Kamid al lawz
Encyclopedia
Kamid al lawz is located in West Bekaa, Lebanon
. Its population is from the Sunni Muslim sect.
This town was the site of major German archaeological excavations between 1963 and 1981. One of the most important sites in Lebanon, dating back to the late Neolithic
period, becoming a seat of state in the Bronze Age
and continuing until the Byzantine
era, a German team from the University of Freiburg
has conducted more recent excavations and studies.
Nonetheless, archaeologists found and recorded many spectacular buildings, which are very important to the history of the region. Numerous urban structures such as defense systems, temples, palaces, private dwellings, workshops and cemeteries were uncovered. Archaeologists also found everyday objects such as pottery, as well as jewelry and other luxury items. Probably the most important finds were documents written in cuneiform
on clay tablets dated to the 14th century BC
. The village of Kamed el-Loz lies on top of settlements built in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The site has been determined to be the city of Kumidi in the Amarna letters
. It was used as a residence to Egyptian
officials to oversee the southern Levant
ine kings for the pharaoh
.
South of the village we find a necropolis
or burial place that also dates to this era. Just outside Kamed-El-Loz is a large Umayyad
quarry visible from the road. Rock-cut tombs can be seen here, as well as Aramaic inscriptions. The quarry provided stones for the 8th century city of Anjar
and was worked by Nestorian Christians from Iraq who were brought to the Beqaa for this purpose.
Beqaa Valley
The Beqaa Valley is a fertile valley in east Lebanon. For the Romans, the Beqaa Valley was a major agricultural source, and today it remains Lebanon’s most important farming region...
. Its population is from the Sunni Muslim sect.
This town was the site of major German archaeological excavations between 1963 and 1981. One of the most important sites in Lebanon, dating back to the late Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
period, becoming a seat of state in the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and continuing until the Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
era, a German team from the University of Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
has conducted more recent excavations and studies.
Nonetheless, archaeologists found and recorded many spectacular buildings, which are very important to the history of the region. Numerous urban structures such as defense systems, temples, palaces, private dwellings, workshops and cemeteries were uncovered. Archaeologists also found everyday objects such as pottery, as well as jewelry and other luxury items. Probably the most important finds were documents written in cuneiform
Cuneiform
Cuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
on clay tablets dated to the 14th century BC
14th century BC
The 14th century BC is a century which lasted from the year 1400 BC until 1301 BC.-Events:* 1397 BC: Pandion I, legendary King of Athens, dies after a reign of 40 years and is succeeded by his son Erechtheus II of Athens....
. The village of Kamed el-Loz lies on top of settlements built in the Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods. The site has been determined to be the city of Kumidi in the Amarna letters
Amarna letters
The Amarna letters are an archive of correspondence on clay tablets, mostly diplomatic, between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Amurru during the New Kingdom...
. It was used as a residence to Egyptian
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
officials to oversee the southern Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
ine kings for the pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
.
South of the village we find a necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
or burial place that also dates to this era. Just outside Kamed-El-Loz is a large Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
quarry visible from the road. Rock-cut tombs can be seen here, as well as Aramaic inscriptions. The quarry provided stones for the 8th century city of Anjar
Anjar, Lebanon
Anjar , also known as Haoush Mousa , is a town of Lebanon located in the Bekaa Valley. The population is 2,400, consisting almost entirely of Armenians. The total area is about twenty square kilometers...
and was worked by Nestorian Christians from Iraq who were brought to the Beqaa for this purpose.
Further reading
- Penner, Silvia., Kāmid el-Lōz. 19, die Keramik der Spätbronzezeitliche: Tempelanlagen T3 bis T1, Palastanlagen P5 bis P1/2, Königsgrab ("Schatzhaus") und "Königliche Werkstatt", Saarbrücker Beiträge zur Altertumskunde 63, Bonn: R. Habelt, 2006. ISBN 3774932207, 2006.
- Huehnergard, John., “A Byblos Letter, Probably from Kamid el-Loz”, ZA 86, pp.97-113, 1996.
- Lilyquist, Christine, “Objects Attributable to Kamid el-Loz and Comments on the Date of Objects in the ‘Schatzhaus’”, in Adler, W. (ed.), Kamid el-Loz 11 – Das ‘Schatzhaus’ im Palastbereich: Die Befunde des Königsgrabes, Saarbrücker Beiträge zur Altertumskunde 47, Bonn: Habelt, pp.207-220, 1994.
- Lilyquist, Christine., “Stone Vessels at Kamid el-Loz, Lebanon: Egyptian, Egyptianizing or Non-Egyptian? A Question at Sites from the Sudan to Iraq to the Greek Mainland”, in Hachmann, R. (ed.), Kamid el-Loz 16 – ‘Schatzhaus’-Studien, Saarbrücker Beiträge zur Altertumskunde 59, Bonn: Habelt, pp.133-73, 1996.