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Arwad -
The Human Life
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- The Oldness of Habitation:
The island
was inhabited a long time ago. But the continuity of this habitation
didn't allow finding vindications for this far history, also, because it
is small, rocky, without cumulative and noticed layers, and the difficulty
of dig.
Whereas, on
land, the human settlement is proved since the New Stone Ages(The
Neo-Litho). We see the stone instrument in many sites where we find a lot
of inorganic archaeologic hills which appeared by the cumulating of people
over themselves during thousands of years.
In some of them, regular digs
were made, and presented fictile vessels which refer to the flourish of
the area. Whereas, groups of inhabitants had left huge stone ruins which
go back to the Monolithic Age.
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- The Origin of
the Name:
Arados,
Arvad, Arwad, or Arad means the shelter in the Phoenician language. But
there are many places in the history which carry this name. In (Marciend
Heracles), we see Arados on the coast of Palestine, between Al Karmel and
Doros. We find another Arados on the African coast as Raphine, the
geographic, and the compilation ( Araditanus ) mention the documents of
the African Christianity . Pellini mentions that Arados is in the south of
Crete, through his description of the Arab Gulf. He says: "In front of
Aljarha city, there is Tilus Island; This Island is a few miles away from
the coast. It is famous for pearl. And in the island, there is a city
carries the same name, and near to it another island called Arados".www.tartoos.com
Astrabon
mentions Arados Island in the Arab Gulf. He says: "There are, in it,
temples, like those of the Phoenician." Also Ptolemy mentions it as Arados
– Arathos which is Arad Island. Anyway , Arados , which is on the
Palestinian coast , belongs to Phoenicia , while the rest is places
frequented by the Phoenician sailors because of their commercial and
marine work , and the establishing of settlement , whereas, Arados of Arab
Gulf defines and reveals the origin of the Arwads .
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- The Origin of the Arwads:
The Arwads
are, undoubtedly, Phoenicians. Where did they come from? Herodoth, the
first historian, answers this question. He says: "The Persian wise men say
that the Phoenicians came to our sea from the sea called the Red Sea. Soon
after they placed in the land which they are still staying in, they sailed
to far distances." Whereas,Dr.F.Hitti connects them with the Dead Sea.
Astrabon,
when he talks about the Arab Gulf, specifically the Jarhaien. He Says:"
when they sail south, there are islands such as tyros and Arados which
have temples resemble the Phoenician temples.
The people
of this island say – if we believed them-that their islands and cities
hold the same name which was called by Phoenicians. In Oman Gulf, there is
a small port called Sour. It's name is like the name of the Phoenician
port (Sour) on the Syrian coast.www.tartoos.com
Astrabon
imputes the Origin of the Arwads and Sourians to the Arab Gulf during his
explanation of Homiras's epic (The Odyssey), or from the quotation which
says that those compilation, who had built Arwad, are the emigrants from
Saidoun (Saida). That is why it is called the shelter of the escapees. In
the compilation (Marciend Heracles), Arados is mentioned on the
Palestinian coast, between Al Karmel and Doros, the establisher of Sour.
And he calls it Arados of Saidoun.www.tartoos.com
May be
Astrabon or his source has a mix between Arados of Al- karmel and Arados
island. But this doesn't contradict with the idea which says that the
Arwads are from the Arab Gulf. The Saidoun had claimed that they are the
mutual origin of the all Phoenicians. Does the likeness of two names refer
to the Arwad's origin? Or is the likeness between Arados and Arwad on the
Syrian coast evidence?
But the
digs, which happened in their cities, on the Lebanese- Syrian coast, are
little, and not enough to issue a peremptory decision at this people,
though it was common among the researchers that they came from the Red
Sea, may be across Al-Bahrain, and established Saidoun.www.tartoos.com
In
Al-Torah, the 19th chapter of the genesis, we find:" And Canaan
begot his maiden, Saidoun…and the Arwad".
This means
that Saidoun is the brother of the Arwad. In the 27th chapter,
the prophet Haziquial: "The people of Saidoun and Arwad, your sailors ….
Had built Arwad, and your army is on the walls around you, they completed
your beauty." And by Ermia:" Hama and Arwad had been degraded. They had
melted, because they heard bad news. There is a disturbance, which can't
calm, in the sea".
During
thousands of years, the area had known many moves by different peoples.
Rynan says that the Syrian, the primitive people of the area, is the
relatives of the Egyptian. This area was invaded by the Semitics.
Whereas, Doso says
that it is useless to search for the primitive Phoenicia inhabitant in the
Arab Gulf. The Phoenician is Semitic people who came from the Arab
peninsula during the progressive movement which pushes the southern tribes
toward the north.
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