Editing Byblos (section)

=== Late Bronze ===
The rulers of Byblos maintained close relationships with the New Kingdom pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

Around 1350 BC, the [[Amarna letters]] include 60 letters from [[Rib-Hadda]] and his successor [[Ili-Rapih]] who were rulers of Byblos, writing to the Egyptian government. This is mainly due to Rib-Hadda's constant pleas for military assistance from [[Akhenaten]]. They also deal with the conquest of neighbouring city-states by the [[Habiru]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

It appears Egyptian contact peaked during the [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th dynasty]], only to decline during the [[Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt|20th]] and [[Twenty-first Dynasty of Egypt|21st]] dynasties. In addition, when the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] collapsed in the 11th century BC, Byblos ceased being a colony and became the foremost city of Phoenicia.<ref>"Byblos" in: Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 2, p. 692. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1992. {{ISBN|0-85229-553-7}}</ref> Although the archaeological evidence seems to indicate a brief resurgence during the [[Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt|22nd]] and [[Twenty-third Dynasty of Egypt|23rd]] dynasties, it is clear after the [[Third Intermediate Period of Egypt|Third Intermediate Period]] the Egyptians started favouring [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] and [[Sidon]] instead of Byblos.<ref>Shaw, Ian: "The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt", page 321. Oxford University Press, 2000. {{ISBN|978-0-19-280458-7}}</ref>

Archaeological evidence at Byblos, particularly the five [[Byblian royal inscriptions]] dating back to around 1200–1000 BC, shows existence of a [[Phoenician alphabet]] of twenty-two characters; an important example is the [[Ahiram sarcophagus]]. The use of the alphabet was spread by Phoenician merchants through their maritime trade into parts of North Africa and Europe. One of the most important monuments of this period is the [[Temple of the Obelisks]], dedicated to the [[ancient Canaanite religion|Canaanite war god]] [[Resheph]], but this had fallen into ruins by the time of [[Alexander the Great]].{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}