In the 1990s, the effort to rebuild Beirut following the Lebanese Civil War provided archaeologists with the unique opportunity to investigate the Tell, revealing many layers of the city.
Between 1200 and 1000 B.C., Phoenician Beirut/Biruta regained its role as a maritime center, and established two harbors and extended trade links throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.
Large quantities of crushed rock were piled against the fortifications of the old Canaanite city wall in order to create a stone-paved embankment (glacis).
In Roman Berytus, the sacred and administrative center was relocated from the Tell to the Forum, beneath today's Etoile Square.
During the 1930s, a monumental gateway and grand stairway were planned to connect Martyrs’ Square to the harbor's main quayside.