When did Berytus become a Roman colony?
Berytus became a Roman colonia in 14 BC, during the reign of Herod the Great, and was named Colonia Iulia Augusta Felix Berytus in honor of Julia the Elder, the only daughter of Augustus.
Questions about Berytus
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What was Berytus called before the Romans renamed it?
Before 64 BC, Berytus was known as Laodicea in Phoenicia, or Laodicea which is in Canaan, a name given in honor of a Seleucid queen named Laodice. The Romans renamed it Berytus after Pompey's forces conquered the city.
Why was the law school of Berytus so famous?
The law school of Berytus was famous because two of Rome's most celebrated jurists, Papinian and Ulpian, both natives of Phoenicia, taught there under the Severan emperors. Much of Justinian's sixth-century Pandects drew directly on their writings, and in 533 AD Justinian named the school one of the empire's three official law schools.
What destroyed the city of Berytus and its law school?
A series of earthquakes in the sixth century destroyed Berytus and leveled its law school, killing nearly 30,000 inhabitants according to the Anonymous Pilgrim of Piacenza. Surviving students were transferred to the law school in Sidon.
Which god was most closely associated with Berytus?
Poseidon was the chief god of Berytus, and the city's merchants revered him so closely that they called themselves Poseidonistes. Until the third century CE, Poseidon appeared regularly on coins minted in the city.
When did Berytus fall to the Arabs?
Berytus fell to the newly converted Muslim Arabs of the Arabian Peninsula in 635 CE, by which point the city had been reduced to the size of a village. This followed a turbulent Byzantine period marked by unresolved religious disputes.