How it all began - History of Lebanon

[Faithful]

Originally Posted by Serapis

شكراً على الموضوع لكن أين الاعلام الاشورية والبابلية والفرعونبة واليونانية والرومانية والبيزنطية والفارسية والايوبية والفاطمية والمملوكية؟

This is what i could find Serapis... if you have any, please feel free to post them ... this thread is for all of us to share any info we know

[Serapis]

Originally Posted by Faithful

This is what i could find Serapis... if you have any, please feel free to post them ... this thread is for all of us to share any info we know

يوجد بعض الاعلام على الرابط التالي
اضافة للعلم الهليني


العلم البيزنطي


العلم السلجوقي


ووجدت ان العلم الفاطمي كان أخضر

[Salome]

Would we discuss the origin of the people too?

In that case, I am not sure which source to use, as we know the story differs by authors.

[Faithful]

Originally Posted by Salome

Would we discuss the origin of the people too?

In that case, I am not sure which source to use, as we know the story differs by authors.

Yes of course you can discuss the origin of the people too ...

I really dont know what source to choose, the more reliable i think ... or if you got lost, you can post infos from different sources, ma bi 2assir

[Faithful]

Lebanon or Lubnan لبنان ... where did this name come from??

The area now known as Lebanon first appeared in recorded history around 3000 B.C. as a group of coastal cities and a heavily forested hinterland. It was inhabited by the Canaanites, a Semitic people, whom the Greeks called "Phoenicians" because of the purple (phoinikies) dye they sold. These early inhabitants referred to themselves as "men of Sidon" or the like, according to their city of origin, and called their nation Canaan. Later, the name of the mountain, Lebanon, was applied to the entire country. The origin of the name "Lebanon" (lebanôn) may be explained in a couple of ways but the most likely and most widely held view is that the name "Lebanon" is derived from the Semitic root lbn or laban and labnan meaning "white" and "to be white". It is more than reasonable to assume that the almost perennial white snow on the top of the mountain gave it this name. The white chalk and limestone walls that give the Lebanon range its characteristic features would have also contributed to the origin of the name.

Another explanation of the name is in the Hittite and Hurrite words for "cypress" and "juniper" which are very similar in appearance when compared to the Hittite and Hurrite words for "Lebanon Mountains". It is possible that the cedars of Lebanon could have been the source of the name of both the mountain and the country. In various ancient languages, the name differed only slightly: "Levanon" in Hebrew, "Libnah" in Phoenician, "Labnanu" in Assyrian, and "Lablani" or "Niblani" in Hittite.

[Salome]

Originally Posted by Faithful

Yes of course you can discuss the origin of the people too ...

I really dont know what source to choose, the more reliable i think ... or if you got lost, you can post infos from different sources, ma bi 2assir

Ok thanks.
I think it is important to discuss about the origin of the people as well, this is one of the main things on which there is no agreement. If ever an agreement is reached that would have a great unification effect psychologically, thus would create more tolerance in the society.

Maybe we could discover the common elements from the various sources, and try to put together a base for agreement.

For example, here is a version by Professor Salibi, check this link:

How it all began - A concise history of Lebanon

Unfortunately the whole story from the ancient times I did not find online, but his book "A house of many mansions" is available in the major book sellers.

Otherwise could everybody post a link or indicate the source as well?

[Abou J]

A bit of history. This paragraph was written 70 years before our so-called independence, and here we are today, as valid as ever:

"Lebanon has about 400,000 inhabitants, gathered into more than six hundred towns, villages and hamlets. The various religions and sects live together, and practice their conflicting superstitions in close proximity, but the people do not coalesce into one homogeneous community, nor do they regard each other with fraternal feelings.The Sunnites excommunicate the Shiites; both hate the Druze, and all three detest the Nusairiyeh. The Maronites have no particular love for anybody and, in turn, are disliked by all. The Greeks cannot endure the Greek Catholics - all despise the Jews. And the same remarks apply to the minor divisions of this land. There is no common bond of union. Society has no continuous strata underlying it, which can be opened and worked for the general benefit of all, but an endless number of dislocated fragments, faults, and dikes, by which the masses are tilted up in hopeless confusion, and lie at every conceivable angle of antagonism to each other. The omnific Spirit that brooded over primeval chaos can alone bring order out of such confusion, and reduce these conflicting elements into peace and concord. No other country in the world, I presume, has such a multiplicity of antagonistic races; and here in lies the greatest obstacle to any general and permanent amelioration and improvement of their condition, character, and prospects. They can never form one united people, never combine for any important religious or political purpose; and will therefore remain weak, incapable of self-government, and exposed to the invasions and oppressions of foreigners. Thus it has been, is now, and must long continue to be a people divided, meted out, and trodden down."

From: “The Land and the Book” by W.M Thompson, published in London, 1870.

[shadow1]

Originally Posted by Abou J

A bit of history. This paragraph was written 70 years before our so-called independence, and here we are today, as valid as ever:

"Lebanon has about 400,000 inhabitants, gathered into more than six hundred towns, villages and hamlets. The various religions and sects live together, and practice their conflicting superstitions in close proximity, but the people do not coalesce into one homogeneous community, nor do they regard each other with fraternal feelings.The Sunnites excommunicate the Shiites; both hate the Druze, and all three detest the Nusairiyeh. The Maronites have no particular love for anybody and, in turn, are disliked by all. The Greeks cannot endure the Greek Catholics - all despise the Jews. And the same remarks apply to the minor divisions of this land. There is no common bond of union. Society has no continuous strata underlying it, which can be opened and worked for the general benefit of all, but an endless number of dislocated fragments, faults, and dikes, by which the masses are tilted up in hopeless confusion, and lie at every conceivable angle of antagonism to each other. The omnific Spirit that brooded over primeval chaos can alone bring order out of such confusion, and reduce these conflicting elements into peace and concord. No other country in the world, I presume, has such a multiplicity of antagonistic races; and here in lies the greatest obstacle to any general and permanent amelioration and improvement of their condition, character, and prospects. They can never form one united people, never combine for any important religious or political purpose; and will therefore remain weak, incapable of self-government, and exposed to the invasions and oppressions of foreigners. Thus it has been, is now, and must long continue to be a people divided, meted out, and trodden down."

From: “The Land and the Book” by W.M Thompson, published in London, 1870.

Nevertheless, they go on and on and on and on deceiving each other and themselves and pretending they are one people in one country. The reality is those people are stuck in one single asylum with nothing in common except their succeptibility for self-deception.

As long as they do not admit to the truth and try to find an amical separation, the peopleS of Lebanon will go on killing each other until there is no one let to kill while all the time bragging about a non-existent tolerance and peaceful co-existence that only exist in the minds of their delusional temporal and religious leaders.

[Faithful]

Lebanon and the foreign domination

Lebanon has a heritage as old as the earliest evidence of mankind. Its geographic position as a crossroads linking the Mediterranean Basin with the great Asian hinterland has conferred on it a cosmopolitan character and a multicultural legacy. At different periods of its history, Lebanon has come under the domination of foreign rulers, including Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Ottomans, and French. Although often conquered, Lebanon was never subdued, the Lebanese take pride in their rebellions against despotic and repressive rulers. Moreover, despite foreign domination, Lebanon's mountainous terrain has provided it with a certain protective isolation, enabling it to survive with an identity all its own. Its proximity to the sea has ensured that throughout its history Lebanon has held an important position as a trading center. This tradition of commerce began with the Phoenicians and continued through many centuries, remaining almost unaffected by foreign rule and the worst periods of internal strife.

PS: these infos was taken for many site like Cedarland, Ancientscripts , Histphoenicians, Phoenicians and Alphabet.. you can check it and read the details ... I will be posting a summary here about all the foreign domination thru the centuries beginning by Phoenicians and i will use another references as well to be posted later ....Please feel free to discuss everything you want or to add any useful info you feel it may enriched this thread

[Faithful]

The Phoenicians - Part I


History tells us that the Canaanites, a tribe of Semitic origin, were first to inhabit the Lebanese shores. The Semites who lived in the eastern portion of the Fertile Crescent (The Fertile Crescent is roughly an arc-shaped area which stretches from the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers at the Persian Gulf, west to the Red Sea.) were Sumerians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. In the western portion lived the Amorites. Those Amorites who settled in what are today Lebanon, Syria, and Israel were known as Canaanites. The Canaanites who traded with the Greeks became known by them as Phoenicians.

Due to the nature of the geography of the country the ancient Lebanese, the Phoenicians, lived in coastal cities and turned to the sea, where they engaged in trade and navigation so as to survive and prosper. Each of the coastal cities was an independent kingdom under its own form of government. Their mutual interests were their trade arrangements, their customs, and their rituals and beliefs. Each had its own god and its own ruler, who usually remained in power for life and had an elected council of elders to check the power of the king. These councils are the first example of democracy in history. In time of danger , some said that even though they were only a one or two day march from each other, they never were able to unite as a single power when they were attacked. And others said in times of danger the city states would unit to form a Phoenician federation.

Each city was noted for the special activities of its inhabitants:

1- Tyre and Sidon were important maritime and trade centers (cities of business, industry, and navigation).
Tyre was the major region for the purple dye industry, which probably began as early as the 18th century B.C. The dye was carefully extracted, a few drops at a time from the murex, a shell-fish found in the waters off of Tyre and Sidon. The process used to extract the fluid was so difficult and so expensive that only the rich could afford to buy the dyed fabric. It is because of this Phoenician fabric that we still use the expression "born in the purple" to mean one who is born rich.

Sidon / Tyre Coins
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The Murex:

2- Gubla (Jbeil) known as Byblos, was a strong religious city-state and gave its name to the Bible.
Gubla was the first Phoenician city to trade actively with Egypt and the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom (2686-2181 B.C.).
The people of Jbeil (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. They exported cedar, olive oil, and wine, in return, the Phoenicians brought back gold, copper, and turquoise from the Nile Valley and Sinai.

PS: 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.

Coin / Ship:

......

3- Berytus (present-day Beirut) were trade and religious centers.
The antiquity of Berytus is indicated by its name, derived from the Canaanite name of Be`erot (Wells), referring to the underground water table that is still tapped by the local inhabitants for general use.

Coins:

..........