The Phoenician invented the first known alphabet in history. The Phoenician alphabet, called the Porto-Canaanite alphabet was developed circa 1400-1250 BC in order to communicate with the different cultures and nations. The Phoenician alphabet became one of the most widely used writing systems, spread by Phoenician merchants across the Mediterranean world. The Aramaic alphabet, a modified form of Phoenician, was the ancestor of modern Arabic script, while Hebrew script is a stylistic variant of the Aramaic script. The Greek alphabet, "with its descendants such as the Latin and Coptic", was a direct successor of Phoenician, though certain letter values were changed to represent vowels. It was the Phoenician alphabet that was widely received in all the Mediterranean including Greece, as it was made up of 22 letters based on sound, as opposed to the myriad of symbols in cuneiform and hieroglyphics which was used at these days. The legend of the Phoenix Bird that was consumed by fire only to regenerate is based upon the Phoenician people, whose land was destroyed many times only to regenerate time and time again. The word Bible means "the book," is derived from the city of Byblos. Byblos was well known for its papyrus trading, which was used in bookmaking in these days. It didn't stop only on the Alphabet, the Phoenicians made many contributions to civilization. The Law School In the First century, Beirut was already well known for its school of law. Beirut was called "Mother of Laws". One of the most renowned law teachers Papinien, professed 1800 years before the United Nations, that all men are created equal. Mathematics Pythagoras, the inventor of the multiplication tables, the founder of the hypotenuse theorem, and discoverer of the magic of numbers, was born and raised in Sidon. Open Seas Naval Vessels The Phoenicians, in pursuit of commercial outlets and protection of their trade routes, had to develop vessels over 100 feet long, which were capable of traversing the Mediterranean and sailing into the Atlantic. A Phoenician fleet circumnavigated the African Continent, proving that it was surrounded by water, about two millenniums before Vasco de Gama managed to duplicate their feat. Purple Dye Sidon and Tyre were reputed to produce the finest purple dye for garments. The dye was extracted from the murex, a mollusc found on the Mediterranean shore Theory of the Atom Mochios of Sidon discovered the existence of the Atom, and formulated its theory more than 3000 years ago. North Star The properties of the North Star and its viability as a navigational reference were discovered by the Phoenicians. So closely associated with them that it was called the "Phoenician Star" up until the 19th century. Europa The princess of Tyre, Europa, gave her name to the Continent. She was the sister of Cadmus, and the daughter of King of Tyre. Myth has it that she was kidnapped by a Greek God named Zeus and taken to Greece. Cadmus took the Alphabets with him and went searching for his sister, where he found her living happily in Greece. Together, Cadmus and Europa taught the Greeks the use of the Alphabet. This myth reflects the reality that the Greeks acquired their Alphabet from the Phoenicians. Music by : Posthumus Their music is inspired by the Pythagorean philosophy which states the Harmony of music in relation with our universe." Posthumus is a Latin word that represent all things past.

• published: 14 May 2013
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