Chhim is a town located 47 kilometres south-east of Beirut. Chhim is located on 4 mountains in the Chouf region in Lebanon.
Old settlement in Chhim dates back to the Bronze Age and was constantly settled till VIII century A.D. Its remains contain of a Roman temple (but not of a roman god), a church, three olive presses, and a number of dwellings around them.
Roman temple within the remains of a Byzantine town, built on top of a Phoenician temple`s ruins. Tomasz Waliszewski supplies extensive details.
In the 2nd century A.D. a small temple (11.06 m x 9.24 m) was erected, replacing an earlier sanctuary. There is evidence this site existed in the Helenistic period and even as early as the late Bronze/early Iron age.
The significance of this building lies in the figural representations which adorn its facades; a solar bust above an incense altar and to the left of it a priest performing his duties. The monumental entrance with a moulded doorframe is surmounted by a lintel decorated with garlands and an Egyptian cornice, on which a winged disc is depicted.
A floor made of lime mortar was revealed in the north corner of the cella. A cylindrical basin dug into this floor probably represents the settling tank of a wine press dating from the 6th century A.D. No trace is left of the area where grapes were pressed.
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