وصف الكتاب:
he series Beiruter Teste und Studien (BTS, 'Texts and Studies from Beirut') places its thematical and regional focus on the Levant. It is considered as a platforn for interdisciplinary debates pursued by cultural studies and social sciences with the historical background. Two centenaries linking the history of modern Lebanon, and of Baalbek in particular, to the history of modern Germany will be celebrated in 1998: (I) the visit of the German Emperor Wilhelm II to Baalbek (November 10-11, 1898) and (ii) the beginning of the German archaeological excavations in the temple ruins of that site on December 27, 1898. Both events were intimately linked: the experience of the Roman remains left so strong an impression on the Emperor that he decided, nearly on the spot, to see to it that the ruins be excavated by German experts. The German Orient Institute, Beirut, in cooperation with the German Archaeological Institute, Berlin, and a number of Lebanese scholars, participates in the celebration of these events with the publication of the present volume. The purpose of the book is twofold: (I) to explore the historical backgroind and the Zeitgeist that made the German Emperor and his contemporaries interested in visiting, exploring and preseving the ruins of Baalbek, and (ii) to review the state of the scientific exploration of the site that strated with the German archaeological missions.