he worship of Yahweh. The sacred cakes of
Astarte and old holy wells associated with her cult were later even
transferred to the worship of the Virgin (_Ency. Bib._ col. 3993; Rouvier,
in _Bull. Archeol._, 1900, p. 170).

[6] The sanctuary of Heracles at Daphne near Antioch was properly that of
the Semitic Baal, and at Amathus Jupiter Hospes takes the place of Heracles
or Malika, in which the Tyrian Melkart is to be recognized (W. R. Smith,
_Rel. Sem._ 2nd ed. pp. 178, 376). See further PHOENICIA.

BAALBEK (anc. _Heliopolis_), a town of the Buka'a (Coelesyria), altitude
3850 ft., situated E. of the Litani and near the parting between its waters
and those of the Asi. Pop. about 5000, including 2000 Metawali and 1000
Christians (Maronite and Orthodox). Since 1902 Baalbek has been connected
by railway with Rayak (Rejak) on the Beirut-Damascus line, and since 1907
with Aleppo. It is famous for its temple ruins of the Roman period, before
which we have no record of it, certain though it be that Heliopolis is a
translation of an earlier native name, in which Baal was an element. It has
been suggested, but without good reason, that this name was the Baalgad of
Josh. xi. 17.

Heliopolis was made a _colonia_ probably by Octavian (coins of 1st century
A.D.), and there must have been a Baal temple there in which Trajan
consulted the oracle. The foundation of the present buildings, however,
dates from Antoninus Pius, and their dedication from Septimius Severus,
whose coins first show the two temples. The great courts of approach were
not finished before the reigns of Caracalla and Philip. In commemoration,
no doubt, of the dedication of the new sanctuaries, Severus conferred the
_jus Italicum_ on the city. The greater of the two temples was sacred to
Jupiter (Baal), identified with the Sun, with whom were associated Venus
and Mercury as [Greek: sumbomoi theoi]. The lesser temple was built in
honour of Bacchus (not the Sun, as formerly believed). Jupiter-Baal was
represented locally as a beardless god in long scaly drapery, holding a
whip in his right hand and lightning and ears of corn in his left. Two
bulls supported him. In this guise he passed into European worship in the
3rd and 4th centuries A.D. The extreme licence of the Heliopolitan worship
is often animadverted upon by early Christian writers, and Constantine,
making an effort to curb the Venus cult, built a basilica. Theodosius
erected another, with western apse, in the