I think that this statement may be debated by many. Might some even mock it, especially those who have vowed allegiance to the Arab Nation and identify themselves as Arabs.
But the following is a scientific proof of what many have attempted to deny or refute. We can’t deny history or science now, can we?
The genetics lab at the Lebanese American University part of the multimillion dollar Genographic Project has been conducting genetic studies on Lebanese citizens to trace their phoenician ancestry.
Read the article on BBC News.
The scene through which the article started was perfect to illustrate the importance of the study.
A play called “The Rise of Phoenix” (refer to the previous post about the Phoenix) about overcoming hardships and the ability to rise again from the ashes. It also refers to the Phoenicians lack of unity which led to their fall, much of this is still a reality that Lebanese have inherited from their ancestors.
“We inherited that Phoenician mentality,” says Osama Rahbani, one of the creators of the play.
“The Phoenicians were good businessmen, but they were selfish, they were not united. I think the main point of the play is to remind the people that we must learn from our own history,” Mr Rahbani says.
Described by historians as the “worlds first capitalists” the Phoenicians controlled the Mediterranean for nearly 1,000 years, until they were finally conquered by the Romans….
The study has revealed that while one in 17 people across the Mediterranean carry the Phoenician gene, in Lebanon almost a third of the population have Phoenician roots.
“Whether you take a Christian village in the north of Lebanon or a Muslim village in the south, the DNA make-up of its residents is likely to be identical,” says Dr Zalloua.
“I think it’s a truly unifying message, and for me its very gratifying. Lebanon has been hammered by so many divides, and now a piece of heritage has been unravelled in this project which reminds us that maybe we should forget about differences and pay attention to our common heritage,” says Dr Zalloua.
Here’s an image of Phoenician statues that are sold as a symbol of the ancestors of the Lebanese, in souvenir shops in Lebanon.
Though the study is proof that a third of the Lebanese are Phoenecians, it is not comprehensive enough to make them stand out.
If it can be taken further to study the genes of neighbouring countries, Lebanese in the diaspora, and countries to which the Phoenecians expanded, then we can take pride in being Phoenecian. For now, it doesn’t do much. For sure we still have genes from the Phoenecians, but do they make us unique?
Thank you for your comment Hiba, the study may not be conclusive and inclusive of all people who may be considered descendants of phoenicians as well (such as sicilians, lebanese in the diaspora etc…). But even in attempting to prove that at least a third of us still carry the same genes, and that muslims and christians throughout Lebanon carry the same genes, this is an ultimate unification factor, that has nothing to do with politics or religion. Also, it does not have to make us unique, it is just an acknowledgment of our genetic and cultural heritage, an attempt to scientifically prove history. Unique or not, different or not, that is not the point. The point is that this is something we can be proud of because phoenicians have created the alphabet, the first law school , the first wine production, and all in the land that is now called Lebanon. The rest, our political classification is definitely arabic, our language is arabic, but our cultural and genetic heritage seem to be phoenician. I think this is something that both Christians and muslims in Lebanon could agree on, embrace and be proud of. Regarding the Jews of Lebanon, the study unfortunately did not include them.
I agree with you on a lot of your points but I differ with you on two:
1. our cultural (i agree on genetic) heritage seems to be phoenician
Modern day Lebanese culture holds barely any resemblance to the phoenicians. Their economic structure was based on trade by boat. trade is no longer our strongest sector. we are heavily reliant on the banking, realestate and agricultural sectors. Their language was different, their art forms were different. There are of course similarities, ke our love for travel; lebanese people are all over the place, but I would not say that our culture today can be attributed to them, not even remotely. So much of how we behave in Lebanon is a result of the many external influences that have passed through or stayed in lebanon (phoenecians stayed 2000yrs, ottomans stayed 200yrs, selucids 200yrs, romans 300yrs, arabs 500yrs, crusaders 200yrs, french 20yrs, syrians 30yrs).
2. this is something we can be proud of because of what the phoenecians have accomplished
I disagree because I am drawing parallels with things like egypt nowadays and the pharoes. There is no resemblance at all. I think the same applies to Lebanon; we can be as proud of the alphabet as modern day egyptians can be of building the pyramids.
Everyone gives their genetic heritage a different level of importance. to me, it does not matter what my ancestors accomplished because i cannot take pride in what others of the same origin/ race/ nationatily/ religion etc have accomplished for themselves. it would be nice information if i knew that the lebanese are originally phoenecian, and that this genetic make-up is different from surrounding countries (out of selfishness maybe), but it does not go further than being a nice thought.
Hiba, you cannot compare the era of phoenicians to modern day Lebanese society, we are talking about thousands of years, BC!!
so of course if you are looking at it from that lens, the issue sounds completely ridiculous.
i like the comparison of Egyptian cultural heritage with that of the Pharos.Today, the importance of it lies in the fact that it is a rich cultural heritage that egyptians can be proud of. And yes of course, they should be proud of it, because it ‘s a magnificent era.
what it means for the modern world: just knowing your history and embracing your cultural heritage is good enough for me
i believe that people with no history or no culture, have little to offer to the future.
the same applies for our phoenician heritage, its importance lies ONLY in its cultural significance and what Phoenicians have started in Lebanon, of course you cannot compare their lifestyle with modern day society , they did not have banks or hotels or services during those days.
i definitely agree that our culture today is a result of the many civilizations that came to Lebanon, and this is normal, because people evolve but it does not mean they don’t have origins anymore.
“trade is no longer our strongest sector” in Lebanon it is no longer a strong sector, but for Lebanese expats, all over the world , namely in Africa, and in the Caribbean, they thrived because of their skills in the trading sector. And some books i came across talk about this as well as the Phoenician ancestry and legacy of trading skills.
you have to look at it from a broader perspective
i think it is a unifying factor among lebanese across the country and it bridges the gaps between our current cultural differences with our common historical/cultural heritage.no more no less.
i think the way people view heritage differs from one person to another. for me, i personally cannot feel proud that my ancestors flourished. they were something that i am not. they boomed and travelled and prospered, which is great for them, but i have absolutely nothing to do with it. why should i reap what they have sowed for themselves. if anything, i should feel the opposite because they were able to make so much out of what little resources they had (in terms of technology.. etc) and i am as normal as anyone can get.
for me, being proud of something other people accomplished just because there is a genetic, regional or religious link is not something i can relate to. and to me this applies to modern day society. i cannot feel proud if the shiaa of lebanon accomplish anything, or if the lebanese accomplish anything, or if the arabs accomplish anything unless i had a hand in it.
this is just the way i see things and i do not mean to say that the way other people look at heritage is wrong. it’s just of different value to different people.
‘i believe that people with no history or no culture, have little to offer to the future.’ – this is almost an exact quote from sheikh zayed by the way (i love the guy) and i like how you think 🙂
I am not familiar with Sheikh Zayed’s speeches , but he is an impressive figure, I agree.
I respect your opinion about refusing to take pride in what your ancestors have accomplished unless you have taken part of it, but i don’t agree with you. Let’s agree to disagree for now 🙂 and I look forward to the next discussion on a different post.