Today on Far Future Horizons we voyage back into antiquity in a
quest to understand – The Phoenicians.
Hidden beneath
Greek and Roman ruins lies a civilization lost to history. The Phoenicians were
people of the Levant, living among the Canaanites of the Old Testament and with
a domain covering the eastern Mediterranean
and beyond. From 1200 BC to the razing of Carthage
in 146 BC, the Phoenicians spread ever westward.
They were the
true “lords of the sea” skilled and audacious seafarers, merchants and
colonizers of the early Mediterranean world.
Artwork shows
their influence on the ancient world: drawings of pyramids, paintings of King
Solomon's temple and Phoenician inscriptions. Egyptian Pharaohs bartered for
their fine cedar, Persians enlisted their warships and soldiers: their
22-letter alphabet revolutionized language and diplomacy for their world - and
ours.
But their
civilization was doomed to obscurity. Their legacy lives on only in the
imperfect histories of their Greek and Roman conquerors who described them as
dishonest hucksters, not to be trusted. 'Jezebel' the shameless Biblical woman
was in fact a Phoenician princess. Stylized reconstruction scenes provide
glimpses of ritual, rite and myth. But who were these intrepid, nomadic
sailors? Leading our search for the answers are two eminent scientists
supported by the National Geographic Society; deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard
and geneticist Spencer Wells. Their quest takes us on adventures on the sea,
within our genes and over land. The film climaxes with revolutionary new data
suggesting that both the Christians and Muslims of Lebanon are in fact descendants of
the Phoenicians.
This National Geographic Special is available from
PBS or from Amazon's Instant Video.
The Quest For The Phoenicians
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