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BAETOCECE (Ancient city) SYRIA
About 30 km E of Tartus in the heart of the Alaouite mountains at
an altitude of close to 1000 m, Baetocece was the federal sanctuary of the Phoenicians
of Arados. A long inscription tells of its importance, both religious and commercial,
from the beginning of the Hellenistic period to the Late Empire.
The site, which has never been excavated, contains two groups of monuments:
to the N, some improperly identified remains and to the S, the principal sanctuary
dedicated to a local god identified with Zeus.
The sanctuary has a rectangular surrounding wall with a door in the
middle of each side. The wall, remarkably well preserved, is built of large stones
laid edgewise. The main entrance, to the N, is a triple gateway with a triangular
pediment over it; the propylaea portico has disappeared. The molding and carved
ornamentation are austere. From inscriptions and from similarities in religious
iconography to Arados coins it is possible to date the complex to the 3d c. A.D.
The cella stood on a podium in the center of the enclosure; its facade, to the
N, consisted of a four-columned portico, and its walls were decorated on the outside
with engaged columns with ionic capitals. To the E of the cella stood a bronze
altar, dedicated in A.D. 185-86.
J. P. Rey-Coquais, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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