CORONA satellite photograph over Byblos taken on March 21, 1968. The arrow indicates the archaeological site of the ancient city.

And he answered and said to me: “On what business have you come?” So I told him: “I have come after the woodwork for the great and august barque of Amon-Re, King of the Gods. Your father did (it), your grandfather did (it), and you will do it too!” — The Journey of Wen-Amon to Phoenicia (James B. Prichard, ed. (1969) Ancient Near Eastern Texts: Third Edition with Supplement, p. 27.)

Byblos became to be mentioned in Egyptian records as a supplier of lumber of Lebanon cedar in the second millennium BCE. In the “Journey of Wen-Amon to Phoenicia”, recorded in the 11th century BCE, Wen-Amon from Egypt negotiated with the ruler of Byblos to obtain lumber. Ancient Byblos was located on a seacoast terrace, and began to prosper as a commercial center in the early bronze age. Many artifacts are unearthed here including dedicated treasures of the Temple of Obelisks.

CORONA satellite photographs are available from U. S. Geological Survey, EROS Data Center, Sioux Falls, SD, USA.