Map Description

Historical Map of Tyre 333-332 BC.


Illustrating

• Old Tyre
• Tyre
• Island of Hercules (Melcart) (now underwater)
• Eurychorus
• Agenanium
• Arx Regia
• Port of Sidon
• Port of Egypt
• Present coastline
• Alexander's Mole

:: Causeway ::

The mainland portion (Old Tyre) and the island portion (Tyre proper) were separate entities until Alexander the Great's siege in 332 BCE. The island was approximately 600-800 meters from the mainland before Alexander's campaign.

Alexander's Mole was a causeway built during the famous siege that permanently connected the island to the mainland. This engineering feat used debris from Old Tyre and was approximately 60 meters wide. The accumulation of silt along this structure over centuries has created the peninsula that exists today.


:: Harbors ::

The island had two main harbors - the Sidonian Harbor (Port of Sidon) to the north and the Egyptian Harbor (Port of Egypt) to the south. The Sidonian Harbor remains in use today as a fishing port.


:: Arx Regia, Eurychorus, and Agenanium ::

The Arx Regia (Royal Citadel/Palace) was located in the northeastern part of the island city.

The Eurychorus was the broad or wide open space/plaza in the central part of the island.

The Agenorium (or Agenanium) was in the northern sector of the city. It might have been a temple, it might have been a fortress. Agenor was, according to "A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology", a son of Poseidon and Libya, king of Phoenicia, and twin-brother of Belus.


:: Melqart / Heracles ::

The Temple of Melqart (which Greeks associated with Heracles) was a significant religious structure on the island of Tyre, not on the island of Hercules.

Both spellings - Melqart and Melcart - are accepted transliterations of the Phoenician deity's name. The original Phoenician was 𐤌𐤋𐤒𐤓𐤕 (mlqrt), meaning "King of the City" or "King of the Underworld."

According to Arrian, in his "Anabasis of Alexander", Alexander claimed he wanted to make a sacrifice to Heracles (whom the Greeks identified with Melqart) in the temple at Tyre, thus forcing the Tyrians to decide between allegiance to Persia and Macedonia, by either letting him into town and insulting the Persians, or refusing to let him enter the town, and insulting the Macedonians.

The Tyrians put all their money on Persia and refused to let Alexander enter the city, instead suggesting that he could worship at an older temple of Melqart in Old Tyre on the mainland, hence triggering seven months of relentless siege.

Credits

University of Texas at Austin. Historical Atlas by William Shepherd (1923-26).

Related Links

Click map to enlarge.

×

− ⟲ +