Wikipedia

Gigarta

Gigarta (also known as Gigartus in classical sources) was an ancient settlement in northern Lebanon. Noted primarily in a Roman boundary inscription found in the vicinity of the Mseilha Fort, Gigarta appears to have been involved in a territorial dispute with Caesarea ad Libanum (modern Arqa) during the first century AD. The region was by Ituraeans rule, and historical accounts suggest that Gigarta’s status was below that of a fully developed Roman city (civitas), yet above that of minor settlement or hamlet (vicus). Gigarta's precise location remains unknown, cholarshave speculated tthat it ay correspond to either the modern town sof Gharzouz, Zgharta, or Hannouch.

In ancient sources

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The precise location of Gigarta remains debated among scholars due to scarce archaeological evidence directly linked to the site; information about the settlement comes from inscriptions and ancient texts suggesting it was situated on the western slopes of Mount Lebanon.[1] Greek geographer Strabo refers the place as "Gigartus", one of the strongholds of the "Arabians and Itureans", and describes its location as being on the slopes of the Libanus.[2] Pliny the Elder writing in the first century AD, situated Gigarta between Tripolis to the north and Botrys to the south.[3][4] The Museiliha inscription referencing Gigarta was discovered in Aabrine, south of Ras ash-Shaq'a. It was reported to have been transported from its findspot nearby the Mseilha Fort. This inscription, now housed in the Louvre Museum,[5][6] is in Latin and records a boundary-marking operation between Caesarea ad Libanum and the people of Gigarta, from the vicus (village) of the Sidonians, on the order of a procurator.[4][6]

Gigarta does not appear to have attained the status of a civitas, even during the early Byzantine period (330–717). In late antiquity, Byzantine geographer George of Cyprus,[7] writing in the early seventh century, still referred to it as a village.[8]

Interpretation and location

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French orientalist Ernest Renan suggested that Gigarta is modern Gharzouz,[4] while French archeologist René Dussaud proposed present-day Zgharta, based on proximity and descriptions from ancient texts.[9] Recent research by Lebanese archaeologist Hassan Salame-Sarkis proposes that Gigarta may correspond to the location of the site known as Hannouch (or Selaata) situated on the Mediterranean coast close to Batroun. Sarkis based his dentification of Gigarta on findings that include remnants of a Byzantine basilica and other ancient structures in Hannouch, suggesting historical importance that aligns with accounts of Gigarta. He posits that Hannouch’s proximity to the ancient route to Arqa, along with its closeness to the findspot of the Mseilha inscription, supports the identification of Hannouch with the ancient settlement of Gigarta.[10] According to French historian Julien Aliquot, Gigarta was a settlement of greater statutory importance than a vicus but of lower rank than a city: it was probably the capital of a more or less fragmented canton or pagus, comprising one or more vici, including the one called "vicus of the Sidonians" mentioned in the Museiliha inscription.[11]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Aliquot 2009, p. 77.
  2. ^ Strabo 2019, 16.2.18.
  3. ^ Pliny the Elder 2019, 5.17.12.
  4. ^ a b c Renan 1864, p. 149.
  5. ^ Louvre Museum 2024.
  6. ^ a b Mommsen, Hirschfeld & Domaszewski 1873, p. 31, insc. 183.
  7. ^ George of Cyprus 1890, p. 185, 977.
  8. ^ Aliquot 2009, p. 77.
  9. ^ Dussaud 1927, p. 82.
  10. ^ Salame-Saris 2005, p. 182.
  11. ^ Aliquot 2009, pp. 77–78.

Sources

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  • Aliquot, Julien (2009). La Vie religieuse au Liban sous l'Empire romain. Bibliothèque archéologique et historique (in French). Beyrouth: Presses de l’Ifpo. ISBN 978-2-35159-299-1.
  • Dussaud, René (1927). "Chapitre II. De Tripoli à Carné. — L'Émésène" [Chapter II. From Tripoli to Karnos. - The Emesene]. Topographie historique de la Syrie antique et médiévale [Historical topography of ancient and medieval Syria]. Bibliothèque archéologique et historique (in French). Beyrouth: Presses de l’Ifpo. pp. 75–115. ISBN 978-2-35159-464-3. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
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