Hosn Suleiman

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Hosn Suleiman, temple of Zeus
حصن سليمان
Hosnsuleiman.jpg
Hosn Suleiman temple
Hosn Suleiman is located in Syria
Hosn Suleiman
Shown within Syria
LocationSyria
RegionTartus Governorate
Coordinates34°55′49″N 36°14′43″E / 34.93036°N 36.24533°E / 34.93036; 36.24533Coordinates: 34°55′49″N 36°14′43″E / 34.93036°N 36.24533°E / 34.93036; 36.24533

Hosn Suleiman (Arabic: حصن سليمان‎), a Syrian village, is found on the slope of the Al-Nabi Saleh mountain (جبل النبي صالح) at an altitude 950 m, at a distance of 20 km from Duraykish and 56 km from Tartous.

History[]

Hosn Suleiman was known as Baetocaece which was famous for its slave market.[1] The town had a temple of Zeus (بيت سيسي) and it is hinted from the naming that it bears semitic roots derived from Zeus's name. Also known as Baal (Bel) temple, ascribed to the god Baal. Still there is a village nearby called (بتعلوس). Baal was called also Baalous, and a Roman emperor existed as Elagabalus.[2]

The location was in close relation with Arwad kingdom (Arados) in the times of Phoenicians, and was a source of wood for the shipping industry. It was an important site during the Hellenic and Roman periods. Syria was then part of the Seleucid Empire.

The current naming is derived from King Solomon (Ar: سليمان). Visitors can see the huge stones of the temple, with inscriptions in ancient Greek and Latin.

References[]

  1. ^ James Albert Harrill (1998). The Manumission of Slaves in Early Christianity. Mohr Siebeck. p. 38. ISBN 9783161469350.
  2. ^ "حصن سليمان".

Bibliography[]

  • Dignas, Beate (2002). Economy of the Sacred in Hellenistic and Roman Asia Minor. Oxford: OUP. pp. 74–84, 156ff.
  • Freyberger, K.S. (2009). "Das Heiligtum in Baitokaike (Hössn Soleiman): Chronologie, Funktion und Bedeutung". Archäologischer Anzeiger (2): 265–292.
  • Krencker, D.; Zschietzschmann, W. (1938). Römische Tempel in Syrien. Berlin. pp. 65–101.
  • Kristensen, Troels Myrup (2020). "Space, Exchange and the Embedded Economies of Greek Sanctuaries". In Collar, Anna; Kristensen, Troels Myrup (eds.). Pilgrimage and Economy in the Ancient Mediterranean. Leiden: Brill. pp. 217–222. ISBN 9789004428690.
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