any natural soil. The iron coast was surrounded on three sides, the
north, the west, and the south, by a number of rocks and small islets,
which fringed it like the trimming of a shawl. Its Phoenician occupiers
early converted this debatable territory, half sea half shore, into
solid land, by filling up the interstices between the rocks with squared
stones and a solid cement as hard as the rock itself, which remains
to this day.[436] The north-eastern portion, which has a length of 150
yards by a breadth of 125, is perfectly smooth and almost flat, but with
a slight slope towards the east, which is thought to show that it was
used as a sort of dry dock, on which to draw up the lighter vessels, for
safety or for repairs.[437] The western and southern increased the area
for house-building. Anciently, as at Tyre, the houses were built
very close together, and had several storeys,[438] for the purpose
of accommodating a numerous population. The island was wholly without
natural harbour; but on the eastern side, which faced the mainland, and
was turned away from the prevailing winds, the art and industry of the
inhabitants constructed two ports of a fair size. This was effected by
carrying out from the shore three piers at right angles into the sea,
the central one to a distance of from seventy to a hundred yards, and
the other two very nearly as far--and thus forming two rectangular
basins, one on either side of the central pier, which were guarded from
winds on three sides, and only open towards the east, a quarter from
which the winds are seldom violent, and on which the mainland, less than
three miles off, forms a protection. The construction of the central
pier is remarkable. It is formed of massive blocks of sandstone, which
are placed transversely, so that their length forms the thickness of the
pier, and their ends the wall on either side. On both sides of the wall
are quays of concrete.[439]

The line of the ancient enceinte may still be traced around the three