Hippodrome of Berytus
Hippodrome of Berytus is located in Beirut
Hippodrome of Berytus
Shown within Beirut
Hippodrome of Berytus is located in Lebanon
Hippodrome of Berytus
Hippodrome of Berytus (Lebanon)
LocationBeirut, Lebanon
Coordinates33°53′49″N 35°29′59″E / 33.89694°N 35.49972°E / 33.89694; 35.49972

The hippodrome of Berytus was a circus in the Roman colony of Berytus (modern-day Beirut). It is one of two hippodromes in Beirut.

History

The hippodrome was built close to the port and forum of Berytus (modern Beirut).[1] It was one of the largest in the Levant, occupying an area of 3500 m2,[1] and was probably similar in overall design to the Circus Maximus in Rome, comprising starting gates and a circuit of two straight tracks connected by a semicircular end. The circus was mostly used for chariot racing, which was an immensely popular and highly partisan spectator sport throughout the Roman Empire; the track would have been surrounded by seating tiers for spectators. The Berytus hippodrome is mentioned in the anonymous, late 4th century Expositio totius mundi et gentium ("A description of the world and its people") as one of the five best racing circuits in the Levant, the others being at Antioch, Laodicea, Caesarea and Tyrus.[2]

During the 6th and the 7th centuries of the Byzantine Empire, violent factional and political disturbances at circuses (such as the Nike riots in Constantinople) led to their gradual abandonment as places of costly, officially subsidised mass entertainment. The hippodrome at Berytus fell into disuse and disrepair.

Its stone was later mined and reused in the construction of other buildings, according to archeologist Lee Levine. Its outline remained sufficiently clear in the 20th century for identification as a hippodrome by the archaeologist Robert du Mesnil du Buisson.[3] Its groundworks were partially excavated in 1988. An approximately 90-meter section of wall has been uncovered, alongside the straight, and the foundations of seating tiers at the semi-circular end.[4]

The hippodrome site is near the Maghen Abraham Synagogue in Wadi Abu Jamil, the historic, Jewish quarter of Beirut.[1]

Preservation

In 2009, the site was officially listed in the general inventory of historic buildings, and the Culture Minister Tamam Salam ruled that it should be preserved in situ and turned into a tourist landmark.[4]

According to an article appearing in the French daily, L'Orient-Le Jour, Gaby Layoun, the Culture Minister at the time, approved in March 2012 plans for a luxury residential complex to be built over the ruins of Beirut’s Roman Hippodrome, bypassing the recommendations of three of his predecessors: Tarek Mitri, Salim Wardé, and Tammam Salam.[5][6] The Association for the Protection of the Lebanese Heritage (APLH) organized protests as an attempt to reverse the Culture Ministry's decision to allow the building over the hippodrome.[7] Following the litigation brought by APLH, the court suspended on May 31, 2012 the Culture Ministry's decision, N˚ 849, to dismantle the Roman Hippodrome that would have allowed for the construction of a building project on the site.[8] The site was protected until 2015 when construction began again.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Save Beirut's Heritage: The Roman Hippodrome To Be Demolished". A Separate State of Mind. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  2. ^ Humphrey, John H. (1986). Roman Circuses: Arenas for Chariot Racing. University of California Press. p. 441. doi:10.1080/00665983.1987.11021240. ISBN 9780520049215. OCLC 8826280.
  3. ^ Humphrey, John H. (1986). Roman Circuses: Arenas for Chariot Racing. University of California Press. pp. 491–492. doi:10.1080/00665983.1987.11021240. ISBN 9780520049215. OCLC 8826280.
  4. ^ a b Alkantar, Bassam (13 March 2012). "Minister of Culture "Dismantles" Beirut's Roman Hippodrome". Al-Akhbar English. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  5. ^ "L'hippodrome romain de Beyrouth englouti par les promoteurs". L'Orient-Le Jour (in French). 16 March 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Former culture ministers lash out at Layoun over Beirut's Roman hippodrome issue". Now Lebanon. 11 May 2012. Archived from the original on 14 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2018. The three previous Culture Ministers, Mitri, Wardé, and Salam criticized Layoun's move and reiterated the importance of protecting and preserving the archeological site
  7. ^ "Protest called to protect Lebanese ancient ruins". Al-Akhbar English. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 18 January 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  8. ^ Redaction (31 May 2012). "Hippodrome Romain de Beyrouth: La Justice suspend la décision de démantèlement suite au recours de l'APPL". Libna News (in French). Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
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