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User:Vuara/Who is Phoenician and who is Arab today

Phoenicia, Phoenicians of the Present: Who is Phoenician and who is Arab today?

Living Phoenicians Who is Phoenician and who is Arab today? “The invaders of Phoenicia NEVER REPLACED the original population even when they added to their genetic diversity.”
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/testimonial.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/christiansmea.html

“Are we arab? Are we Phoenician?”

“The majority come from the original Phoenicians who speak a language (or dialect) which is a mixture of Syriac, Aramaic, Turkish, and colloquial Arabic, as well as a some other languages.” Multicultural, Multiethnic, Poly-religious, Poly-sectarian Middle East and the Need for Tolerance Political Statement: The tensions and turmoils that continue to haunt the world cannot be solved without genuine will for coexistance, tolerance and peaceful dialogue. The complex makeup of minorities from all religions, sects, ethnic or cultural groups of the Near East must be allowed free expression of their unique characteristics, traditons and cultures within the accepted freedoms of the civilized world. Such communities should be protected from persecution, extermination, intimidation or subordination by majorities that choose to employ religious laws that infringe on the human rights of others. The multicultural, multiethnic, poly-religious and poly-sectarian communities of this part of the world must exercise extreme caution in preserving the uniquness of their diverse society which is the corner stone in enriching their part of the world.

Religion and Culture A MUST SEE: Photographic galleries of Phoenicia through the lens of Peter Brown, a Lithuanian/ Scottish American. Visit his site by clicking on the image of Tyre below. After the Arab invasion of the Middle East in the 7th Century and the enforced conversion of most of the population to Islam, the cultures of the various peoples under this occupation became diluted into the new order. However, ancient cultures survived in the rites of various churches of the East. The mosaic of religions in the Middle East became the repository of culture while the unique identities of the peoples of that part of the Mediterranean was changed for ever. For example, the Assyrian Church and Chaldean Church (or see "Who are the Chaldeans") in Iraq, Georgia, Persia, and Turkey preserved the cultures of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians; the Coptic Church in Egypt preserved the culture of Pharaonic Egypt; the Syriac Orthodox Church, (whose Patriach Ignatius Khalaf 1455-1483 may have been my ancestor; see also Suryoyo) -- relative to Syriac language, dialect of Aramaic -- in Syria, Lebanon, Persia and Iraq preserved the culture of the Syrian Jacobites/Phoenicians; the Greco-Phoenician of the Byzantine Church (or see The History of Melkites in this site and Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East and Greek Catholic Melkite Patriarchate of Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria and All the East in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt and Israel/Palestine preserved the Greek Byzantine culture; and the Maronite Church in Lebanon, Syria, Israel/Palestine, and Cyprus preserved the culture of the Phoenicians. Several of the aforesaid churches are or have sister easter Catholic rites churches which did separate from their original churches and came in communion with the Papacy (see Opus Libani) while the others remained in their Eastern Orthodox tradition. Further, all of these churches and their cultures have immigrant branches all over the world. For a detailed list of links about the various peoples and churches mentioned herewith, please refer to "Related resources and links about Phoenicia and the Forgotten Christians of the East" (Related Links About Phoenicia) on this website.

It must be noted, in this brief summary, that a predominent majority of the Phoenician Christian community which resided in cities of Phoenicia Maritima became Byzantinized or took on "western" Byzantine customes, dress, rites and liturgy. Meanwhile, Phoenician communities of the mountains, which were cut off from contact with the outside world, maintained a more authentic Phoenician Maronite and Syriac traditions, customes, rites, language and culture.

Byzantine Psaltica Chants During ceremonial Holy Liturgy, chants honoring Lebanese bishops and archbishops continue to be recited to this day proclaiming them "Metropolitan Archbishops of Phoenicia Maritima."

Following are translations of the text of two of these Byzantine chants, as well as link to their MP3 audio files.

Archbishop of Beirut, specifically composed and written to the late Metropolitan Archbishop Eliya Saleebi:

"Father of fathers and shepherd of shepherds, Eliya, most virtuously righteous and most honorable, who is appointed by God as bishop of Beirut and its suburbs. He who is most revered in graciousness and who is most preeminent in leadership, Metropolitan of Phoenicia Maritima. Our father and archbishop, may his years be many." (performed with difficulty by the author* of this site) (MP3 file Beirut)

 * I used to hear this chant when I went to Holy Liturgy at the Orthodox Monastery in my hometown when archbishop Eliya Saleebi was the celebrant. I am not absolutely sure of the right words but I believe I got the hymnology as close to the original as I can remember.

Archbishop of Tripoli, specifically composed and written to the Metropolitan Archbishop Elias:

"May God the Lord Almighty keep for many years, his beatitude and most revered graciousness, Metropolitan of Tripoli and all of Phoenicia Maritima, our father and our master, Kyrios Elias. God keep for many years." (performer unknown) (MP3 file, Tripoli)

Who is Arab? The origin of the word "Arab" Hitherto, the first actual use of the word Arab in history is to be found in an Assyrian inscription of 853 B.C., commemorating the defeat of a mutinous chieftain, called Gindibu the Aribi during the reign of king Shalmaneser III (858-824 B.C.). Arabs are then mentioned quite often, until the 6th century B.C. as Aribi or Arabuthat indicates a vassalage to the Assyrians. The first Greek who is accredited to have acquired some geographical knowledge was Homer, who flourished in 1000 or 800 B.C. He has referred to the Syrians under the name Arimi (the Biblical, Aram) and the Arabs under the name of Erembi. The place-name Arabia occurs for the first time in Greek writings. Herodotus (484-425 B.C,), followed by most other Greek and Latin writers, extended the term Arabia and Arab to the whole peninsula and everything in it, even including the eastern desert of Egypt between the Red Sea and the Nile. References to the Arabs, in addition, are also found in the anonymous "Periplus of the Erythraean Sea" (between 95 A.D. and 130 A.C.). The word Saracen, first used in Greek literature too, is a transcription of an Arabic word meaning "easterner." As for the Arabs' use of the word, it occurs for the first time in the ancient epigraphical material originating in southern Arabia, where it is clearly used for Bedouin. In the north, the word is used firstly in the 4th century A.D., in one of the oldest surviving records of the language that became classical Arabic.

Further account of the Arabs comes in the 10th chapter of Genesis of the Old Testament, which names the descendants of Noah, whose elder son, Shem is regarded as the ancestor of the Hebrews, Arabs and Armaens, - the speakers of Semitic language. But the term Arabs is not explicitly mentioned in Genesis. It is however suggested that the "mixed multitude" (Hebrew, erev) mentioned in Exodus (xii, 38) as having accompanied the Israelites into the wanderness from Egypt may be for Arabs. According to "Dictionary of the Bible" (ed. by James Hastings, New York, 1898, 1st vol., p. 135), "The employment of the name Arab for an inhabitant of any portion of the vast peninsula known to us as Arabia, begins somewhere in the 3rd century B.C., though the only trace of it in Old Testament is in the 2 ch., 21, where the Arabians that are near the Ethiopeans' would seem naturally to refer to the neighbours of the Habasha, whence there are grounds for placing in the extreme south of Yamen." The word arabia is expressly given to this country in the Old Testament (I Kings x. 15) when describing the visit of the Queen Sheba to Sololmon, which took place 1005 B.C. We also find the word arabah in Deut. i. 7 and ii. 8. Some writers hold that the village called Arabah, situated near Tehama, may be the name for the whole peninsula, an opinion scarcely deserving the least notice.

In the Bible, the name Arab is the first word used in the second book of Chronicles (xvii, 11) to refer to nomads from the east bank of the Jordan river in the time of king Jehosophat (900-800 B.C.), such as "...and the Arabians brought him flocks, seven thousand and seven hundred rams, and seven thousand and seven hundred he- goats."

The word arab or arabah is probably derived from a Semitic root related to nomadism. In the Arabic language, the word arab (derived from i'rab), means "those who speak clearly" as contrast with ajam (those who speak indistincly). In Holy Koran, the word arab has never used for the country of Arabia, but characterised the residence of Ismail, the son of Abraham as an "uncultivated land." In the time of Ismail his place of residence had no name, therefore, it was given the name of an "uncultivated land." In the Old Testament, the word midbar is used for Ismail's home, meaning a desert or a barren land, which closely corresponds to the Koranic description.

The peninsula was divided by the ancient geographers into Arabia Petraea, Arabia Felix and Arabia Deserta. The Arabia Petraea corresponded to the present Hijaz and eastern Najd. Arabia Felix to Yamen and Hazarmawt and Arabia Deserta comprised the rest of the country. Arab Peninsula (jazirat al-Arab) is situated in south-west Asia, embosomed with sea waters on its three sides, i.e., the Red Sea in the west, the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the south; is considered to be a largest peninsula in the world with an area of about 1,230,000 sq. miles, i.e., about one third of Europe, or almost six times bigger than France, ten times that of Italy and eight times bigger than Switzerland. Geographically it is an extention of the Sahara desert. It is divided into various parts of which Hijaz, Najd, Yamen, Hazarmawt and Oman are most important. The whole land is almost barren. The climate is extremely hot in summer and the coastal tracts are among the most torrid regions.

Where are the Phoenicians today? “The invaders of Phoenicia NEVER REPLACED the original population even when they added to their genetic diversity.” “Are we arab? Are we Phoenician?” “The majority come from the original Phoenicians who speak a language (or dialect) which is a mixture of Syriac, Aramaic, Turkish, and colloquial Arabic, as well as a some other languages.” As indicated earlier, the inhabitants of the countries that fell under Arab domination were forced to convert to Islam. However, a considerable number refused the new faith and remained steadfast in their Christian faith. Therefore, many Phoenician Christians became Muslims and their identity, as a separate people, was lost. At the same time, other Phoenician Christians kept their Byzantine, Maronite, Syriac, Assyrian or Chaldean (Coptic in Egypt) faith and are now able to identify their culture. These Phoenicians whether Christian or Muslim (who do not have a possible identifier of their Phoenician origin such as those of the Christian sects) -- see " Am I Phoenician?" in this site -- are spread all over the world. Despite the illusion that the Phoenicians of today live in Lebanon, Syria, and Israel/Palestine, or come from these countries; they can be found almost any where around the globe; and come from Phoenicia proper or its far away colonies. Many people from Spain, Tunisia, Sicily, Sardinia and other Mediterranean shores are of Phoenician descent (or descendants of immigrants from these places). They still proudly claim their Phoenician origin.

There are very few places in the world where one does not find a Phoenician buying or selling something under the pseudonym of Lebanese descendent. Phoenician trade is very much alive and well whether in Seattle, Washington, USA; Sydney, Australia; Cape Town, South Africa; São Pãulo, Brazil; or Paris, France.

Who is Phoenician and who is Arab today? A question which many people struggle with today.

In response to this question which I get asked very often, I am publishing below one of my standard explanation or responses to this question. I am publishing exerpts of the letter as is, in a letter form, until I produce a detailed essay on the subject:

You question is very valid especially at a time when the Lebanese of the old country are defeated with too many powers that pull and push on them in many ways: politically, emotionally, economically and spiritually.

It is not really possible for me to give you a complete, full and logical answer to your question in a short e-mail. I will, however, give you a summery of my studies and direct you to my website where a brief and incomplete attempt to answer the question is further developed.

Simply put, the Lebanese, Syrians and Palestinians come from mostly Phoenician blood which is a mix of the original Canaanites and the blood of invading armies that occupied that part of the world. Though the original stock of the population got mixed with invaders along the ages, they (the invaders) never **REPLACED** the population. This means that up till around the year 630+ A.D. Phoenicia as a political entity was still there and so were its people. Invading Arabs did NOT replace the population but subjugated many of them into Islam while the rest remained Christian. Simply put the population of the eastern Mediterranean is mostly made of the original Canaanite Phoenician people. The present population both Christian and Muslim continues to be Phoenician stock and those people were NOT put to death or exterminated and replaced by Arabs. To learn more about this particular subject, please visit my web page entitled "Living Phoenicians" http://phoenicia.org/today.html (actually this very page).

Having said this, I am not saying that all the Muslims in Lebanon, Syria and Palestine are pure Phoenicians but that in their majority they come from Phoenician blood. The problem with the Muslim community is the fact that they have no repository of heritage that survives to this day because Islam separated them from that heritage. The repository of heritage is to be found in Christian sects and their rites, chants, iconography, building and language: Syriac and Aramaic languages of the Syraic Orthodox and Syriac Catholic churches, Maronites. The Byzantine Orthodox and Catholic were westernized or Byzantinized Phoenicians who employed Greek -- much like the Lebanese speak French today. All this is explained in the page mentioned above.

Finally, I must include that few, very few Arabs and Christians were mixed into the Phoenician community. Specifically, the Ghassanides (Ghassasina in Arabic) were Yemeni Christians who immigrated to the area of north Jordan and south Syria. They were Sabaeans which many historians do not consider Arab based on archaeological evidence while the Koran mentions them as Arabs. Anyway, these Ghassanides were thought to be Arab because they came from Yemen after the Dam of Maarib broke and their economic life was messed up in Yemen. These people were of dark complexion, frizzy hair and thin lips. The Christian Gibarah family of Marj3yoon has roots from these people. It is important to note that the Gibarah family dialect or language is considerably other Aramaic and Syriac rich language of other Lebanese. Some other families may have had Ghassanide blood but knowing how far the persecution of Christians and their forced conversion to Islam over the centuries decimated the Christian communities of the east, it is very unlikely that many Ghassanides survived the ravages of history. Many of them were Jacobites who were persecuted into extermination.

Converts to Christianity were very very few in the whole Middle East with the exception of some of the Princes of Lebanon such the Chehab, Abillamah...etc. Most Christians converted to Islam than otherwise. This means to say that the higher percentage of Arab blood among the Phoenician Muslim population may have come to the Christian community but in very minute measures.

So, to answer your question "Are we arab? Are we Phoenician," I would confirm to you in the majority we are Phoenicians who speak a mixture of Syriac, Aramaic, and colloquial Arabic. This applies to most of the Lebanese and the Syrians, especially all the way up on the Mediterranean shore. Many Palestinians are of Phoenician origin too.

If you come from Christian or Muslim origin from that part of the world, you are Phoenician by heritage. If I were you, I would be proud of that and 900 pages in my website is out there for you to learn from.

How many Phoenician words do you know? A study is underway to analyze spoken Lebanese and other similar languages/dialects of the Near East with Aramaic and Syriac to determine how these latter ancient languages continue to be used in the very-day language of people. Further, the study will include similarities with Maltese, the language of Malta, and identify similarity with Lebanese.

What is the status of the Christian minorities of Phoenician Christians and and other Christians in the Middle East Read about the shattered Christian minorities in the Middle East by following this link.


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User:Vuara/The Phoenician Alphabet

The Phoenician Alphabet

 * http://www.phoenicia.org/alphabet.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/tblalpha.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/semlang.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/cadmus.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/imgs/alphatree.jpg
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/imgs/evolchar.gif
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/imgs/siniatic.jpg
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/imgs/akkadian-sinai.gif

Phoenician Alphabet, Mother of Modern Writing Evolution of Phoenician into Latin/Western scripts and Arabic/Eastern scripts Analytical developmental table of Phoenician Alphabet, Names of Letters, Phonetics, Derivatives and Modern Equivalents Phoenician Font for Mac or Windows (Download) Phoenician Alphabet, Adopted by the Greeks Herodotus on the origins of the Greek Alphabet

Phoenician Alphabet, Mother of Modern Writing

Alphabetic writing was already well established in the Late Bronze Age at Ugarit where a cuneiform script was used. The Phoenician alphabetic script was borrowed to write well before the first millennium BC.

The Phoenicians were not mere passive peddlers in art or commerce. Their achievement in history was a positive contribution, even if it was only that of an intermediary. For example, the extent of the debt of Greece alone to Phoenicia may be fully measured by its adoption, probably in the 8th century BC, of the Phoenician alphabet with very little variation (along with Semitic loan words); by "orientalizing" decorative motifs on pottery and by architectural paradigms; and by the universal use in Greece of the Phoenician standards of weights and measures. Having mentioned this, the influence on or from Linear A and B scripts is unknown.

Phoenician words are found in Greek and Latin classical literature as well as in Egyptian, Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic and Hebrew writings. The language is written with a 22-character alphabet that does not indicate vowels.

Although the Phoenicians used cuneiform (Mesopotamian writing) in what we call Ugaritic, they also produced a script of their own. The Phoenician alphabetic script of 22 letters was used at Byblos as early as the 15th century B.C. This method of writing, later adopted by the Greeks, is the ancestor of the modern Roman alphabet. It was the Phoenicians' most remarkable and distinctive contribution to civilization.

The Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder was a great admirer of the Phoenicians, he credited them with many discoveries, including the invention of trade. Although Pliny was not adverse to exaggerating, scholars do accept his evidence that Phoenicians were the first traveling salesmen. Because they needed an efficient method of keeping records, they invented an alphabet from which every alphabet of the world has descended. Along with an alphabet came the equipment for using it: pen, ink and, of course, papyrus, parchment and finally paper. A wax-writing tablet was found in an ancient Uluburun shipwreck (most likely to have been Canaanite Phoenician) off the coast of Turkey. Please see an image of the original wax tablet below.

The oldest of the attested Semitic languages, Akkadian, was the vehicle of a great ancient literature written in a logosyllabic cuneiform writing system of Sumerian origin. Records of other ancient Semitic languages exist in various forms. Amorite, another ancient Semitic language, is known from proper names; Ugaritic (please see image of Ugaritic cuneiform, top left) was written in a quasi-alphabetic cuneiform script unconnected with the Akkadian. The Canaanites of Phoenicia used a still undeciphered syllabic script, the Proto-Byblian, in the 2nd millennium BC, while those of Palestine and the Sinai Peninsula employed another undeciphered writing, the Sinaitic script, which may be alphabetic in nature. All the other Semites used and, for the most part, still use consonantal quasi-alphabets with no means or only imperfect means to distinguish the vowels. All such alphabets -- of which the more important are the Hebrew, the Aramaic/Syriac, and the Arabic -- are descended from the Phoenician linear quasi-alphabet of 22 signs, first attested at Byblos and externally similar to the Proto-Byblian script. All the European alphabets are descendants of the Phoenician, and all the Asiatic alphabets are descendants of the Aramaic variants of the Phoenician.

From a South Arabian variant of the earliest Semitic alphabet the Ethiopians developed a syllabic writing still in use for the languages of Ethiopia. Maltese uses the Latin alphabet.

Important Note: Please make sure to view vital tables, charts and graphics.

Phoenician & Other Fonts for Mac or Windows (Download) Note: If you experience problems downloading any of these fonts, please try to:

Right-click and save file in Windows, or Hold down Control key and download in Mac If you continue to have problems, please e-mail me.

Phoenician font (TrueType)

eshmoon.mac.zip (Mac) -- updated March 16, 2004 eshmoon.pc.zip (Windows) -- updated March 16, 2004 Ugaritic Canaanite/ Phoenician font (TrueType)

Ugaritic.suit (compressed Mac OS X tar.gz) Ugaritic TT Windows.zip (zipped Windows) Syriac font (TrueType)

Aramaic & Syriac (compressed Mac OS X tar.gz) Syriac (compressed Mac OS X tar) Syriac.msi (installer Windows) All fonts are patented freeware. They may be used for personal purposes; however, if/when they are used for public purposes, the author needs to be duly credited. Please read the "Read Me" files contained in the compressed groups of files. Windows users need to use WINZIP to uncompress the zipped font files or use the Installer. They do not work, if uncompressed. Two characters are not included per the Cypriot version.

The Phoenician alphabet in all its variants changed from its North Semitic ancestor only in external form -- the shapes of the letters varied a little in mainland Phoenician and a good deal in Punic (in North African Phoenician colonies) and neo-Punic. The alphabet remained, however, essentially a Semitic alphabet of 22 letters, written from right to left, with only consonants represented and phonetic values unchanged from the North Semitic script.

Phoenician Alphabet, Adopted by the Greeks According to the ancient Greek historian, Herodotus, the Phoenicians introduced their alphabet to Greece. Cadmus the Phoenician is attributed with the credit for this introduction. Further, Phoenician trade was the vessel which speeded the spread of this alphabet along side Phoenician trade which went to the far corners of the Mediterranean. Phoenician alphabet is the ancestor of the Greek alphabet and, hence, of all Western alphabets.

The earliest Phoenician inscription that has survived is the Ahiram epitaph at Byblos in Phoenicia, dating from the 11th century BC and written in the North Semitic alphabet. The Phoenician alphabet gradually developed from this North Semitic prototype and was in use until about the 1st century BC in Phoenicia proper.

Phoenician colonial scripts, variants of the mainland Phoenician alphabet, are classified as Cypro-Phoenician (10th-2nd century BC) and Sardinian (c. 9th century BC) varieties. A third variety of the colonial Phoenician script evolved into the Punic and neo-Punic alphabets of Carthage, which continued to be written until about the 3rd century AD. Punic was a monumental script and neo-Punic a cursive form. Following is the account from Herodotus on the origins of the Greek Alphabet in words of Herodotus.

Herodotus on the origins of the Greek Alphabet (5.58-61) from Herodotus, The Histories, transl. Audrey de Selincourt, Penguin Books, 1972. ISBN 0-14-044034-8

Repulsed from Sparta, Aristagoras went on to Athens, which had been liberated from autocratic government in the way which I will now describe. Hipparchus, the son of Pisistratus and brother of the despot Hippias, in spite of a vivid dream which warned him of his danger, was murdered by Harmodius and Aristogiton, two men belonging to the family of the Gephyraei; the murder, however, did the Athenians no good, for the oppression they suffered during the four succeeding years was worse than before. Hipparchus had dreamt, on the night before the Panathenaic festival, that the tall and beautiful figure of a man stood over his bed and spoke to him these obscure and riddling words:

O lion, endure the unendurable with enduring heart; No man does wrong and shall not pay the penalty. At dawn next morning he was seen communicating his dream to the interpreters; but later he put it out of his mind and took part in the procession, during which he was killed.

The Gephyraei, to whom the two men who killed Hipparchus belonged, came, by their own account, originally from Eretria; but I have myself looked into the matter and find that they were really Phoenicians, descendants of those who came with Cadmus to what is now Boeotia where they were allotted the district of Tanagra to make their homes in. After the expulsion of the Cadmeans by the Argiva, the Gephyraei were expelled by the Boeotians and took refuge in Athens, where they were received into the community on certain stated terms, which excluded them from a few privileges not worth mentioning here. The Phoenicians who came with Cadmus - amongst whom were the Gephyraei - introduced into Greece, after their settlement in the country, a number of accomplishments, of which the most important was writing, an art till then, I think, unknown to the Greeks. At first they used the same characters as all the other Phoenicians, but as time went on, and they changed their language, they also changed the shape of their letters. At that period most of the Greeks in the neighbourhood were Ionians; they were taught these letters by the Phoenicians and adopted them, with a few alterations, for their own use, continuing to refer to them as the Phoenician characters - as was only right, as the Phoenicians had introduced them. The Ionians also call paper 'skins' - a survival from antiquity when paper was hard to get, and they did actually use goat and sheep skins to write on. Indeed, even today many foreign peoples use this material. In the temple of Ismenian Apollo at Theba in Boeotia I have myself seen cauldrons with inscriptions cut on them in Cadmean characters - most of them not very different from the Ionian. There were three of these cauldrons; one was inscribed: 'Amphityron dedicated me from the spoils of the Teleboae' and would date from about the time of Laius, son of Labdacus, grandson of Polydorus and great-grandson of Cadmus. Another had an inscription of two hexameter verses:

Scaeus the boxer, victorious in the contest, Gave me to Apollo, the archer God, a lovely offering This might be Scaeus the son of Hippocoon; and the bowl, if it was dedicated by him and not by someone else of the same name, would be contemporary with Laius' son Oedipus. The third was also inscribed in hexameters:

Laodamas, while he reigned, dedicated this couldron To the good archer Apollo - a lovely offering. It was during the reign of this Laodamas, the son of Eteocles, that the Cadmeans were expelled by the Argives and took refuge with the Encheles. The Gephyraei remained in the country, but were later forced by the Boeoeians to withdraw to Athens, where they have certain temples set apart for their own special use, which the other Athenians are forbidden to enter; one of them is the temple of Demeter Achaeia, in which secret rites are performed.

Tables and Charts:

Please make sure to view the tables, charts and graphics from links below.

Analytical Developmental Table of Phoenician Alphabet Analytical developmental table of Phoenician Alphabet, Names of Letters, Phonetics, Derivatives and Modern Equivalents -- Phoenician to Greek to Etruscan to Roman. Evolution of Picture Writing to Alphabet Writing The analytical graphical chart makes a comparative study of Sinaitic or Demotic Hieroglyphic -- the short hand form of ceremonial hieroglyphic of ancient Egypt -- and what word representation they contained. It also illustrates the forms of the Phoenician alphabet as an evolution from picture writing to letters. Comparison of Phoenician and Sinaitic script to Akkadian Cuneiform and Ugaritic Cuneiform Graphical chart that presents a comparison of the said forms of writing.* Evolution of Phoenician into Latin/Western Scripts and Arabic/Eastern Scripts Graphical chart that presents the evolution of the Phoenician alphabet to Greek, Etruscan and Latin, on one side, and to Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic on the other.
 * Author unknown and it is published without permission.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: User:Vuara/The Phoenician Alphabet


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User:Vuara/Phoenicians Lebanese

 * http://www.phoenicia.org/me.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/bibliogr.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/pythagoras.html
 * http://www.phoenicia.org/press.html
 * http://www.mtholyoke.edu/offices/comm/profile/mcmen.html
 * http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/misc/profile/names/mmcmenam.shtml

Phoenicians Today: Who are Phoenicians? Lebanese 518 (40%) Some Lebanese 140 (10%) Lebs. & Neighbors 185 (14%) Mediterraneans 337 (26%) Others 108 (8%)

1288 Total votes Did you know?

Western/Latin and other alphabets come from the Phoenician alphabet? Beritus or Berytus (modern Beirut, Lebanon) had a very important School of Law in the Roman Empire? The Bible is called thus because it refers to the Phoenician city of Byblos ("marketplace of papyrus or byblinos" in Greek? King Solomon's great Temple was built in the style of Tyre's Melqart Temple by Phoenician artisans using the Cedars of Lebanon? The Egyptian Pharoahs employed Phoenician cedar for their wood needs? King Solomon, in his old age, became a worshipper of the Phoenician goddess Ashtarte? Melchizedek, the King of Salem (King of Jerusalem) and Priest of the Most High God (El Elion), who offered bread and wine to Abraham, was Phoenician? The Pentateuch (Moses' first five books, if not more, of the the Old Testament Bible, the Torah) was/were written down (transliterated) in Phoenician script? Jesus Christ visited Phoenicia and among the first to believe in him was a Phoenician woman? The bishops of all Phoenician cities were consecrated as bishops by the Apostles or their immediate successors? Tyre, Sidon and other Phoenician Christian cities and towns provided rest-stops and shelters for the Apostles on their way to convert the world? St. Jerome referred to Tyre as the place where St. Paul once knelt; and called Zarephath, Elijah's town? Phoenicians circumnavigated Africa? Phoenicians were the first to use the Pole Star for navigation? Phoenicians were able traders throughout the Mediterranean? Phoenicians colonized the far corners of the Mediterranean from the Island of Cyprus in the East to Spain and Gibraltar including the outer Atlantic coast and North Africa in the West? Britain was the Phoenicians' secret treasure of tin where the name "Britain" may be coming from Barr (land) of Tannic (Tin)? Hence Britannia did not come from Prutani, the name applied to the Celts by the Romans, and some claim that the Celts were Phoenicians. The Phoenicians reached North America BC and Punic inscriptions in Massachusetts and Iowa confirm this fact? In the Iliad and the Odyssey, Homer mentions Phoenicia, Phoenicians and Phoenician cities. The Phoenician possessed the science or art of dentistry as evident by the fine braces on a lower jaw of a scull? The Phoenician language is still spoken today in Malta (or Maltese is a mixture of Phoenician/Punic and other Mediterranean languages) ? To beef up their naval powers, conquerors employed the Phoenicians in building warship-fleets? The Phoenicians raised elephants on farms? The first parliament ever to convene in the Middle East met in the Phoenician confederate city of Tripoli? Roman Emperor Septimius Severus (193 - 211 AD) descended from early Phoenician settlers and spoke with a Phoenician accent? Pythagoras was Phoenician and was initiated into the 'Ancient Mysteries' of the Phoenicians c. 548 B.C. and studied for about 3 years in the temples of Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos and that his father was a Phoenician merchant from Tyre? Archimedes c.287 B.C.-212 B.C., Greek mathematician, physicist, and inventor, died during the Roman assault on Syracuse while designing a catapult and the Carthaginians fought on his side to defend the city. Thales of Miletus (who was half Phoenician), one of the first great scientists, is said to have forecast the solar eclipse of the year 585 BC. Zeno of Citium was a glowing star in the pre-Socratic age but was ridiculed in Athens for his Phoenician appearance. Popes Anicetus (155 - 166 AD), John V (685-686 AD), Sergius I (687-701 AD) and Gregory III (741-752 AD) and Constantius were Phoenicians? Aristotle held up the constitution of Carthage as a model. Hasdrubal-Clitomachus added to Arcesilas a critical interpretation of certitude which makes him a forerunner of modern thought. St. Augustine was Phoenician. He wrote "...there was a great deal of virtue and wisdom in the Punic books". St. Jerome believed Punic erotic poetry to be pernicious and described it as "lewd". Many parts of the Old Testament were plagiarized from Phoenician literature, poetry, and religion, similar to plagiarizing of the Book of Job (for example ) from Babylonian tales? Phoenician sacrifice of children to the gods was copied/practiced by many Semites such as Abraham's attempt to sacrifice his son? The Phoenicians had a rough knowledge about pi (3.1416) at the time of Hiram and the building of Solomon's Temple? St. Frumentius, Phoenician from Tyre, converted Ethiopia to Christianity? Mochus, a Sidonian, wrote a work on the atomic theory.

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Preface The largest web compilation & repository of studies about the origin, history, geography, religion, arts, crafts, trade, industry, climate, mythology, language, literature, music, politics, wars, archaeology and culture of the Canaanite Phoenicians. Note: Phoenicians, Canaanites and Punic/Carthaginians are the same people: Eastern Canaanites called Phoenicians by the Greeks and Western Canaanites called Punic by the Romans.

Missionaries of Civilization The Phoenicians were instrumental in disseminating their form of writing which became our modern alphabet and in opening up various civilizations and cultures of the Mediterranean basin to each other. Both sciences and pseudosciences spread from Egypt and Mesopotamia to Phoenicia and Anatolia. The Phoenicians, in particular, transmitted much of this knowledge to the various lands of the Mediterranean, especially to the Greeks. The direction taken by these influences can be followed from Egypt to Phoenicia, Syria and Cyprus. The evidence comes thanks to a combination of excavated art forms that prove the direction of movement, as well as to Greek tradition. The latter lays great stress on what the early Greek philosophers learned from Egypt. Mesopotamian influence can be traced especially through the partial borrowing of Babylonian science and divination by the Hittites and later by the transmission of information through Phoenicia. The Egyptians and Mesopotamians wrote no theoretical treatises; information had to be transmitted piecemeal through personal contacts.

Phoenician, what's in a name? It is not certain what the Phoenicians called themselves in their own language; it appears to have been Kena'ani (Akkadian: Kinahna), "Canaanites." In Hebrew the word kena'ani has the secondary meaning of "merchant," a term that well characterizes the Phoenicians.

The name 'Phoenicians,' was not what the Phoenicians called themselves but what the Greeks called them; the word means dark red in Greek and refers to the royal Tyrian purple dye that Phoenicians extracted from murex shells to dye cloth with and sold to the rich of the ancient world. The name appears in Psalm 45:14, in the phrase bat melek Ponnima (daughter of the king of the Phoenicians), which parallels bat Sor (daughter of Tyre) of verse 13. The same term, Ponnim (meaning the Phoenician language), appears in a comedy called Poenulus, by the Roman playwright T. Maccius Plautus (died 184 B.C.). The Latin poenus (noun) and punicus (adjective), as well as Greek phoinikos, refer to the term Phoenician.

Ethnic Origin and Language The Phoenicians probably arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean about 3000 B.C., however, nothing is known of their original homeland. What may be the most common ethnic origin they are considered to be is Semitic; however, some studies suggest that their original homeland may have been in the Indian sub-continent long before 3000 B.C. while other studies trace their origin, according to Irish records, to suggest that they descend from a Scythian King named Phoeniusa Farsa...according to the Irish this kings' descendents eventually populated the country of Phoenicia and named the country in his honor...Phoeniusa son.

They spoke Phoenician which is very close to Aramaic. Phoenicians had a language and culture like those of other Semitic peoples in the general area and may be said to have been identical with the Canaanites of North Palestine.

Geography and Major Cities Baalbeck Berytus Byblos Caesarea Carthage Sidon Tyre Zarephta

Political Structure and Colonies Their city states had a loose alliance and they established colonies in the far corners of the Mediterranean.

Religion and Mythology They worshiped fertility gods and goddesses and their belief system was influenced by other religions in the Eastern Mediterranean and had some influence on Greek and Roman mythologies. At the beginning of the Christian era, Phoenicians were the first to accept the new faith after the Jews.

Troubled History Phoenician cities, at the cross-roads of the East, were often invaded and subjugated by foreign conquerors which include Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Macedonians, Persians, and Romans, in addition to others. However, the Phoenicians were basically traders not warriors; and trade and war do not work well together.

Creators of Alphabet They created a form of alphabet which evolved and was adapted by the Greeks to become the backbone of modern alphabet.

Commerce and Other Achievements The Phoenicians were sea-faring traders who carried merchandise and goods across the Mediterranean. They circumnavigator Africa and used the Polar Star as a navigational guide.

Important Visitor to Phoenicia (as opposed to invaders) Herodotus, historian Jesus Christ of Nazareth Saint Paul Saint Peter and other Apostles Origen, Christian scholar Pythagoras, mathematician and philosopher Others (more to come)

Very Important Phoenicians (VIPs) Aquilina of Byblos, Christian martyr (died in 293 A.D.) Barbara of Baalbeck/Heliopolis, Christian martyr (died in 237 A.D.) Cadmus, "Teacher of the Phoenician Alphabet" Christina of Tyre, Christian martyr (died in 300 A.D.) Dorotheus, Jurist and Professor of Roman Law Eusebius Bishop of Berytus (Beirut) Eusebius of Caesarea, Christian Icon Frumentius, Saint, Apostle of Abyssinia Hanno, Circumnavigator of Africa Himilco, Voyager Hiram the Architect, Solomon's Temple Designer Jezebel Princess of Sidon and Queen of Israel (wife of King Ahab of Israel) John Mark Bishop of Byblos designated Bishop by St. Peter Pamphilus, Saint King Hiram of Tyre King Abi-Milki of Tyre King Ethbaal of Sidon (father of Princess Jezebel) King Ahiram of Byblos King Rib-Addi of Byblos King Zimrida of Sidon King Jabin of Hazor Mochus of Sidon wrote on the atomic theory Papinian, Jurist Perpetua and Felicity, Christian martyrs of Carthage (died in 203 A.D.) Philo of Byblos, Writer Porphyry of Tyre, Writer Pythagoras Phoenician Popes Sanchuniathon, Writer Thales of Citium Thales of Miletus, Astronomer Theodosia of Tyre, Christian martyr (died 293 A.D.) Ulpian, Jurist Zadok the Priest Zeno of Citium, Philosopher Zeno of Sidon, Philosopher Others (more to come)

Phoenician Art, Crafts, Music, and Literature They dyed cloth which was the prized possession of the rich and worked in precious metals and ivory. Most Phoenician literature is unknown or was lost. However, second hand information and some ecclesiastical Phoenician works survive. Traces of their music may still be found in some church music today.

The Logo or Coat of Arms © The logo or Coat of Arms is my own creation and it represents Phoenician achievements and mythology. The two creatures or mythological monsters -- part horse, part fish -- called hippocampus come from Phoenician antiquity and represent Phoenician mythology. (The Trade link, under the subtitle Transit Trade, contains an image of a Phoenician silver coin with an impression of the hippocampus monster and a Phoenician ship.) Further, on the top of the logo, a piece of marble with Phoenician script represents Phoenician alphabet. Beneath it, the cloth represents famous Phoenician dyed cloth. At the very bottom, amphorae represent vessels which were used to carry Phoenician merchandise, as they traded about the Mediterranean.

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Approach to This History While researching material for this Web site, I have tried to be open to all new and sometimes controversial subjects. This is why some sections may contradict others in the same site, as well as contain quasi archaeology. Also, I have tried to be non-dogmatic in my approach, except when faced with blatantly outrageous claims. I am always willing and ready to shift paradigm. Further, I must insist, stress and categorically affirm that I have NO political, religious or ethnic agenda in promoting and disseminating information about my Phoenician Canaanites ancestors. Suggestions of nationalism, fanaticism or political propaganda are emphatically rejected. Phoenicia Died Out Misinformation A number of historians ignorantly claim that the name, Phoenicia ceased from use in 64 BC, when it became part of the Roman world. However, official records indicate that in 425 AD Phoenicia Prima was subdivided into two provinces, Phoenicia Maritima and Phoenicia Libanensis by the Romans. Further, excavations of at Tel Kadesh (158 BC) in Israel as well as the witness of Saint Augustine (400 AD), Church Councils of Tyre (449 & 515 AD), the Fall of Phoenicia to the Arabs (640 AD) and the honorary living title "Metropolitan of Phoenicia Maritima" which Lebanese bishops continue to carry today (MP3 Byzantine psaltica chants: Bishop of Beirut & Bishop of Tripoli -- see page with translation) are a few of many solid proofs that Phoenicia and its people live on despite the misinformation.

The Bible and/or Tanach and History Though there is some history in the Bible, Torah, Tanach and Apocryphal writings, using any of these books of faith for historical research and discussions is unacceptable. Having said this, I must confess that I am a Christian and do respect the Bible as a didactic source of faith. The said ancient scriptures and their mythological stories are unreliable historical sources; however, some historical outlines from the same books may be used in very general terms. This position may sound like that of the minimalist or nihilists (mentioned below) but it does not go to their extremes. Hence, the historicity of Kings Hiram, David and Solomon, Queen Jezebel, Ahab...etc. are allowable exceptions, in my opinion. So-called proofs of historical or genealogical significance based on these books are respectfully rejected dogma.

The Semites Bible fanatics continue to write to me about the Semites being the descendents of Shem using the Bible as supporting evidence. This claim is completely unfounded. The term Semites is applied to a group of people closely related in language but not necessarily of the same ethnic origin -- Arabs, Israelis, Phoenicians, Aramaeans, Syriac...etc. They inhabited parts of the Levant. Though the expression is derived from the Biblical "table" of nations and the people are supposed to be descendants of Noah's son Sem (Shem), the term does not have any historical origin. It came into use at the end of the 18th century* and thereafter became a standard technical term. Like many other common mistakes -- such as lumping all the peoples of the Middle East into one pan-Arab group -- the term Semite was adopted and used without denoting true ethnicity. ________________
 * The term Semite was proposed at first for the languages related to the Hebrew by Ludwig Schlözer, in Eichhorn's "Repertorium", vol. VIII (Leipzig, 1781), p. 161. Through Eichhorn the name then came into general usage (cf. his "Einleitung in das Alte Testament" (Leipzig, 1787), I, p. 45. In his "Gesch. der neuen Sprachenkunde", pt. I (Göttingen, 1807) it had already become a fixed technical term. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XIII

For Stifling Phoenician History, I Accuse: Eurocentrism, Judeocentrism, Arabists and Fundamentalist Christians It became evident to me during my research that various forces impacted almost all Phoenician/Canaanite subjects. In short, I found that historians and archaeologists were predominantly inclined to Eurocentrism or Judeocentrism. Specifically, Phoenician thinkers were ignored and their work credited to the Greeks, Romans or Israelites.

N.B. The red-highlighted "formulae" are to be applied to all the paragraphs that follow though they don't negate racial intermarriages. Comments or correspondence regarding these points are regretfully not open for discussion. Abuse of open dialogue has made this measure necessary.

Phoenicians are not = to Arab, Israelis, sub-Saharan (black) Africans; Canaanites are = Phoenician Canaanites, Punic (north African Phoenicians)

On the other hand, Minimalists/Nihilists (as referred to by Biblical Archaeologists) dismiss the 5 books of Moses and with them the exile in Egypt of Israelites, Exodus...etc as nothing but fiction written later than 1000 BC. With that they dismiss the existence of Kings David and Solomon. Their position is considered anti-Semitic by some; and they claim that the Israelites were actually Canaanites themselves. By doing that they confuse Phoenician Canaanite history with Israeli history (see the page entitled "Stealing"). The same is further aggravated by some fundamentalist Christian's British Israelism and the confusion over equating Dan, the lost tribe of Israel, with the Phoenicians.

Roman Bad Press, Bible Writers, and Fanatics Also, anti-Phoenician sentiments were the result of bad press by Roman historians, particularly after the Punic wars, and Jewish zealotism and hate of Phoenician religion by Bible writers. This was particularly so because of the infestation of pagan worship in the religion of the Israel caused by Queen Jezebel of Israel (a Phoenician Princess). Fundamentalist obsession with the literal interpretation of their religious book or political fanaticism of others with various agenda cloud the truth.

Arabists and Arab nationalists' antagonism of Phoeniciology and their "Phoenician Complex" Many of various religious backgrounds from Arab countries, especially Lebanon and Levant Arabists simply cannot tolerate the mention of the Phoenicians or their descendent in the modern world. They assume such a mention has political and religious overtones. However, Phoenician blood runs through their own veins themselves and most people in the region -- Phoenician does not mean Maronite Christian only, something which nobody claims but which Arabists assume. Further, there is no reason for those aforementioned who suffer from this Phoenician Complex to deny their heritage. Such people have no shame and are fools to ignore their great heritage. Many people of the Western Mediterranean including European and North African Muslim, Arab countries proudly accept Phoenician as their heritage and ancestry. (see the page on Tunisia). Canaanite Phoenicians pre-date the Arabs, anyway.

Afrocentrism Afrocentrism is not without blame in smothering Phoenician contribution to the ancient world. Many historians and archaeologists of that persuasion claim that the Phoenicians Canaanites themselves where sub-Saharan African based on unscientific Biblical myths or some unfounded claims that associates Canaanites with Egyptians. They, therefore, deny the Canaanites their proper place in history. Phoenicians of the Eastern Mediterranean or the Western Mediterranean (such as famous Hannibal or the Phoenicians of Carthage, Spain, Portugal, Sicily...etc.), the Punic, were Semites*

 * This statement does not negate the theory that all humans first evolved in Africa and thereafter populated the world.

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What's New in Phoenicia?

What was Historical Syria and Phoenicia? Is there confusion? (Syria link)

Did the Phoenicians Introduce the Idea of Interest to Greece & Italy; if so When? (Debt-Interest link); & "City-specific coins" coinage (Money link)

Living Phoenicians: Who is Phoenician and who is Arab today? Updated page (LivingPhoenicians link)

Elissar, Dido, Queen of Carthage and her “shining city” (Elissar link); & Jezebel, Phoenician Queen of Israel. (Jezebel link)

Tertullian of Carthage, Early Church Father (Tertullian link); & Phoenician & Popes Phoenician Saint Augustine of Hippo ("Popes" & "Augustine" links left).

"In Perpetuum Honorum" to Emir (Prince) Maurice Chehab for saving treasures of the Lebanese National Museum. (Honorum link)

Chants honoring Lebanese archbishops today proclaiming them "Metropolitan Archbishops of Phoenicia Maritima." (Metropolitan link)

History of the Syriac Orthodox Church (Syriacs links); & Byzantines of the East, the Melkites ("Melkites" link)

Hall of Maps and Marinus of Tyre, Mathematical Cartographer (Maps or Marinus links)

Who was the Phoenician god Adon (Adonis) and how did his name become "Lord" in Hebrew? (Adonis link)

The Lebanese-Phoenicians are from Lebanon-Phoenicia and from nowhere else. (Lebanese Phoenicians link)

The Phoenicians in East Africa, From the Red to the Med. (EastAfrica link); & Phoenician Gold Mines of Zimbabwe-Rhodesia ("Zimbabwe" link)

Wenamun in Byblos: shopped for wood, a valued Phoenician commodity. (Wenamun and Wood links)

Phoenicians introduced the world to viticulture and wine appreciation. (Wine link)

Phoenician Canaanite History TIMELINE (TIMELINE link)

Phoenician Saint Pamphilus of Cæsarea, rich son of Berytus (Beirut) (Pamphilus link)

Chrysippus of Soli, Phoenician cofounder of Stoicism (Chrysippus link); & Jamblichus, Phoenician Neapolitan Philosopher ("Iamblichus" link)

Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Phoenician/ Punic Christian Martyrs from Carthage (Martyrs link)

Phoenician craftsworkers in Egypt ("Egyptcrafts" link)

Roman Emperors "Severus" of Phoenician blood ("Imperial" link)

Shattered Christian Minorities of the Middle East ("Minorities" link)

Porphyry Malchus of Tyre, the mathematician ("Porphyry" link)

Pythagoras, Phoenician/ Greek mathematician ("Pythagoras" link)

St. Frumentius, Phoenician Apostle of Ethiopia ("Ethiopia" link)

Phoenician discoveries and the Origin of the Olympic Games and the ancient Amrit Stadium & Archaeology & Sports History by Dr. Labib Boutros ("Olympics" & "Sports" links left).

Phoenicians Founded Genoa jointly with ancient ancestors of Celtic tribes ("Genoa" link)

Phoenician influence on Greek Religion, physical signs of this influence -- killer study ("Greek" link)

Himilco's voyage to Northeastern shore of Europe and updated information on Hanno the voyager ("Himilico" and "Hanno" links left).

How Greek Science Passed to the Arabs through Phoenician Christians and Other Eastern Christians. ("Science" link)

Phoenician Jerusalem, Urushalem, the City Founded by Shalem, Phoenician God of Dusk ("Jerusalem" link)

Genetic & Anthropologic study of the Lebanese, including the famous Y-chromosome study. ("Genetics" link) En español -- in Spanish.

title: User:Vuara/Phoenicians Lebanese


text:
User:Vuara/Phoenician Origin of the Celts

Phoenician Origin of the Celts?

 * http://www.phoenicia.org/letters.html#scots

Note: The excerpts and conclusions which are herewith provided are mere speculations. They are kindly presented by a scholar who wishes to remain anonymous. The author/compiler of this Web site presents them for your consideration. They do not necessarily represent his opinion even when he is open to higher criticism.

There are contradictory leads regarding the 'Celtic connection' to the Phoenicians, and they need to be considered as mere leads even when they may seem confusing to individuals who are already familiar with contradictory leads. There seems to be an ongoing debate, among the experts, regarding the origins and definition of the 'Celts'. Therefore, it is imperative to examine what is herewith presented in this light. Are the Phoenicians and Celts related? The Phoenicians and the Celts may have originated in the Indus Valley, and also the Knossus Civilization of Crete, circa 2600 BC, plus perhaps the Sumerians, who came by sea to Sumer around 3800 BC. Or... perhaps the Phoenician, but NOT the original "Celts" were from the Indus Valley, and today's Celts are actually a mixture of the Phoenicians plus a "pre-Celtic" group. This and many other related questions remain open.

The following information asserts the above idea and excerpts are presented for debate.

"Today a complete unanimity of opinion among physical anthropologists that the term Celt, if used at all, belongs to the brachycephalic (round headed) darkish population of the Alpine (Swiss) highlands..... totally lacking in the British Isles." -- W.Z. Ripley, Races of Europe. 124, 126, 305.

"....scientific anthropologists and classic historians have proved that the "Celts" of history were the non-Aryan, round-headed, darkish small statured race of south Germany and Switzerland, and that the "Celts" properly so called are "totally lacking in the British Isles." Thus, to speak as is so commonly done, of "Celtic ancestry," the "Celtic "temperament," and "Celtic fire" amongst any section of the natives of these islands, is, according to anthropologists merely imagination. "The term "Celt" or "Celt" is entirely unknown as the designation of any race or racial element of language in the British Isles, until arbitrarily introduced there a few generations ago. Nor does the name even exist in the so-called "Celtic" languages, the Gaelic, Welsh and Irish. It is, on the contrary, the classic Greek and Latin title of a totally different race of a totally different physical type from that of the British Isles, and that the word was only produced there by unscientific phlogistic and ethnologists some decades ago...." -- L.A. Waddell, "Phoenician origin of Britons, Scots and Anglo-Saxons", p 127f.

"It will thus be noticed that this "Celtic" area corresponds generally in Scotland with the area in which the "Picts" suddenly disappeared, and in whose place have suddenly appeared the people called "Celts". In Ireland also the "Celtic" area generally corresponds with that part of the country specially associated with the Bans, Van or Early Feins, who, we have found, were Picts. "This new line of evidence leads us to the conclusion that the early "Celts" or "Kelts" were presumably the early Picts calling themselves "Khaldis" or "Khaltis". They were a primitive people, who, I find from a mass of evidence, were early "Chaldees" or Galat (1) and "Gal (2)" of Van and Eastern Asia Minor and Mesopotamia in the Stone Age." -- L.A. Waddell, "Phoenician origin of Britons, Scots and Anglo- Saxons", p. 139.

History tells us that England was settled by the Phoenicians who sailed to England to mine the tin. The Phoenicians invaded England in 1103 BC and when they arrived they found England to be inhabited by the Picts. Picts were a small people and were considered aborigines. Over a period of time the Phoenicians were assimilated. Today the small descendants of this intermarriage between the Picts and the Phoenicians have been incorrectly termed Celts.

".......the daring Phoenician pioneers were not Semites as hitherto supposed, but were Aryans in Race, Speech and Script. They were, besides, disclosed to be the lineal blood ancestors of the Britons and Scots -- properly so-called, that is, as opposed to the aboriginal, dark Non-Aryan people of Albion, Caledonia, Hibernia, the dusky small-statured Picts and kindred "Iberian" tribes. -- p. vi of "The Phoenician Origin of Britons, Scots and Anglo-Saxons" (1924)

It is incorrect to say "British royalty". The royal line is English. (The latter statement is severely disputed in a letter to the editor, please follow this link to the related page where the counter argument is profusely presented). The English are Anglo-Saxons from Germany. They came to England about the 5th Century. The British are descendants of the Britons from Phoenicia.

Note: Please do not address e-mail messages to the addresses herewith provided because the author/compiler has no opinion on this subject yet published this for your consideration and higher criticism.