did not find dinner as we’d hoped so went to a burger joint that was clearly modelled after the dirty-trendy American types, complete with a repellent cheese sauce for dipping chips. The burgers weren’t too bad, though if there are other options I doubt we’ll return.