The Obituary
Melqart, “King of the City,” was the patron god of Tyre, a deity of the sea, colonization, and seasonal death and rebirth. Each year his egersis festival enacted his resurrection through fire. As Tyre’s colonists spread, so did his cult, and Greeks equated him with Heracles, conflating his temple’s twin pillars with the Pillars of Hercules. Under Roman rule and the rise of Christianity, the distinctly Phoenician worship of Melqart dissolved and his name passed out of living memory.
Worth remembering
- His name means 'King of the City'; an annual egersis festival burned his effigy and celebrated his awakening.
- Greeks identified him with Heracles, and his Tyrian temple held twin pillars said to inspire the Pillars of Hercules.
Sources
- Melqart was the tutelary god of Tyre, often identified with Heracles Wikipedia
- His name means 'King of the City' and his festival celebrated his resurrection World History Encyclopedia
A graveyard tradition: leave a stone to show you came, and remembered.