Difference between revisions of "23. ID Byblos"

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Return to History 8 Near East Vocabulary

First city of the Phoenicians

“Archaeologists have uncovered homes of farmers and fishermen in Gebeil dating back to 7000 B.C. They found one-room huts with crushed limestone floors and stone idol of god El. Because of these discoveries, it is thought that Gebeil (later known as Byblos) may actually be the oldest city in the world.”

Busy port with ships from throughout the Mediterranean

Source for local materials, oil and wood

Source for materials from Egypt – Gold, Papyrus, Linen, Alabaster

“As far as back as 3200 B.C., the people of Gebeil (Byblos) were cutting down cedar trees in the mountains of Lebanon, to be shipped to Egypt and Mesopotamia for use in building ships and making columns for houses. In return, the Phoenicians brought back gold, copper, and turquoise from the Nile Valley and Sinai.”

In about 1000 B.C. Phoenicians developed syllabic writing

“By about 1200 B.C., the Phoenicians had developed symbols which in time became a real alphabet. The Phoenician alphabet consisted of twenty-two symbols, all consonants. Each one represented its own sound.”

The Greeks referred to the ancient paper as Byblos, after the first great Phoenician port, because they imported so much paper.

The name bible also derives from Byblos.

The Phoenicians spread their form of writing during their travels around the Mediterranean. ''''

“Because the papyrus rotted away in the damp sea air and soil, there are practically no Phoenician writings left. Thus, the literature of the people who influenced the western world in her writing has largely vanished. Still, because Egyptian scribes copied the Phoenician letters after hieroglyphics were no longer used, and because artists in Ninevah inscribed them in stone, the alphabet remains with us.”

Manual pg. 105 - 106

http://www.lebanon2000.com/ph.htm

Michael Urdahl