4th century in Lebanon


4th century in Lebanon
Key event:
Chronology:

This article lists historical events that occurred between 301–400 in modern-day Lebanon or regarding its people.

Administration

While sometime before 328, when it is mentioned in the Laterculus Veronensis, Constantine the Great created the new province of Augusta Libanensis out of the eastern half of the old province of Phoenice, encompassing the territory east of Mount Lebanon.

Governors

In the fourth century, as a whole, almost 30 governors of Phoenicia are known with 23 governors of Phoenicia being in office between 353 and 394. Amongst them was Sossianus Hierocles, who was a praeses at some time between 293 and 303. The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire states that, as praeses, he governed Phoenice Libanensis, the province on the eastern side of Mount Lebanon. The district included Palmyra, where the inscription attesting to Hierocles' career is located.

Military

In the late fourth century an edict to draft the sons of veterans was issued from
Berytus.

Events

300s

310s

  • Tyrannion of Tyre is martyred during the Diocletianic Persecutions, 311 AD.
  • Maximinus issues a rescript encouraging every city to expel its Christians. This rescript is published in Tyre on May or June, 312 AD.
  • The Edict of Milan, is issued in February of 313 AD.
  • In 315 AD, the cathedral of Paulinus in Tyre is inaugurated by the Bishop Eusebius, who recorded his speech and thus a detailed account of the site in his writings.
  • In 316, the Tyrian-born Frumentius and his brother, Edesius accompanied their uncle Metropius on a trip to the Kingdom of Axum by ship, the crew was massacred in a port on the Red Sea and the boys taken as slaves to the King of Axum. Frumentius and Edesius, who were both christian, gained favor with the king and his family, signaling the birth of Christianity in Ethiopia.

320s

330s

340s

350s

360s

370s

  • The Temple of Jupiter at Baalbek, already greatly damaged by earthquakes, is demolished under Theodosius in 379 and replaced by another basilica, using stones scavenged from the pagan complex.

380s

Culture

Education

In the 4th century, the Greek rhetorician Libanius reported that the school attracted young students from affluent families and deplored the school's instructional use of Latin, which was gradually abandoned in favor of Greek in the course of the century.
Historically, Roman stationes or auditoria, where teaching was done, stood next to public libraries housed in temples. This arrangement was copied in the Roman colony at Beirut. The first mention of the school's premises dates to 350.

Chariot racing

A lead tablet, cursing the blue faction, was found in Beirut
in 1929 and has now been dated to the fourth century CE.

Religion

The Life of Constantine mentions a temple at Aphaca in Phoenicia, on a remote summit of Mount Libanus, being used by effeminate homosexual pagan priests, and says that this temple was destroyed by the command of Roman emperor Constantine I.

Economy

During the fourth-century abundant crops of grain, wine, oil, and other products were attributed to the cities of Berytus, Byblos, Tyre, and Sarepta. Further evidence of agricultural production near Berytus is found in the fourth-century journal of the bureaucrat Theophanes, who traveled between Antioch and Egypt from 317 to 324 AD. In Berytus, Theophanes noted buying two types of bread, as well as grapes, figs, pumpkins or squashes, peaches, apricots, and cleaning supplies such as natron, bath oil, and soap. Similar purchases of bread, fresh produce, wine, and even snow to cool the wine were made during each stop along the journey. They also came to Sidon on the following day and bought eggs.

Architecture

People

300s

320s

  • Christian Maronite saint Awtel dies in 327 AD.

390s

Frumentius dies.