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LebanonPostcard presents a value book about the History
of Lebanon: "Lebanon – A Name through 4000
Years – Entity and Identity" by Antoine Khoury Harb.
“Lebanese Heritage Foundation” Publications
>>Extracts
of the Book
December 2003 - 172 pages - Hard Cover 28.5 x 28.5 cm
-Available in Arabic as well-
Table of Contents
Dedication
Table of Contents
Introduction
Part One: Lebanon – The Geographical
Entity and the Denomination
Chapter One: Lebanon – Components
of its Natural Entity
1- The Geological Formation
2- Characteristics of the Lebanese Natural Environment
Chapter Two: Lebanon
– Name Denotation
1- The Name Essence and Value
2- The Etymology of the Name “Lebanon”
(The White Mountain – Mountain of Fragrance – Name
of a “Mighty Ruler”)
Part Two: Lebanon
in Historical Texts
Chapter One: Lebanon in Ancient Near
Eastern Texts
History of Writing
1- Lebanon in the Epic of Gilgamesh
2- Lebanon in the Ebla Archives
3- Lebanon in the Pharaonic Texts (The Pharaoh
Thutmosis III – The Minister Amenmose – “The
Pharaoh Seti I – Wen-Amon the Egyptian)
4- Lebanon in the Hittite Texts (King Suppiluliuma
– King Mursili)
5- Lebanon in the Phoenician Texts
Phoenicia: Name Acceptation
A- Lebanon in the Texts of Ugarit
B- The Phoenician Bowl of Limasol (Cyprus)
C- Text of Borj el-Jedid (Carthage)
6- Lebanon in the Assyrian Texts (King Shamshi
Adad I – King Tiglath-Pileser I – King Ashur-Nasirpal
II – “King of Shalmanassar III – King Tiglath-Pileser
III – King Esarhaddon – King Ashur-Banipal –
Prince Kouma)
7- Lebanon in the Holy Bible
A- Delimitation of Lebanon in the Old Testament
B- Lebanon and the Promised Land
C- Cedars of Lebanon in the Old Testament
D- Lebanon, Land of Fertility, Inspiration and Beauty
8- Lebanon in the Chaldean Texts (King Nebuchadnezzar
II – King Nabonides)
9- Lebanon in the Persian Texts (The Persian
King Darius I – The Phoenician King Echmunazar)
Chapter Two: Lebanon in the Greek,
Roman and Byzantine Texts
1- Lebanon in the Greek Era Texts
2- Lebanon in the Roman Era Texts
A- Lebanon in the Dionysiaca of Nonnos
B- Lebanon in the Texts of Pilnius, Strabo, Tactius, Josephus
and Julius Honorius
C- The Temple of Afqa
D- Lebanon’s Forests during the Roman Period
3- Lebanon on Roman Coins
A- Coins of “Laodicea of Lebanon” (Emperor Septimus
Severus – Emperor Caracalla)
B- Coins of “Caesarea of Lebanon” (Emperor Aelius
Antoninus – Emperor Marcus Aurelius – Emperor Caracalla
– Emperor Macrinus – Emperor Heliogabalus –
Emperor Alexandrus Severus)
4- Lebanon in the Byzantine Era Texts
A- The Oriental Prefecture
B- The earthquakes and the fall of the Empire
Chapter Three: Lebanon in the Arab
Texts
A- “Mount Lebanon” and its Extension
B- “Mount Lebanon”, Land of Hermits and Anchorites
C- Lebanon in Arabic Poetry
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index
Read the introduction:
“… If the nations are built by
their citizens’ will, this will will not proceed from unconsciousness
to consciousness, from reaction to action, from a passive state
to an active one without awareness. The substance of national
awareness is evidently the knowledge of the basic elements of
the Nation’s existence. This knowledge is the awaking of
the self to realize its potential, and is the source of its self-confidence,
and its faith in its own entity.”
It is commonly admitted that any country wouldn’t
exist, evolve, ensure and maintain its legal entity and political
statute without a profound knowledge and real understanding of
the basic elements which uphold the foundation of its existence
and legality of its entity.
These elements are:
First: The “land”
which is the firm and solid material support of the Entity. The
geographical location, the climatic conditions, the morphology
of the land and the nature of the soil, all constitute a whole
of natural determinative factors that condition and stimulate
the History of human existence.
Second: The “people”
living on this land, weather autochthonous, foreign or a mixture
of both, who give a meaning and vocational guidance to History
and define its progression and process.
Third: The “heritage”
or the patrimony, in its material and cultural aspects in fields
like mythology, religion, society, economy, philosophy, literature,
art, science, politics and folklore. This heritage is the expression
of the people’s historical personality, and defines the
characteristics of their “Historical Identity”, which
is the result of the interaction between Man and his natural,
human and cultural environment.
These basic elements become more clear over time
and prepare for the rising of a political and legal Entity represented
by a “State”, which is an expression of a national
will, an awareness of belonging to a united and unifying national
Entity, and an exclusive loyal allegiance to it.
Relying on these elements, “the State of
Greater Lebanon” was proclaimed on September 1st, 1920 by
General Henri Gouraud who was commissioned by the French Government
to apply the resolutions of the Peace Conference held in Paris.
These resolutions stipulated the execution of the Lebanese revendications
claimed by the “Administrative Council of Mount Lebanon”.
The Council was as a Lebanese Parliament comprising representatives
of different Lebanese Parliament comprising representatives of
different Lebanese religious groups. The most important of these
revendications is the “restitution of Lebanon to its natural
and historical boundaries”.
The foundations of the State of Greater Lebanon
were strengthened following international recognition and the
proclamation of the Mandate Act by the Council of the League of
Nations on July 24th, 1922. Thus, the boundaries of this State
of Greater Lebanon became those of the present Lebanese Republic
which were fixed by the Lebanese Constituion settled on May 23rd,
1926, and officially recognized by the countries affiliated to
the United Nations. The “natural and historical boundaries”
were settled in response to the Lebanese free will.
One of the most prominent national feelings which
is mostly related to the consciousness of allegiance is the sense
of sovereignty correlated, in turn, with the existence of the
State. This sovereignty is manifested by “the natural right”
performed by any citizen on his country’s land in full liberty
under the law and justice. But this national right is not an instinctive
feeling; it is related to an awareness of its legitimacy. In as
much as the citizen is aware of the justifications of his rights
and the natural and historical basis of his country, he better
perceives the meaning of “national sovereignty”, and
urges to safeguard and defend each part of his land. But the awareness
of the national structural basis must be strengthened by a good
understanding of the concept of the “Nation-Country”.
The country for its citizens, is like “the
father” gathering his sons equally, in filial rights: they
are sons of one father. They are not joined by a contract of “proprietorship”
but by “citizenship”. They must be contributors in
the national entity, even if they belong to various groups or
tendencies. Any lessening of one citizen’s right harms the
whole national entity not only in its form but also in its essence.
A true understanding of the national entity’s
basic elements is an introduction leading to the elaboration of
a system aiming a “beingness” between the follow citizens,
i.e., “to be” together, no “to have” together
allotments, shares or rights within a regime of conviviality;
they must be aware that they constitute not an “association”,
but the elements of a society sharing the same destiny.
I hope that my research will contribute, firstly,
to defining the natural geographic dimension of Lebanon as an
Entity through the ages, secondly, to forming the first step in
the national Lebanese self-awareness, and thirdly, to procuring
the fundamental elements of the Lebanese “deed of property”
relying in historical, ancient and middle ages documents, from
the midst of the 3rd millennium B.C. to the end of the 15th century
A.D. Without presenting these documents, “faith” will
remain weak, “doubt” will prevail, “mistrust”
will freely roam around the Lebanese Entity, enchaining and weakening
it in order to dissolve it.
Nothing remains except “Knowledge”
to liberate and “Audacity” to rescue.
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