Alexandroscene
Roman garrison located in present-day southern Lebanon.
Inhabitants or natives
Alba - Anne - Aquila the triarii - Azio - Caïus – Philip, Elijah and Daniel, the three brothers of Hermione of Dositheus – Sira, who goes searching for Jesus.
Description
"Alexandroscene is more a military city than a civilian one. It must have some strategic importance that I do not know. Nestled as it is between the two promontories, (White Cape (Ras el Abyad) and the 'storm cape' (Ras en Nākūrah)), it seems like a sentinel assigned to guard this part of the sea. Now that the eye can see both capes, one sees that there are a great number of fortified towers forming a chain with those on the plain and in the city where, near the coast, the imposing Camp dominates."[1]
Significant events
Jesus preaches the parable of the Workers of the Eleventh Hour here before a cosmopolitan crowd. He offends sensibilities and must flee the city with his small group under Roman protection.
The city was completely forgotten by 1944. Yet Maria Valtorta calls it "Alexandroscene of Phoenicia" and speaks of it with relevance.[1]
Its name
Alexandroschene (the tent of Alexander).
Where is it mentioned in the work?
EMV 328 EMV 329
EMV 474
EMV 534
Learn more about this place
Supposed location of Alexander the Great’s camp after the very long siege (seven months) of Tyre in 332 BC. The two promontories seen by Maria Valtorta (the White Cape (Ras el Abyad) and the "storm cape" (Ras en Nākūrah)) are the two "ladders of Tyre," chalk cliffs framing a six-mile (9.6 km) plain.[2].
On Roman-era maps, Alexandroschene would correspond to a city named Mazi, today without doubt Naqoura in South Lebanon.
Its existence is still attested in 333 AD by the Bordwater pilgrim who cites it as a stopover between Tyre and Ecdeppa (Achzib).[3].
In 1880, Victor Guérin noted: "The site occupied by this city is entirely pierced with numerous excavations made to extract stones from houses or demolished buildings...".[4]
As for the "small torrent located very near the gates," it indeed exists, but only detailed maps of Lebanon allow to confirm it.
Explore
33°07'39"N 35°09'02.6"E / +34m
Points under debate
Father Bea, in his critical report for the October 17, 1952, states regarding the remarkable geographical knowledge he observes in Maria Valtorta's work: "But the cause becomes more enigmatic by the fact that some geographical and topographical data absolutely do not match the situation at the time of Christ. The city of Alexandroscene gets its name, not, as was formerly believed, from Alexander the Great, but from the Roman emperor Severus Alexander (225-235) who had the road cut in the rock of the 'white promontory'; at the time of Christ, the city probably did not exist."
Several elements contradict this assertion:
Alexandroscene etymologically means "the camp (or tent) of Alexander." Its name is made up of two parts!
- "Alexandros" (Ἀλέξανδρος): which refers to Alexander the Great.
- "Skēnē" (σκηνή): which means "tent" or "camp" in ancient Greek.
Alexandroskène is therefore a perfectly suitable term for a military siege site, but much less for a Roman foundation. It would be necessary to establish the military episode that would have justified such a designation. However, Severus Alexander is described as a peaceful emperor "ill-suited to military matters — he even has an aversion to battles and violence in general." (Wikipedia)
Furthermore, if Severus Alexander had founded a city, he would surely have chosen a Latin or imperial honorary name (e.g., Alexandria Severiana), rather than an old Greek military name.
Greek or Latin inscriptions dating from the 3rd century AD mentioning explicitly Severus Alexander, his titulature or a foundation act (ktisis) should be found on the Alexandroscene site; this would be a strong indication. This is not the case.
The Bordwater pilgrim[3] passes around 333 AD, therefore after Severus Alexander, but he links the city to Alexander the Great and not to a Roman emperor.
It thus seems quite consistent that the Roman army at the time of Jesus Christ established a garrison where Alexander the Great had established his during the siege, and subsequently for the surveillance of the Tyrians.
The siege of Tyre by Alexander the Great and the founding of Alexandroscene
After his victory over Darius III at Issus (333 BC), Alexander wants to secure the entire eastern Mediterranean coast to deprive the Persian fleet of ports of call. The other Phoenician cities quickly submit, but Tyre refuses to allow Alexander entry. The Tyrians hope to resist thanks to their insular isolation and the still-active Persian fleet.
The siege lasted about seven months in total, from January to July 332 BC. Alexander built a gigantic causeway (or mole) linking the mainland to the island, made of stones, tree trunks, and rubble. The Tyrians counter-attacked with fire ships, burning siege engines and hindering progress. Alexander responded by building mobile siege towers on the causeway, equipped with catapults to cover the works.
Noticing the difficulty, Alexander mobilized the Phoenician fleet from cities already conquered (Sidon, Arados, Byblos) thus strengthening his maritime superiority. The city was now blockaded on all sides: the siege became both land and naval. After seven months, the siege machines broke through the southern walls. Macedonian troops entered the city through the breach and by scaling, while the fleet attacked the harbor. Fighting was fierce in the narrow streets. According to sources (Arrian, Quintus Curtius, Diodorus Siculus), about 8,000 inhabitants were killed and 30,000 enslaved.
During the siege of Tyre, Alexander established a large camp on the coast opposite the island, where the causeway begins. The Macedonians and their allies built depots, arsenals, workshops for siege engines, and housing for thousands of soldiers. This fixed, fortified, and organized camp is sometimes called Alexandroskène (Alexandrou skènè = "the tent / camp of Alexander") in sources. After the victory, this camp became, on the heights, a small permanent urban center, partly occupied by veterans or merchants attracted by the proximity of Tyre which was rebuilt but never regained its former splendor.
Notes and references
- ↑ EMV 328.3
- ↑ Source: "Picturesque Palestine," vol. 3, pp. 67-69. A collection of engravings made in 1881 in four volumes, by Charles Wilson.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Indeed, in the Itinerarium Burdigalense — the anonymous travel account of the Bordwater pilgrim dating from 333 AD — there is an explicit mention of a place called Alexandroschenum located between Tyree (Tyre) and Ecdeppa (Achzib); "De Tyreo usque ad Alexandroschena mansio una, milia XXVIII; inde usque ad Ecdeppa mansio una, milia IX (From Tyre to Alexandroscene, one stage, 28 miles; from there to Ecdeppa, one stage, 9 miles.)". This Latin spelling corresponds well to Alexandroscene in common French usage, and the geographical position (between Tyre and Ecdeppa) confirms the identification. This passage therefore attests that in 333, Alexandroscene was still a recognized stopover point on the coastal route.
- ↑ Victor Guérin, La Terre Sainte, 2nd part (1884), p. 143: "The site occupied by this city [Alexandroscene] is entirely pierced with numerous excavations, which were carried out there to extract stones from houses or demolished buildings. Among the piles of materials still lying on the ground, several column shafts are observed, most broken. A pointed vault, shaped like a sugarloaf, covers a circular basin there…"