From the Guest Editor

The second issue of JEMAHS, dedicated to the archaeology of Lebanon during the classical and post-classical periods, opens with two articles dedicated to the city of Tyre, one of four sites in Lebanon on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites. Patricia Antaki-Masson attempts to reconstruct Tyre during the Crusader period by examining textual sources and archaeological remains. Hany Kahwagi-Janho focuses on one architectural aspect of the ancient metropolis by delivering the first complete study of the aqueduct of Tyre and its hydraulic components.Dina Frangié-Joly demonstrates that the trade in luxurious commodities such as perfumes, aromatics, and dyes had already been established among Phoenicia, Arabia, the Persian Gulf region, and Egypt since the Iron Age. She clarifies the nature of these trade relations during the Hellenistic and Roman eras through an examination of ancient texts and archaeological evidence.The Bekaa Valley is represented in this issue by a study of wine and oil presses from the area around Baalbek. Bettina Fischer-Genz argues that while this arid region is considered unsuitable for olive and grape planting, surveys identified a substantial number of these industrial installations, attesting to active cultivation, mainly during the Roman period.Leila Badre presents the first Lebanese attempt to integrate archaeological strata in an historical or modern building. A crypt installed under the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George in downtown Beirut offers the visitor a unique chance to witness the successive building phases of the present church. Unfortunately, until now, such projects have never been implemented in any of the hundreds of archaeological sites excavated and later replaced by modern buildings in downtown Beirut, even though they were advertised publicly a number of times in recent years for major archaeological sites in Beirut like the Roman hippodrome.Besides Tyre, the region south of the Litani River has long been underrepresented in Lebanese archaeology, mainly as a result of the political and security situation that has prevailed there since the outbreak of the civil war in 1975. Though still timid, archaeological investigations, mainly centered on medieval fortified castles, have been initiated in the last few years. In this regard, Cyril Yovitchitch presents the results of his study of the enigmatic castle of Doubiyeh, which he has been excavating for the past few years.While the dismantling of historical downtown Beirut regularly garners the indignation of heritage lovers, other important archaeological sites in Lebanon are still under threat by modern construction. The Chalcolithic site of Minet el-Dalieh, opposite the iconic Pigeons' Grotto in Beirut and home to an important human settlement that produced a typical type of flint tool named after the site, is at risk of being obliterated to make room for an upscale sea resort. In this location, promoters backed by some politicians are ready to jump on the bandwagon of resort building that continues to deface the entire coast of Lebanon. Calls from civil societies, heritage organizations,1 and concerned citizens have successfully placed this heritage site on the 2016 Watch List of the World Monuments Fund,2 which has put a temporary halt on the destructive action. Nevertheless, the fate of this world-renowned site is still up in the air and could tip in one direction or the other at any time.Other coastal sites were or are also at risk of being replaced by resort-style construction. On January 14, 2016, photos leaked to the press by a civil coalition showed how the ancient site of Adloun, located south of Sidon and home to a Phoenician necropolis and important prehistoric settlements, was razed for the construction of a fishermen's port and modern marina.3 Recent investigations into the harbor of Byblos by a French-Lebanese team led to an important discovery of the elusive location of the ancient harbor of this city. (An overview of this project will be presented in the third issue of JEMAHS dedicated to the archaeology of Lebanon, which is slated to appear later this year). But here again, the greedy appetite for luxurious seafront construction is threatening to wipe out this archaeological landmark, even before archaeologists can complete its excavation and study.Adding to the destruction of archaeological sites are the demolitions of hundreds of historical buildings from the Ottoman period in Beirut and other parts of the country. Calls from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), such as the Association for Protecting Natural Sites and Old Buildings in Lebanon (APSAD),4 the Association for the Protection of the Lebanese Heritage (ALPH),5 and Save Beirut Heritage (SBH),6 rarely affect their doomed outcome.Despite this bleak outlook, a new endeavor from the Lebanese Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport was launched on December 19, 2015. A permanent installation of archaeological objects from the collection of the National Museum is currently on display in the departure and arrival lobbies of the Rafic Hariri International Airport of Beirut (AIB). Thirty-seven objects dating from the Phoenician era to the Mamluk period were chosen to highlight the rich cultural history of this important region of the Levant (Figs. 1–3). Such bold governmental ventures are all too rare in Lebanon, mainly due to lack of funds and a general disinterest in archaeology and heritage.Investment in archaeological projects by individuals is also extremely rare, and seems to be focused solely on museum creations. For example, Raymond Audi, a banker, turned a family property in the Old City of Sidon into the Soap Museum, which is free to the public and open year-round (Figs. 4–5). The Debbane family restored their Ottoman palatial residence located just meters away from the Soap Museum and also turned it into a free museum in 2001 (Fig. 6).7 Sericulture, which made Lebanon famous during the nineteenth century AD, left many abandoned factories, most of which have unfortunately disappeared today. However, George and Alexandra Asseily created the Silk Museum in Bsous, which is housed in a silk factory dated to the nineteenth century AD (Fig. 7),8 and the Ghanem family restored a silk factory they bought in the 1970s and turned it into a cultural venue (Fig. 8).9 In 2006, world-renowned jeweler Robert Mouawad bought the historical residence of Henri Pharaon built in 1911 in Beirut and turned it into a private museum housing the private antiquities collections of Pharaon and Mouawad. There is also a magnificent collection of antique jewelry collected by Mouawad, as well as the world's second largest diamond (Fig. 9).10 Janine Yazbek created a museum, The Wonders of the Sea, dedicated to the marine life of Lebanon in a traditional nineteenth-century Lebanese house in a suburb of Beirut (Fig. 10).11 Even though these achievements are insufficient in light of the continuous threat of Lebanese archaeology and history by rampant urbanization or neglect, the famous resilience of the Lebanese, the same spirit that made them ride out many wars for the past 40 years, will hopefully one day embolden them to navigate between the dangers of Scylla and Charybdis that loom over the cultural heritage of their country

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