Phoenicians Left Deep Genetic Mark, Study Shows

Aussie


Joined: 17/06/2007
Posts: 657

Message Posted:
30/10/2008 20:55

Have a look at this link



http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/science/31genes.html



It traces strong genetic link to the Phoenicians in the Mediterranean in the current population with the study including Cyprus.



"Scientists reported Thursday that as many as 1 in 17 men living today on the coasts of North Africa and southern Europe may have a Phoenician direct male-line ancestor.



These men were found to retain identifiable genetic signatures from the nearly 1,000 years the Phoenicians were a dominant seafaring commercial power in the Mediterranean basin, until their conquest by Rome in the 2nd century B.C"



It helps shows the strong influence the Phoenicians had on Cyprus and accross the Mediterranean. Unfortunately many of their major contributions in language mathematics, agriculture and science have been forgotten or wrongly attributed to their enemys the Greeks and Romans.



Aussie

wynyardman



Joined: 15/12/2007
Posts: 4580

Message Posted:
30/10/2008 21:35

Aussie,



Good posting. The Phonecians were the most prolific of sea fearing nations, not only around the Mediterranean basin, but much futher afield. I was not however aware of their propoensity for breeding.



Agriculture and science is largely attributed to the Sumerians, as indeed was the first writing.



wyn

andre 514


Joined: 31/03/2008
Posts: 1163

Message Posted:
31/10/2008 04:39

er, the phoenicians developed the very first alphabet

in fact a distant ancestor of the greek, latin and english ones

the first abc...the first symbols that represented sounds

(letter A being a bull symbol but now used upside down etc)



king hiram of tyre is said to have supplied cedars

for the construction of "solomon's" temple three thousand years ago



andre

augusta



Joined: 10/06/2008
Posts: 173

Message Posted:
31/10/2008 10:37

thanks Aussie for the history lesson:

Now I know that the Phoenicians came from present day Lebanon and south Syria....that the name means "land of purple" because they made the first regal purple dye....that they founded Carthage in present day Tunis....were seafaring people and left their genetic mark in all ports of call!!





and andre514...what you write about the phoenicians alphabet is absolutely fascinating....sounds like it might have been close to a pictorial alphabet?



Now , please, I need an equally entertaining lesson on the Punic Wars which apparently brought down the Phoenicians.....!

wynyardman



Joined: 15/12/2007
Posts: 4580

Message Posted:
31/10/2008 10:46

andre514,



Please see http://www.historycentral.com/dates/5500bc.html



Regards



wyn

andre 514


Joined: 31/03/2008
Posts: 1163

Message Posted:
31/10/2008 16:32

msg 4



as I understand it the letters of the phoenecian alphabet



developed originally from pictures as sounds



but then left the pictures behind and evolved into all western systems



andre