page_title: Greeks in Lebanon
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Greeks in Lebanon / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Map of the colonies of Ancient Greece and Phoenicia — circa 550 BCE. Also other regional 'dynasties' of the Mediterranean region.
context_page_description: Greeks in Lebanon had presence in present day Lebanon that dated to ancient times, and the Phoenicians and Greeks shared close ties. The Greek alphabet, for example, is derived from the Phoenician one. The Greek presence is attested by several place names, and the close ties between Greeks and the Lebanese Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities.
context_section_description: In ancient times Lebanon was the site of several Greek colonies. Following Christianization Greek culture remained a strong influence, waning as the centuries passed, though not disappearing. The city of Amioun (possibly from the Semitic word for Greeks, Yunan), capital of the Koura District (in turn from the Greek χωριά, "villages") in the north of the country is a living testament of that. Following the 2006 invasion of Lebanon by Israel most Greeks have fled the country, although there remains a Greek community in Beirut (Greater Beirut) as well as in the aforementioned Koura District.
caption: Map of Phoenician and Greek colonies at about 550 B.C.
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