Two thousand years ago Berytus was a great Roman city with many beautiful temples, theaters and public buildings. While most of these monuments have disappeared, a few Roman remains survive. One of these is a 1st century BC public bath just behind Bank Street. Continually inhabited since the dawn of history, Beirut has been built and rebuilt over the centuries by the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs. Everyone of these civilizations constructed cities in the same small seaside area that now composes downtown Beirut. The new Beirut, although modern, is traditional in spirit; skyscrapers have been kept to a minimum and a sea view has been retained whenever possible. The reconstruction project has made use of the ancient street grid-in many places identical to the pattern in Hellenistic and Roman times.