Tell Dibbine

Tell Dibbine is an archaeological site 2km north of Marjayoun in the plain of ''El Marj'' in the Nabatieh Mohafazat (Governorate). It dates at least to the Neolithic. It was also known in the ancient world as Ijon. Many artifacts have been found including statues (currently lost), columns, and many more... The people of this settlement could be Hivites, or most possibly Phoenician. According to the Hebrew Torah, Ijon was ransacked in 800-700 B.C by Ben-Haddad during the Assyrian invasion of the levant. After this period, there appears to be no archeological evidence of settlements which could imply it was abandoned during this period, until around 500 B.C. After this date, the Tell seems to have been settled by Greco-Phoenician colonists as a trade center. Further archeological evidence indicates that Ijon flourished during the Roman period as a transit spot for traders. Byzantine settlement is also evident by coins found in the area, yet the Tell appears to have started declining in importance and population for unknown reasons. After the Byzantine period, traces of Arabian conquest of the area appear, yet it only seems to have lasted for no more than a few decades. The tell at this point may have been totally abandoned or settled by a tiny population returning to a small village. The most logical explanation could be that the settlement could have moved to the modern village of Dibbin. The Ottomans may have used the Tell as a lookout points and possibly set up a barracks there, yet no evidence implies that during the Ottoman period any kind of settlement remained there.

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{{Portal, Lebanon, History, Asia

Marjeyoun District
Neolithic settlements
Archaeological sites in Lebanon
Great Rift Valley