Phoenician, Large stone cast tablet ($30.00 US)
150 x 65 mm (approx 3 x 6" )
30 mm thick (one and a half inches), inscription both sides.
Authentic cast replica of an engraved limestone tablet recovered from the ancient Phoenician city of Tyre, dated to 300 BC.
The tablet records an interesting example of the ancient Phoenician script which became the basis for the modern alphabet, their most important contribution to civilization. Originally developed from the archaic Semitic script known as Proto Canaanite, it's 22 characters evolved into the Greek, Roman and contemporary alphabet.
The Phoenicians, called Sidonians in the Old Testament and Phoenicians by the Greek poet Homer, were Semites related to the Canaanites. They developed on the Mediterranean around 2500 BC under the influence of the Sumerian and Akkadian cultures of nearby Babylon. Although a homogeneous civilization which considered itself a single nation, Phoenicia was actually a group of city-kingdoms, the two most dominant being Tyre and Sidon, which alternated as the center of rule.
The Phoenicians became the most notable traders and sailors of the ancient world, their fleets traveled throughout the Mediterranean and Atlantic and founded numerous colonies. In modern times, Phoenician inscriptions have been documented as far afield as the Americas and even Australia.
Postage:
Ground: $5 Australian dollars - Australia New Zealand
Air: $11 USD - Asia, India, Pacific, Japan
Air: $14 USD - USA & Canada
Air: $16.00 USD - Europe, Scandinavia, Britain, Germany, Italy, Greece, Spain, Mediterranean, Africa, South America & most other locations
