history of Lebanon

Introduction & Top Questions
Phoenicia
- Origins and relations with Egypt
- Phoenicia as a colonial and commercial power
  - Colonies
  - Commerce
  - Navigation and seafaring
- Assyrian and Babylonian domination of Phoenicia
- Persian period
- Greek and Roman periods
Lebanon in the Middle Ages
Ottoman period
French mandate
Lebanon after independence
- Khuri regime, 1943–52
- Chamoun regime and the 1958 crisis
- Chehabism: from Chehab to Hélou, 1958–76
- Civil war
- Lebanon’s Second Republic (1990– )
  - Politics and reconstruction in post-civil war Lebanon
    - Rebuilding the political and economic infrastructure
    - Resistance to the ongoing Israeli and Syrian presence in Lebanon
  - Factional wrangling over Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon
  - Regional impacts on Lebanon during and after the Arab Spring
  - Debt crisis
    - 2018 election and the formation of a national unity government
    - Government mismanagement, anti-corruption protests, and the 2020 Beirut explosions
    - Conflict with Israel beginning in 2023

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Map showing the location of the ancient city of Byblos on the coast of Lebanon, near the Mediterranean Sea. Neighboring countries Cyprus, Syria, and Israel are labeled, with Lebanon highlighted and Byblos marked along its coastline. An inset globe at lower left shows the regional context within the eastern Mediterranean.

Map of Lebanon highlighting physical features such as the Lebanon Mountains, Anti-Lebanon Mountains, Bekaa Valley, major rivers including the Litani and Orontes, and Lake Qaraoun. Key locations like Beirut, Byblos, Tyre, and Baalbek are marked. The map also shows neighboring countries Israel and Syria, the Golan Heights, and includes a small locator inset for regional context.

Map of the Mediterranean region highlighting locations of Phoenician colonization, with major ancient settlements and colonies labeled along the coasts of present-day Spain, North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Levant. The map also shows surrounding regions and bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Atlantic Ocean.

Ruins of the Temple of Bacchus

Sidon Sea Castle

American University of Beirut

Map of Lebanon and its southern border with Israel, highlighting the area between the Litani River and the United Nations Blue Line as southern Lebanon in yellow. Major rivers, cities such as Tyre, Sidon, and Naqoura, and neighboring countries including Syria and Israel are labeled. The Blue Line marks the UN demarcation between Lebanese and Israeli forces.

1983 Beirut barracks bombing

Reconstruction under Rafic al-Hariri

history of Lebanon: References & Edit History

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Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

Richard David Barnett
Paul Kingston
Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Toronto at Scarborough, Canada.
William L. Ochsenwald
Glenn Richard Bugh
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Adam Zeidan

Article History

Type	Description	Contributor	Date
	New article added.	Adam Zeidan	Dec 17, 2024