The first organized archaeological excavation

The first organized archaeological excavation in the city started in 1914 under the direction of a French archaeologist Georges Contenau. Throughout the 1914 and 1920 excavation, work concentrated around the land castle built on the ancient tell of Sidon (number 1 on...

Sidon Excavation. College Site

Sidon, one of the oldest cities of Lebanon and one of the most prominent Phoenician harbours. College site. Medieval moat. The yellow dotted lines represent the medieval defences and the blue the mass burials of the Crusader peiod.

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The first organized archaeological excavation in the city started in 1914 under the direction of a French archaeologist Georges Contenau. Throughout the 1914 and 1920 excavation, work concentrated around the land castle built on the ancient tell of Sidon (number 1 on the map)
In 1969, excavation undertaken by another French archaeologist Maurice Dunand moved to an adjacent site, an area 5000 sq. m east of the castle (number 2 on the map) where he found the remains of a Roman bath.

North of the castle, Dunand chose another area of about 6500 sq. m. for soundings (number 3 on the map). This is the “college site,” named after an America school (the Gerard Institute) that was demolished between 1961 and 1963. The excavations undertaken by both archaeologists have not proven conclusive.

Descriptions of various archaeological deposits and architectural features were published in five articles by Contenau but they lack the method of excavation that has become common place today, namely the special attention given to archaeological layers and their relation to existing structures.

The few sherds published by him do not attempt in any way to relate their relative chronological position in accordance to the site’s stratigraphy.

As for Dunand, he only gives a brief synopsis of his work in a short preliminary article without publishing his excavation of the Roman bath.

Sidon Excavation - Site Map

Map showing Sidon’s medieval ramparts and the location of the three downtown sites (H.Barnes): 1. Castle site, 2. Sandikli site, 3. College site

YEAR 2001

YEAR 2001

Immediately above the Early Bronze Age level there was a layer of sterile sand. This sand varied...

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YEAR 2003

YEAR 2003

In 1998, the Directorate General of Antiquities of Lebanon authorized the British Museum to begin...

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YEAR 2002

YEAR 2002

Important historical facts were elucidated from the previous excavations at Sidon and the 2002...

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YEAR 2004

YEAR 2004

Sidon: 2004 season of excavation Because Sidon was so densely built up, much of our information...

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YEAR 2005

YEAR 2005

Sidon:  2005 season of excavation The seventh season of the British Museum excavations on the...

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YEAR 2006

YEAR 2006

2006 season of excavation The eighth season of excavations on the mound of the ancient city of...

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YEAR 2007

YEAR 2007

2007 season of excavation The ninth season of excavation on the mound of the ancient city of Sidon...

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YEAR 2009

YEAR 2009

Sidon 2009 season of excavation The eleventh season of excavation on the mound of the ancient city...

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YEAR 2010

YEAR 2010

Sidon 2010 British Museum excavations The twelfth season of excavation carried out by the British...

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YEAR 2011

YEAR 2011

The thirteenth season of excavation carried out by the British Museum in collaboration with the...

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Although Sidon was certainly one of the most important coastal towns of ancient Phoenicia, and is referred to in Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Greek sources, we have little information about the topography of the city in ancient times… our ignorance about ancient Sidon stems from the fact that there has been relatively little excavation. 

 

Dr. John Curtis

Former Keeper of the Department of the Ancient Near East at the British Museum., British Museum