Editing History of Lebanon (section)

==Classical Antiquity==
{{further|History of ancient Lebanon#Persian_Empire|Phoenicia under Hellenistic rule|Phoenicia under Roman rule}}

After the gradual decline of their strength, the Phoenician [[city-state]]s on the Lebanese coast were conquered outright in 539 BC by [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] Persia under [[Cyrus the Great]]. Under [[Darius the Great|Darius I]], the area comprising Phoenicia, Canaan, Syria, and Cyprus was administered in a single satrapy and paid a yearly tribute of three hundred and fifty talents. By comparison, Egypt and Libya paid seven hundred talents.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Histories, Book III|last=Herodotus|pages=218, §91}}</ref> Many Phoenician colonies continued their independent existence—most notably [[Carthage]]. The Persians forced some of the population to migrate to Carthage, which remained a powerful nation until the [[Second Punic War]].

The Phoenicians of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] showed greater solidarity with their former colony Carthage than loyalty towards Persian king [[Cambyses I|Cambyses]], by refusing to sail against the former when ordered.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Histories, Book III|last=Herodotus|pages=§19}}</ref>

The Phoenicians furnished the bulk of the Persian fleet during the [[Greco-Persian Wars]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Histories, Book V|last=Herodotus|pages=§109}}</ref> Herodotus considers them as "the best sailors" in the Persian fleet.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Histories, Book V|last=Herodotus|pages=§96}}</ref> Phoenicians under [[Xerxes I]] were equally commended for their ingenuity in building the [[Xerxes Canal]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Histories, Book VII|pages=§23}}</ref> Nevertheless, they were harshly punished by the Persian king following the [[Battle of Salamis]], which culminated in a defeat for the [[Achaemenid Empire]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Histories, Book VIII|pages=§90}}</ref>

In 350 or 345&nbsp;BC, a rebellion in Sidon led by [[Tennes]] was crushed by [[Artaxerxes III]]. Its destruction was described by [[Diodorus Siculus]].

After two centuries of Persian rule, the [[Ancient Macedonians|Macedonian]] ruler [[Alexander the Great]], during his war against Persia, attacked and [[Siege of Tyre (332 BC)|burned Tyre]], the most prominent Phoenician city. He conquered what is now Lebanon and other nearby regions in 332 BC.<ref name="books.google.nl">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L7fr8WGPS_gC&q=lebanon+sassanid+rule&pg=PA8|title=Global Security Watch—Lebanon: A Reference Handbook: A Reference Handbook|access-date=25 December 2014|isbn=9780313365799|last1=Sorenson|first1=David S.|date=2009-11-12|publisher=Abc-Clio }}</ref> After Alexander's death the region was absorbed into the [[Seleucid Empire]] and became known as [[Coele-Syria]].

In 64 BC, the region was conquered by a [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] army under general [[Pompey]] and became a part of the Roman state. [[Christianity]] was introduced to the coastal plain of Lebanon from neighboring [[Galilee]], already in the [[1st century in Lebanon|1st century]]. The region, as with the rest of Syria and much of Anatolia, became a major center of Christianity. Mount Lebanon and its coastal plain became part of the [[Diocese of the East]], divided to provinces of [[Phoenice Paralia]] and [[Phoenice Libanensis]] (which also extended over large parts of modern Syria).

During the late [[4th century in Lebanon|4th]] and early [[5th century in Lebanon|5th centuries in Lebanon]], a [[hermit]] named [[Maron]] established a monastic tradition, focused on the importance of [[monotheism]] and [[asceticism]], near the mountain range of [[Mount Lebanon]]. The monks who followed Maron spread his teachings among the native Lebanese Christians and remaining pagans in the mountains and coast of Lebanon. These Lebanese Christians came to be known as [[Maronite Christianity in Lebanon|Maronites]], and moved into the mountains to avoid religious persecution by Roman authorities.<ref>Dalrymple (1997), pg. 305.</ref> During the frequent [[Roman–Persian Wars]] that lasted for many centuries, the [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid Persians]] occupied what is now Lebanon from 619 to 629.<ref>Page, Melvin E. & Sonnenburg, Penny M. [https://books.google.com/books?id=qFTHBoRvQbsC&dq=sassanids+conquer+lebanon&pg=PA338 ''Colonialism: an international, social, cultural, and political encyclopedia. A-M.''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329160454/https://books.google.com/books?id=qFTHBoRvQbsC&dq=sassanids+conquer+lebanon&pg=PA338 |date=2023-03-29 }} '''Vol. 1, Volume 2''' ABC-CLIO, 2003 {{ISBN|978-1576073353}} p 338</ref>