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Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..", comes from a line in section 1.10.32.
The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" by Cicero are also reproduced in their exact original form, accompa
Antioch, and the Phoenician southern part with its capital Tyre. Like all the cities of the province of Syria, Beirut derived for a long time its prosperity from its privileged position of intermediary between the East and the West and from its sheltered harbor.
The city did not lose the naval supremacy of the Phoenicians on the Mediterranean. Its merchant ships were the fastest of the time and its port was teeming with various commercial activities. Besides its silk, which was eagerly sought by the elegant Romans, Beirut exported its fruits, famous wines, glass and metal objects, perfumes, purple dye and wood (the famous Cedars of Lebanon!) to the West.
Among the other cities of the province Syria, Beirut became particularly well Romanized, both by its relations with the West and by the opening of the Roman school of law.
The Beirut School of Law
According to Oxford’s University professor Thomas Holland, law schools in Rome and Berytus existed as of 450 BC. As a matter of fact, from the 3rd century, Beirut acquired a Mediterranean notoriety thanks to its prestigious school of law; the city became the greatest center of legal education in the East. It attracted young people, from Greek regions, who were hoping to obtain a way of access to an official career in the imperial administration by their good knowledge of Latin law. Gregory Thaumaturgus, a Christian bishop and
later a saint, and his brother Athenodorus, left their province of Cappadocia in 239 to study at the school of Beirut.
The Codex of Justinian, which had a great influence on Western Law and traditions of Western Europe, was majorly contributed by Beirut’s professors. The city became highly recognized throughout the Byzantine Empire and was known as the “Mother of Laws”.
Under Justinian I, all law schools were shut down because of their contradiction with Christian faith. Only two schools, Beirut and Constantinople, remained open and were allowed to continue teaching jurisprudence. Teachings at Beirut and Constantinople were supplanted from Latin by Greek toward the end of the 4th and the beginning of the 5th century.