>>15442668

(Please read from the start)

Anons guessed it right, the second temple of Niha is the one called the Fort of Niha = Hosn Niha. I’m going to call it Niha B: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hosn_Niha

“Hosn Niha is an archaeological site in Lebanon composed of some temples and buildings in the outskirts of the village of Niha, that hold significant archaeological value. Anthropologists (like Yasmine) have predicted that the temples found at this site were previously used by a cult during the Greco-Roman period, though only limited work has been done on the site. The Roman settlement was eventually completely abandoned after the Arab conquest of the region. Much of the area and its buildings were destroyed during the Lebanese Civil War. The site stretches across land near the Bekaa Valley for a total of 550 meters at an altitude of 1350 meters. The site is noteworthy for the numerous tombs scattered around the area. Anthropologists have discovered that there were different types of tombs, which they assumed were assigned to people based on their ranking within the culture. Due to the recent growing interest in the site, more studies have been conducted.”

>> I’ve already explained about the sarcophaguses in such remote places when I talked about Ain Horshe. The site of Niha B Temple has been damaged because it was re-used and was turned to a fort during the Medieval times. Just look at the size of the blocks and you will understand why it was turned to a fort. Another factor contributed to turning it into a fort was its location. I’ve been there and it’s in an incredible, strategic spot where you can see a wide area of the Beqaa valley underneath. At this altitude, the region has loads of heavy snow during the winter, harsh winds and it’s a furnace during summer. To reach the fort, you gotta go by foot after dumping your car on the dirt road further down. For those whom like hiking and exploring, it’s a good spot to discover but during the summer because of the weather and hard conditions during winter.

“Discovery

The earliest written mentions of the site come from European travelers in the nineteenth century. Recently, Jean Yasmine conducted detailed studies of the sanctuary and its architecture. Yasmine's work focused on mapping the sanctuary's layout. He was able to identify residences found within the village. He used different methods of research, such as surveying at landscape and built-up archaeology levels. His findings included the discovery of different tombs placed across the site and the important building nicknamed "La Grande Residence." This building contained many valuable pottery artifacts that helped archaeologists develop further research and hypotheses about the culture's values and beliefs.”

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>>15448206

(Please read from the start)

“Geography

The Hosn Niha site was discovered near the Beqaa Valley and lies at the base of a steep slope. It is surrounded by large agricultural fields that are still being used today. Archaeologists discovered a sanctuary with two temples inside, with one being larger than the other. This sanctuary also contains a church and several cult rooms. A smaller sanctuary and two big quarries were also found further down nearing the village of Niha. An ancient trade route was discovered along the valley, running from the east towards Niha, another archaeological site found nearby.

Location

Because of the site's location and steep slope, the village is sheltered while still receiving a large amount of sunlight. A river that flows through the village once provided the inhabitants with a sufficient water source. Anthropologists also discovered a spring not too far from the sanctuary.”

>> Remember what I told you about the water sources?

“The site has some drawbacks. Since it is at such a high altitude, the winters can be very harsh. Winters reach extremely low temperatures and produce large snowfalls. The snow may have had a particularly large impact on the village's survival -according to Newson & Young- because it could block trade routes coming from and going to the sanctuary complex.”

>> Correct.

“Findings

The village of Niha is home to four Roman temples that were constructed between the 1st and 3rd century AD (when the area was called Pagus Augustus). The lower two temples are located on the edge of the village, and the other two temples are about 2 km above the village in what is known as "Hosn Niha".

Located at an elevation of 1,400 m (4,600 ft) with difficult road access, these two temples of Hosn Niha are not restored.

Architectural evidence at the site indicates that it was transformed into a small fort during the medieval period (hence the name of Hosn, that means fort in Arab language).

• Upper Great Temple. Built on a podium facing toward the east, the "Upper Great Temple" of Hosn Niha is composed of a portico with four columns, leading to a cella, and then to an elevated adytum. Today, the temple site is reasonably well preserved – most of its walls are intact, but its columns are no longer standing. The altar in front of the temple was destroyed by a Byzantine Basilica that was built over it. The Basilica has three naves and a semi-circular apse to its east end. The lower portions of the Basilica walls remain visible today”.

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>>15448217

(Please read from the start)

• “Lower Small Temple. The second "Lower Small Temple" opens to the south and was accessed through a stairway that is almost completely destroyed today. The stairway leads to a portico with two columns, and then to a small cella with a small niche at its end, which used to hold the statue of the god or goddess.

Many ancient findings are reported in the area, from pottery to tombs & sanctuaries.

Pottery

Disturbances created from outside forces brought sherds of pottery to the surface[These pieces of pottery were an incredible finding because they gave archaeologists better insight about the people who once inhabited the area. After studying the fragments, Yasmine was able to determine that they were created in the first century AD and held extreme value to the culture, until the site was abandoned in the seventh century AD. These pottery sherds helped archaeologists -according to Yasmine- strengthen their assumptions of their existence during the Greco-Roman era.”

>> We think this is due to the steep slope and the snow melt = erosion of the surface layer of the soil. While I was walking my way up there, I had to restrain myself from sitting on the ground right there and start putting the pottery shreds together. The pieces are scattered all over and you literally walk on them if you don’t watch where you are stepping. It was amazing seeing them like that. A real heaven for an old dog like me in archaeology.

“Tombs

Before becoming an active archaeological site, the tombs had been targeted by looters for items of value that were buried with their owners. In addition to a nearby cemetery, excavators found a variety of tombs, including communal tombs, individual cast tombs, and stone sarcophagi. Rock-cut tombs were the more common type found at the site. Interestingly, many of these tombs had entryways built into them. These entryways were usually created for people to place their offerings to the dead.”

>> The stone sarcophaguses are identical to the ones I put a picture of on page 1 801-A2, from Ain Horshe site. Unfortunately, it’s very true that the sarcophaguses were looted a long time ago.

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>>15448222

(Please read from the start)

“Cist tombs usually include multiple tombs arranged closely together. This layout led excavators to believe that these people were buried near each other because they were within the same family.”

>> Correct. We believe these belonged to local noble families, or at least wealthy families whom could afford such costs – another possibility is the clergy.

“Sanctuaries

The double sanctuary was also an important structure to the site. This sanctuary consisted of several dormitory rooms and rooms that were specifically meant for sacrifices and rituals. Many of the altars found within these rooms have symbols of bulls' heads and garlands, which supports the hypothesis that this culture practiced sacrificial rituals. Larger rooms with larger altars are speculated to be a "male god's" room. The smaller attached room was usually assigned to the god's companion or partner, according to Newson.”

>> The minute the reader read “rooms that were specifically meant for sacrifices and rituals”, I bet you automatically thought of human sacrifice. Here, it’s said sacrifice, not human sacrifice; as in animals were sacrificed – as seen in the relief near the crypt doorway in Niha A temple (page 1 809). I disagree with their interpretation: bull head design is the cult of Neith = Lamassu clan. It goes with the relief of the priest in Niha A temple where we can see the Lamassu horns on top of his head.

We’ve seen it already many times before that the Phoenicians sacrificed animals for the gods:

Examples:

1 - Eshmun temple relief (page 1 443) = sacrificing a rooster.

2 – Inçili Stele (starting page 1 488).

3 – Animal bones found in Carthage infant burial site, inside the urns.

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>>15448230

(Please read from the start)

Niha B site has one more surprise apart the megalithic blocks. I will let the pictures talk for themselves. We’ve seen this before, haven’t we anons?

It’s not just the size of the blocks and the way they were processed that is making us believe these blocks are Atlantean technology/technique of building = Phoenician, it’s also what holds the blocks together. Compare with Tiwanaku site. All I’ve told you, it was not theoretical nor from my imagination. What you see in the pictures of this page is another common point to MANY of the sites I’ve showed you, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find the pictures online. Baalbek has them too.

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>>15448242

(Please read from the start)

There are also megalithic blocks in Niha on the side. Just like that, on their own. Some call this as being some type of bridge or something, but I really doubt that. I have no explanation or information about these blocks, just pictures. Maybe these blocks were removed from the temple site and placed there during the later times, like Byzantine or the Ottoman times…just a possibility.

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