Amrit

Amrit (Arabic: عمريت) is a small village near Tartus, in south-western Syria. It lies on the site of the ancient Marathus (Ancient Greek: Μάραθος, Marathos), a Phoenician port located near present-day Tartus in Syria. Founded in the third millennium BC, Marat (Phoenician: 𐤌𐤓𐤕, mrt) was the northernmost important city of ancient Phoenicia, with relations to nearby Arwad. During the 2nd century BC, Amrit was defeated and its site largely abandoned, leaving its ruins well preserved and without extensive remodeling by later generations.

The ancient city lied on the Mediterranean coast around 6 km (3.7 mi) south of modern-day Tartus. Two rivers cross the city: Nahr Amrit, near the main temple, and Nahr al-Kuble near the secondary temple, a fact that might be linked to the importance of water in the religious traditions in Amrit. The city was probably founded by the Arvadites, and was considered one of the "daughters of Arwad" on the coastline. Marathus served as Arwad's continental base, although the port of Arwad in the mainland was Carne. It grew to be one of the wealthiest towns in the dominion of Arwad. The city surrendered, along with Arwad, to Alexander the Great in 333 BC. During Seleucid times the town, known as Marathus, was probably larger and more prosperous than Arwad. In 219 BC Marathus gained independence from Arwad, and was later sacked by forces from the latter city in 148 BC. Strabo described Marathus as ruins at his time.

Excavations of the site principally began in 1860 by Ernest Renan. Excavations were again carried out in 1954 by French archaeologist Maurice Dunand. Ceramics found at Amrit indicated the site had been inhabited as early as the third millennium BC. Excavations also uncovered the town's ancient harbor, and a U-shaped stadium that dates back to the 4th and 3rd centuries BC and measures around 230 m (750 ft) in length.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).