Tyre - The Roman Marble Colonnaded Road

".. And thus were born the people of Tyre, descended from the gods"

In the mid-5th century AD, the poet Nonnus composed an epic in forty-eight books, renowned for its eloquence and passionate style, called "Dionysiaca" after its hero, the god Dionysus (Bacchus), whom his father Zeus sends to save the world from evils and sins and bring good to humanity, then returns to him in the sky to sit at his right hand.

In the fortieth book of the epic (verses 198-580), Dionysus visits Tyre, the home of Cadmus and Europa, marvels at its landmarks and beauty, and then visits the temple of its god Melqart, who welcomes him and recounts the history of the city and its people:

"Bacchus left the lands of Arabia, shaded and pleasant, hurrying along his steps towards Phoenicia, eager to see the home of Cadmus and the land of the Tyrians. In its markets, he was struck by the precious textiles, and admired the embroidered fabrics from Assyrian workshops, silver-decorated pieces from Babylonian shops, and napkins dyed with Tyrian shell extract. He wandered through the parts of the city untouched by the sea, shaped like the lady 'Luna' when in the sky, near-perfect save for a small piece. And when he found the land connected to the sea, he was doubly astonished, for Tyre lies in the midst of the sea, a piece of land surrounded on three sides by water, lying as if a maiden swimming, leaving her head, neck, and chest to the waters, arms extended, while the foam gives her body a bright whiteness, her feet rooted in the ground, embracing the sea firmly...

Bacchus was further amazed when he entered the fortified Tyre, where only the cowherd neighbors the ship pilot, the sheep driver the fisherman, pulling his nets from the sea, and the oars strike the water opening its path, plowing the fertile land. The roar of the sea mingles with children’s laughter and the rustle of the crops. Here an anchor, there a fruit tree; on this side ships and navigation, on that side plowed land and livestock with shepherds’ flutes and sickles. Here the net and sail, there the shield and weapons.

The god could not help but exclaim: 'Ah! Is this an island on the land? Can I say I have never seen such beauty? The trees rising to the sky sway to the rhythm of the waves, and when the sea nymphs whisper in their hiding places, the fairies of the land dancing on the trees hear them. When southern winds blow over the waves and fields coming from the peaks of Lebanon, they carry fertility for the seasons and guidance for sailors. O famous city, possessor of the earth’s splendor and the sky’s charm, the sea kisses you from three sides!'

This is what the god said as he walked through the city, eyes greedily taking in the flowing beauty of everything he saw. In the paved streets and markets, the shine of metals caught his searching eyes. He saw the house of Agenor and its square, the house of Cadmus and the room where Europa spent her youth, recalling the story of her abduction, admiring the ancient springs gushing waters from the depths in various forms and alternately flowing and stopping. After observing everything in the city, he went to the temple of 'Star-Clad', lord of the planets, and addressed him in a high, reverent voice: 'O Hercules, adorned with stars, master of fire and the universe, O sun, O shepherd of life, you who traverse the sky from end to end and lead the children of time through the twelfth moon to their place, O clear-eyed sky, bringer of winter after autumn and transformer of spring into summer, my greetings to you!'

These words flowed from Dionysus’ lips, and 'Star-Clad' appeared in his divine form, extending his hand to his distinguished visitor, radiant from his blond beard, and hosted Bacchus at his table. Bacchus asked with great curiosity: 'O Star-Clad, tell me about this land and the shape of the island! Which god built the city, which son of heaven designed it? Who raised its rocks and fixed them in the sea, gave names to its springs, and connected this island separated from the sea to the land?'

Hercules answered him kindly, satisfying his curiosity: 'I will tell you everything, Bacchus, so listen to my words. Since the beginning, humans lived here, their age as long as the universe, born from virgin soil that had not yet yielded, establishing a city on solid rocky ground, unmoved by the ages, remaining in their slumber while the earth blazed under the sun. I, with my heart full of love for the city, stood over the heads of the clay children, appearing to them as a man, saying my divine word and prophecy: Awake from this slumber, children of the earth, cut the cedars of the mountain with your sharp axes, build a vessel to sail on the sea, and perform a feat that will surpass other nations. Carve the ribs of the ship and make them dense around the axis, fix wooden planks above its structure, tie all firmly so the storms cannot undo it, give your vessel the shape of a fish that swims, and weight it with stones so it will not be tossed by the waves.'

They cut the water’s surface with their vessel until they reached the place destiny chose. There, they found two floating rocks called 'Ambrosial' for their natural aroma, and in the middle a great olive tree with an eagle atop, flames rising from its trunk, blazing without burning. Around the trunk wrapped a fearsome serpent.

They grasped the prophetic bird and offered it as a sacrifice with blue braids, sprinkling its blood on the floating rocks, causing them to stop moving and approach each other, forming a single, unshakable island. There they founded a city in the midst of the sea, fortified on both sides.

These divine words reached the ears of the people of the land, awakening them from slumber, as if my prophecy were a flawless oracle. Then another sign of my great love for my city’s people appeared: a dolphin, like a ship, emerged from the sea, gliding among the waves. They closely observed this 'fish' and quickly learned to build a suitable vessel, crafting a boat in the shape of the dolphin, placing four stones for balance, imitating the swan in its migration carrying stones between its legs so it would not remain light and be tossed by the wind. They dared to sail their vessel to the sea, carried by winds to the destined place, tied it to the island, and approached the tree of Athena, seeking the eagle who sacrificed itself willingly. The people seized the winged divine creature, offering it to Zeus, lord of the sea. From the neck of the prophetic bird flowed sacred fragrant blood, joining the two floating rocks in the depths near Tyre. On these rocks, impervious to time, the people built the fortified mother city.

I have told you, noble Dionysus, about the people of this city, sprung from the earth, so you may know the history of your ancestors and their Tyrian origin. Now I wish to tell you about the springs, originally three maidens, all clever and wise, unwilling to hear of marriage. Then entered Eros, god of love, shooting his arrows, instilling desire and passion, uniting the children of the earth and water nymphs, thus the people of Tyre descended from the gods."

All this was told by the lord of the sky, Hercules, to Bacchus, who listened intently and with deep joy, offering a golden cup of divine making to the god of Tyre, and Hercules placed on him a star-studded robe.

After bidding farewell to Bacchus, lord of Tyre, the god in his robe of stars continued his journey across Phoenicia.

Reference: Tyre, Capital of Phoenicia – Translation: Maen Arab