{"id":71,"date":"2023-09-22T16:26:05","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T16:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/?page_id=71"},"modified":"2023-09-25T03:30:57","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T03:30:57","slug":"cadmus-the-first-teacher","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/?page_id=71","title":{"rendered":"Cadmus The First Teacher"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Cadmus: The First Teacher<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n
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Phoenician  Alphabet Taught to the Greeks<\/h4>\n

    The classical Greek alphabet, its order of letters, and their form, were borrowed from the Phoenician alphabet; alpha, beta, gamma, delta, are but Grecized sounds of the Phoenician language.
    Cadmus is credited with the introduction of the Phoenician alphabet to the Greek language. Herodotus, a Greek historian, provides the  best-known version of the event:
      
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\"The Phoenicians who came to Greece with Cadmus ended up living in this land and introducing the Greeks to a number of accomplishments, most notably the alphabet which, as far as I can tell, the Greeks did not have before then. At first the letters they used were the same as those of all Phoenicians everywhere, but as time went by, along with the sound, they changed the way they wrote the letters as well. At this time, most of their Greek neighbors were Ionians. So it was the Ionians who learnt the alphabet from the Phoenicians; they changed the shapes of a few letters, but they still called the alphabet they used the \"Phoenician alphabet\", which was only right, since it was the Phoenicians who had introduced it into Greece.\"<\/span>\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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Phoenician Alphabet<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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The Spread of the Phoenician Alphabet in the West<\/b>\n <\/h4>\n

    The\nPhoenician expansion in the West and their establishment of settlements around\nthe Mediterranean was accompanied by the widespread of their alphabet.\nFurthermore, after the Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet, this helped it\nto spread throughout Western Europe.
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    The\nfounding of Carthage around 814 B.C., by Queen Elissa, the daughter of Mattan,\nKing of Tyre, helped accelerate the spreading of the Phoenician alphabet in the\nWest; especially that this Phoenician settlement had developed into an economic\nempire that controlled the western basin of the Mediterranean for more than 500\nyears.
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    Three\npeople inhabited the Italian peninsula. They were the Latins, the Greeks, and\nthe Etruscans. The Western Greeks settled on the coasts of southern Italy and\nSicily. By the mid-eighth century B.C., Latin people had founded the city of\nPome around the Tiber River in the region they called Latium.
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Early Greek Writing on a Jar<\/p>\n

    In the first millennium B.C., the Etruscans established themselves in\nnorthwest Italy. The Etruscans and the Greeks had strongly influenced the\ndevelopment of Roman civilization. The Etruscans had derived and modified the\nGreek alphabet which was adapted from the Phoenicians. The first Latin writing\nsystem appeared by the end of the VIth century B.C., when  the Latins overthrew the Etruscans and\nadopted their writing system.
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    Latin writing, like the\nPhoenician and Greek, was written in Boustrophedon; every other line of writing\nis flipped or reversed, with reversed letters. Later on, it adopted the modern\nmethod of writing from left to right. Although the Latins used the same letter\nsequence as the Phoenician alphabet, however, they largely abandoned the Greek\nnames of those letters.\n <\/p>\n \"\"\n

Map of the Phoenician Expansion<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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    With the Roman expansion, the Latin alphabet spread everywhere as their\nauthority extended: around the Mediterranean basin, deep into western, northern\nand central Europe. The Barbaric Germanic tribes, who inherited the Roman rule\nover Europe between IVth and VIth centuries, adapted the Latin writing system.\nAmong them were: the Franks, who settled in the Gaul region and gave their name\nthe present France, the Visigoths (Western Goths) who controlled the Iberian\nPeninsula and the Vandals in North Africa, the Ostrogoths (Eastern Goths) who\noccupied Italy, and conquered Rome, the capital of the Empire itself, the\nSaxons and the Angels who expanded in England (Land of Angels), in addition to\nthe Burgundians, the Lombards, and the peoples of Hungary, Poland, Scandinavia\nand others\u2026 In later times, the expansion of Christianity, and the discovery of\nthe New World and the New Colonial policies helped Latin Alphabet, the\ndescendant of the Phoenician Alphabet, to lead the entire writing activities in\nthe Western World. 
  
    Hence, because there\nwas a great need to express new vocal sounds exclusive of the new languages of\nthose people who adopted the Latin alphabet, linguists developed new special\nterminology. They elaborated new signs used above or underneath the letters, in\naddition to commas and dots, in order for Latin text to be adapted by the new\nlanguages. 
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    Because\nof the open-minded policy of the Phoenicians towards the peoples of ancient\nworld, and because of the multi-faceted relationship, the commercial in\nparticular, the Phoenician Alphabet was able to spread throughout the East and\nWest. \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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The Spread of the Phoenician Alphabet in the East<\/b>\n <\/h4>\n

    In\nthe East, the Arameans were the first to adapt the Byblian Phoenician alphabet\nwithout any alteration since their language was closely related to the Semitic\nfamily as the Phoenician. During the Persian period (539-334 B.C.) and later,\nAramaic became the lingua franca of the ancient East. With its script, which\nevolved from the Phoenician, it gradually displaces cuneiform as the dominant\nscript used in administration and diplomacy in the East.
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    After\nall the fall of the Persian Empire, The Aramaic script split off into a number\nof related alphabets: Hebrew, Nabatean, Palmyrene, Indian, Pahlavi, Syriac, and\nthe most recent Semitic script, North Arabic.
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    As\nfor the Arabs of the South (Yemenis), they used an Aramaic script prior to the\nArabs of the North; it later split off into two branches; Northern, which\nbecame an ancestor of Lihyanic, Thamudic, and Safaitic; and a Southern, which\nbecame an ancestor of Ethiopian and Abyssinian scripts.
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    Early\nexamples of North Arabian writing inscriptions date to the IIIrd and IVth\ncenturies A.D., and are respectively represented by to inscriptions, \u201cumm\nel-Jimal\u201d (250 A.D.) in Jordan, and the \u201cNemara\u201d inscription (328 A.D.) in\nsouthern Syria which is the epitaph of the Lakhmid king, Imru\u2019 al-Qays. Arab\nsources consider Arabic calligraphy, specifically the \u201cKufic\u201d to be derived\nfrom the Syriac script. However, others tend to believe that the North Arabic\nscript is the offshoot of Nabatean script. Both Syriac and Nabatean are derived\nfrom Aramaic, which in turn is descended from Phoenician.
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Aramaic Writing on a Tablet<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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Nevertheless, the Byblian Phoenician alphabet developed with the Eastern\nSemitic peoples more than with the people of the West. Its letters became more\nabbreviated and cursive; and some of the letters became the same shape as other\nletters and could only be distinguished by dots. It is evident with the Arabic\ncalligraphy.\n            
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    Arabic calligraphy is\nconsidered the most diverse and widespread among the Semitic writing systems.\nThe expansion was strongly tied to the codification of the Noble Qur\u2019an. With\nthe expansion of Islam, the Arabic alphabet spread with it. The Arabic script\nhas been adopted for use in a wide area extending from North and West Africa,\nMiddle Asia, and Indonesian. It was adopted by many people such as Persians,\nTurks, Indians, Malays, and various peoples of African continent.\n           
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    In\nthe East, the order of the letters of the Phoenician alphabet was adopted. The\nPhoenician alphabet was used for the first time in the alphabetic order\n(\u201cabjd\u2019) on tablets discovered in the library of Ugarit; with only thirty\ndistinct characters and written in cuneiform script. However, after the\ndestruction of Ugarit, the 22-letter Byblian alphabet became the source from\nwhich all other alphabets derived.\n <\/p>\n \"\"\n

The Evolution of Letters from the Phoenician Alphabet<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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Cadmus of Mexico City<\/u>\n <\/h4>\n

    On the occasion of the first International Conference of Teachers in\nMexico (August 1975), the Mexican President, Luis Alvarez inaugurated a big\nmonument representing \u201cCadmus the Teacher\u201d <\/b>introducing the Alphabet,\nerected in one of the biggest and most beautiful squares of the Mexican capital\n(Chapultepec) near the Presidential palace. The monument was a gift presented\nto the Mexican people by the Lebanese Community in Mexico, at the initiative of\nthe Lebanese Ambassador to Mexico and President of \u201cCadmus Foundation\u201d, Dr. Joseph\nNaffah, as a symbol of friendship between both people of Mexico and Lebanon.\nThe monument was sculpted b the famous Italian sculptor, Augusto Bozzano.\nTeachers, students, and government officials attended the inauguration ceremony\naccompanied by a delegation of teachers representing 120 countries.
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    The\nmonument consists of six bronze figures, each is three meters high,\nrepresenting \u201cCadmus\u201d and \u201cEuropa\u201d, and four other persons representing the\nfour continents, Asia, Africa, America, Oceania. Cadmus us standing,\nintroducing the Alphabet, engraved on a five meters high stone obelisk. Facing\nCadmus is a seated Europa as if assisting her brother in presenting the alphabet.\nAt the back of the monument is a relief depicting the Little Bear\nConstellation, which includes the North Star that was discovered by the\nPhoenicians and named by the Greeks \u201cPhoenician Star\u201d. The artist included\nanother symbol in the monument, the spiral upward path, emanating from the\nbottom of the base to the top, which represents a continuing effort of human\nbeings, that led to the discovery of the Alphabet through education.
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Al Maestro Monument in Mexico City<\/p>\n

    At the stone base of the monument was an engraving that says: \u201cAl\nMaestro\u201d referring to Cadmus and the message he carried to Greece and unto the\nrest of the world. It is a message of learning and a message of peace as well.\nThus says the writing engraved in three lines, quoted from the book \u201cCadmus\u201d by\nthe Lebanese nationalist Poet, Said Akl.
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    \u201cThis monument shall\nbe the first in the world to honor rhe teaching profession, which is the basis\nfor the development of civilization\u201d<\/b>, said the General Director of the\nUNESCO, James T. Bodet (1948-1952) at the inauguration of the monument. The\nMexican Government (1975) issued one million mail stamps showing the statue and\non every stamp was written in Spanish: \u201cPrimer Monumento Al Maestro\u201d <\/b>(Phoenician\nGave the Alphabet to the World). Frederico M. Zaragoza, Driector-General of the\nUNESCO (1987-1999), proclaimed the 5th of October  \u201cWorld Teachers Day\u201d <\/b>during the 44th\nsession attended by 185 Ministers of Education in member states which was help\nIn Geneva between the 4th-14th of October, 1994, i.e. 20\nyears after the first teachers\u2019 conference in Mexico \u201cCadmus Foundation\u201d to\nattend this conference. A replica of the monument presented by the Mexican\nMinistry of Education was placed on the main podium throughout the sessions of\nthe conference.
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    Right after proclaiming\nthe World Teachers\u2019 Day, the Director-General requested from the Member States\nto follow Mexico and build statues similar to the \u201cTeacher\u201d in their capitals.\nTeachers\u2019 Syndicate of Mexico, which is the largest syndicate in Latin America,\nwith members exceeding two million, took the initiative and called for\ndemocratic elections to be help in every school to choose the \u201cTeacher of the\nYEAR\u201d, WHEREBY, THE Ministry of Education together with Teachers\u2019 Syndicate\nwill present a golden certificate, and a silver medal with the image of the\nmonument \u201cAl Maestro). 
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    On the occasion of the First International Conference of Teachers in\nMexico (August 1975), the Mexican President, Luis Alvarez, inaugurated a big\nmonument representing \u201cCadmus the Teacher\u201d introducing the Alphabet. 
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    The monument consists of six bronze figures; each is three meters high:\n\u201cCadmus\u201d and \u201cEuropa\u201d and four other persons representing the four continents,\nAsia, Africa, America, Oceania.\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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Cadmus, the Truth and the Symbol<\/b>\n <\/h4>\n

    Many\ntrusted historical texts found in most classical sources and ancient written\nliterature covered the story of Europa and Cadmus. Additionally, archeological\nevidence confirms what is mentioned in the biography regarding adventures and\nplaces visited by Cadmus in search for his sister Europa. When you add to those\nsources the founding of the Cadmean dynasty which ruled the city of Thebes, we\ncan deduce that Cadmus is not a mere mythological figure as many tend to\nbelieve, rather he was a historical, real figure with a Lebanese-Phoenician,\ngeographical, environmental, and racial background.
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Now,\nit is the solemn responsibility of contemporary researchers to continue their\ninvestigation to discover the stature of Cadmus in humanity\u2019s cultural heritage\nand to promote him in literature, prose, theatre, performing arts, in songs,\nand concrete manifestation through painting and sculpture. It shall be a\nfaithful witness and endorsement of recognition to a man who enriched humanity\nwith one of the most significant contributions of his people \u2013 the spreading of\nthe Phoenician Alphabet and teaching it to the peoples and nations of the\nworld. The most sincere expression of the individual is the virtue of being\nloyal to such generous contributors and great achievers and of continuing to\nremind people of Semitic culture values that distinguished humans from animals,\nand to work on crystallizing and materializing those values. This expression is\nexhibited by the awareness and understanding of the causes of the individual\u2019s\nmoral existence and a manifestation of loyalty to his identity.
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    Meanwhile,\nit must be noted that the physical, historical existence of Cadmus does not\neliminate the mythological, legendary portrayals that are attributed to him. It\nis said that he was a husband to Harmonia, the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite,\nand the father of famous mythological children and grandchildren, such as\nDoinysus or Adonis. Various poets, artists, and painters have competed in\ntrying to describe Adonis divine beauty, and famous Dionysian rituals and rites\nwere help in his honor.<\/p>\n

Cadmus Teaching the Phoenician Alphabet in Thebes<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n

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    To\nindicate the importance of Cadmus within world heritage, once can reckon upon\nprominent institutions that continue to preserve humanity\u2019s cultural heritage.\nWe shall consider two of these institutions. The first is the Vatican Library,\nthe Sistine Hall, where Cadmus is given prominent status as he is depicted on\nthe side of one of the six pillars that carry the roof of the library. The\nsecond is the Library of Congress where a bronze bas-relief representing Cadmus\nis portrayed on the bronze door pf the Annex building. It is one of twelve has\nrelief sculptures of \u201cfigures representing those who, since ancient times, have\nbeen credited with giving the art of writing to their people.\u201d Perhaps the\nCadmus of these two Institutions of world heritage paved Cadmus\u2019s way to\nMexico. Mexico City, which is one of the most important centers of Lebanese\npresence, has the first monument to \u201cCadmus the Teacher\u201d (Prime Monumento al\nMaestro).
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    Standing\nbefore the Vatican Library, the Library of Congress, or Mexico Square, should\nno longer be only to observe a painting, a bas-relief, or sculpture; rather, it\nhas become a cultural duty. This means that the cultural institutions around\nthe world, specifically the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and\nCultural Organization (UNESCO), has to proclaim the reality of the role of\nCadmus in the history of civilization, and in Europe in particular, which owes\nits name to his sister, Europa of Tyre
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The Lebanese Emigrant Plaza in Centennial Park<\/p>\n

    Acknowledging\nLebanon\u2019s paternity to Europa and Cadmus, the nations of the world must\npreserve its historical cultural heritage. Moreover, they are to endeavor to\nprotect it as the birthplace of the Alphabet, the primary tool for\ncommunication among the various peoples of the world.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n \n \n \n \n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cadmus: The First Teacher Phoenician  Alphabet Taught to the Greeks     The classical Greek alphabet, its order of letters, and their form, were borrowed from the Phoenician alphabet; alpha, beta, gamma, delta, are but Grecized sounds of the Phoenician language.    Cadmus is credited with the introduction of the Phoenician alphabet to the Greek […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-71","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=71"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232,"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/71\/revisions\/232"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vanlebconsulate.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=71"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}