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Phoenician Maritime Navigational Skills

It has long been known that the Phoenicians had the sailing and navigational skills to
make long, trans-oceanic voyages to distant continents. The reader may be surprised
that this has already been documented by many historians. In 1834, Sir William
Betham wrote:
The advancement of the ancients in the science of navigation has been much underrated.
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The late Dr. Cyrus Gordon was a highly regarded archeologist and historian of
modern times. A 1996 issue of the magazine, Biblical Archeologist, contained several
articles devoted to his career and his many accomplishments.
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Dr. Gordon wrote the
following about the Old Worlds awareness of the New World.
The evidence points in the direction of an ancient maritime system of which the Mediterranean was only a
part...This is reflected in the Timaeus of Plato, which tells of an...ancient Atlantic Order with
interests extending from America into the Mediterranean. It is futile to...forget his plain reference
to the continent that seals off theAtlantic Ocean on the West. This continent which Plato
mentions without more ado because it was well known to his reading public can only
be America.
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(Emphasis added)
The McClintock and Strong Cyclopedia, offers the following information about the
navigational skills of the Phoenicians that enabled them to navigate across the oceans.
They steered by the...last star in Ursa Minor; and they could cast reckonings from the combined
application of astronomy and arithmetic (Strabo, xvi, 2, 24). This nautical application of
astronomy is ascribed by Callimachus to Thales, a Phoenician...
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Thomas Moores History of Ireland, written in 1843, adds:
...at no time, however remote, has the interposition of sea presented much obstacle to the migratory
dispositions of mankind...the Phoenicians, with far more knowledge, it is probable, of the art of
navigation, than modern assumption gives them credit for, were to be seen in the Mediterranean,
the Baltic, the Atlantic, every where upon the waters.
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Thomas Johnstons 1913 book, Did the Phoenicians Discover America?, offers much
evidence on the mechanics of Phoenician navigational skills and tools. He begins by
saying the compass...was clearly a Phoenician invention,
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and adds that the
Phoenicians determined suitable sailing seasons by the rise and setting of the
Pleiades.
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Johnston adds:
Once...steering by a stellar object took...place (which was clearly of Phoenician origin), supplemented by
the use of the magnet, which enabled the navigator when the weather was cloudy to determine his
position and direction (also, it is equally clear, a Phoenician invention), then the last obstacle to a
complete mastery of the sea was removed.
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Johnston explains that early magnets utilized loadstones, which were stones with
magnetic properties. These served as compasses by always pointing to magnetic north
when suspended or when allowed to float freely in a water compass.
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The
Phoenicians ingenuity was remarkable, as it allowed them to know their ships
heading and direction, whether it was day or night, clear or cloudy. This ability would
allow them to not only cross the oceans with confidence, but maintain reasonably-
fixed sailing schedules, an important aspect to the commercially-minded Phoenicians.
Dr. Barry Fell commented on the Phoenicians regular sailing schedules to ancient
America, as noted earlier.
The reader might justifiably wonder at this point, given the extensive evidence of Old
World civilizations in ancient America, why Americas history books have not been
updated with this new information. The reason is, unfortunately, that the modern
academic establishment as a whole is in a state of denial regarding these discoveries
because the facts overthrow established theories.
Dr. Fell noted that some archaeologists were so deeply in denial about the realities of
ancient America that they tried to dismiss clearly readable ancient inscriptions as
accidental markings made by plowshares and roots of trees...(and) colonial
stonecutting drills.
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Ancient American dolmens, megalithic monuments consisting of
a large slab stone positioned atop smaller supporting stones, have been found in New
York, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Massachusetts, which parallel Old World
dolmens. These locations are all near the ancient Phoenician/Celtic temple and
calendar complex called Mystery Hill in New Hampshire. These obviously man-
made structures have even been called glacial erratics
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to deny the obvious evidence
of Old World ties to ancient America. It is unfortunate that some in modern academia
have resorted to such unscholarly, fanciful extremes to maintain a state of denial
regarding the evidence of Old World civilizations in ancient America. As a result, the
exciting story of ancient Americas history has been largely withheld from the
American public.
Unfortunately, the concept that Columbus discovered America in 1492 has become
such a cherished dogma that it now commands an almost superstitious devotion from
modern academics. Columbus was a very brave mariner, but he was clearly preceded
by other discoverers and colonists from the Old World who settled the New World
millennia before Columbus. Columbus voyage was a courageous effort reestablishing
New World links after the Dark Ages, but it is now known that such links commonly
existed prior to the Dark Ages.
So far, we have discussed only the Phoenician inscriptions and presence in the New
World. As noted earlier, the ancient Egyptians were also allies of King Solomon
during his reign. Their navies were also skilled in oceanic navigation, utilizing the
Semitic inhabitants of ancient Libya as their mariners. The ancient Egyptian-Libyan
fleets sailed across the Indian Ocean and sent exploration and mining expeditions into
the Pacific Ocean. The Egyptians mined gold in Sumatra,
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and writings and drawings
of their Pacific explorations are found as far as the Hawaiian Islands
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as the
Egyptians roamed the Indian and Pacific Oceans for gold about 1000 B.C.
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The date
about 1000 B.C. is significant as that is the time when the united kingdom of Israel,
under Kings David and Solomon, moved to world prominence, with the Phoenicians
and Egyptians serving as Solomons allies. That the Egyptian fleet would be searching
a large portion of the world for gold during a time which included the reign of King
Solomon will become most significant when we later examine King Solomons
insatiable appetite for gold!

Israelite Colonies in the New World
So far, we have only scratched the surface of the subject of ancient civilizations being
present in North America. Let us examine additional evidence of their presence in the
ancient New World.
Consider the languages of the triple alliance of Israel, Egypt and Phoenicia in the time
of King Solomon. Their languages included the Semitic language shared by the
Israelites and Phoenicians (with mere dialectal differences), Egyptian, and the
language of the North African-Libyan sailors of the Egyptian navy. Let us now
examine evidence that North America was both explored and colonized by people
speaking Phoenician-Hebrew, Egyptian, and ancient Libyan.
Dr. Barry Fells book America B.C. includes much evidence of the exploration of
American soil by ancient people with the above language groups. We have already
examined evidence from his book that the Phoenicians had a significant presence in
North America, and that the Phoenician god Baal was worshipped at an ancient
temple site in New Hampshire. Rawlinson cited the habit of the Phoenicians in
bringing their religion wherever they went, and building temples in their colonies to
honor their deities,
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so the existence of a temple dedicated to Baal at the ancient New
England temple site is consistent with their habits.
Explorations and settlements in ancient America would logically be concentrated on
major inland waterways, and evidence of their presence has been found in such
locales. A major archeological find, a stele inscribed with ancient Old World
languages, was found in 1877 in a burial mound near Davenport, Iowa. Unfortunately,
this New World equivalent of the Rosetta Stone was largely ignored because no one
could read it. The false dogma that no Old World explorers prior to Columbus could
have been on our continent also affected peoples perceptions. If it had been
discovered in Europe, it would surely have been recognized for what it was: a tri-
lingual archeological stele of ancient cultures. Since it was found in the American
Midwest, it had to wait approximately a century to be appreciated. Surprisingly, one
of the reasons the stele was initially rejected was that it contained some signs
resembling Hebrew and others resembling Phoenician.
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This ancient stele contains joint inscriptions in three ancient languages: Iberian-Punic
(a language related to and descended from Phoenician-Hebrew), Egyptian, and ancient
Libyan.
45
These are the language groups of the triple alliance that the Bible
reveals began in the reign of Solomon! Since this ancient stele confirms these
groups were traveling and working together in the interior of North America, it
indicates that this alliance not only existed but also had a global reach!
Indeed, Dr. Fell described this stele, shown above, as one of the most important
steles ever discovered.
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Why then, is this priceless evidence of ancient exploration in
North America not featured in history textbooks? Again, we are confronted by the
refusal of modern academia to accept the obvious because of their devotion to the
false dogma that nobody could have discovered America before Columbus.

This ancient Iowan stele, attested by Dr. Barry Fell to be genuine, confirms that the
language groups of King Solomons alliance were cooperating in joint-expeditions as
far away as the American Midwest! Unless it was a well-established practice for the
nations with these language groups to be in joint expeditions, there would have been
no need for parallel inscriptions on the same stone. Dr. Fell dates this stele as follows:
The date is unlikely to be earlier than about 800 B.C., for we do not know of Iberian or Libyan
inscriptions earlier than that date. The Egyptian text...may merely be a local American copy of
some original. That original could be as old as about 1400 B.C., to judge by the writing style...it
seems clear that Iberian and Punic speakers were living in Iowa in the 9th century
B.C...
47
(Emphasis added)
Dr. Fell also wrote that this ancient inscription found in Iowa could date to around
700 B.C.
48
A dating of 800-700 B.C. is very consistent with biblical accounts of that
period. That these language groups were still acting in such close concert with each
other that they left a trilingual inscription at that time indicates that they were still
cooperating very closely in trans-oceanic voyages. The Bible reveals an alliance of
these linguistic groups was established under King Solomon during the tenth century
B.C. The terms Iberian and Punic indicate languages that are closely related to
and descended from the Phoenician-Hebrew language. Indeed, the term Iber-ian
comes from the name Eber, the forefather of the Hebrews. The term Iberian
proclaims Hebrew roots. Dr. Fell noted the Phoenician character of the Iberian
inscriptions on either side of the Atlantic.
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Solomons reign began in obedience to
God, but by 800 B.C., when the Iowan stele was apparently inscribed, the Israelite-
Phoenician-Egyptian alliance had embraced paganism.
The makers of the Iowan stele may have been looking for raw materials to exploit; by
then they had exhausted the copper mines of Lake Superior. However, because of
Assyrias growing pressure on Israel and the Phoenician city-states during 800-700
B.C., one motive for their voyage to North America may have been an effort to find a
safe refuge from the Assyrian menace.

The next book in this series will confirm that the Phoenician-Israelites had extensive
settlements in the Iberian Peninsula, modern Spain and Portugal, during most of the
first millennium B.C. The ancient stele in Iowa may have been made by Israelites and
Phoenicians who sailed from Iberian settlements. A date of 800-700 B.C. for this stele
confirms that the triple alliance of Israel, Egypt and Phoenicia lasted long after the
lifetime of King Solomon. The Bible records that the ten tribes of Israel forsook
worshipping the Creator God after Solomons death, and adopted the religious
customs of Egypt, Tyre and Sidon. Biblical accounts show Israel and Phoenicia were
still very closely allied during the reign of King Ahab of Israel (circa 850 B.C.), and
there is no evidence that their alliance suffered a breach until approximately 721 B.C.,
when Israel ceased to be a nation in the Mideast. Also, after Israel and Judah split into
two separate Hebrew kingdoms, Egypt did fight periodic wars with Judah. Peaceful
relations apparently prevailed between Egypt and Israel during that time. Therefore,
the Iowa stele showing that these ancient nations were still working together around
800 B.C. in the New World is consistent with biblical accounts.
Dr. Fell wrote that this ancient stele and other artifacts were found in an Iowan burial
mound.
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That this burial mound from about 800 B.C. confirmed the presence of
Semites and Egyptians in ancient America, begs the following question: How many
other burial mounds in ancient North America were made by Old World cultures?
Another stele exhibiting an ancient Egypto-Libyan script was found on Long Island,
New York. (See photograph on opposite page) This inscription, according to Dr. Fell,
probably dates from about the ninth century B.C.
51
In his discussion of the
inscriptions found on the Davenport and Long Island steles, Dr. Fell noted clear
similarities between the written script of the Micmac/Algonquin Indians and that of
ancient Egypt.
52
This analysis indicates that the Egyptians continued trading with
ancient American inhabitants long after the kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians.

Additionally, another stele was unearthed in Oklahoma with reference to the
Phoenician and Egyptian gods of Baal and Ra, with an inscription described as an
extract from the Hymn to the Aton by Pharaoh Akhnaton [which]...dates from the
thirteenth century B.C.
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This stele is written in Iberian-Punic (related to
Hebrew/Phoenician), but is dated by Fell as scarcely older than 800 B.C.
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This stele
also supports the biblical account of Israelite-Phoenician-Egyptian cooperation. Why
is Pharaoh Akhenaton mentioned in an Egyptian writing in ancient North America? At
this point, some striking information about Egyptian history finds a solid parallel in
biblical events.
David Rohls book, Pharaohs and Kings, offers a revised chronology of Egypts
dynastic rulers, which proposes remarkable parallels to biblical events and
personalities. It has long been known that the reign of the heretic Pharaoh,
Akhenaten (Dr. Fells Akhnaton), marked a temporary period in which an Egyptian
ruler rejected the pantheon of Egyptian gods and required a virtually monotheistic
devotion to the god Aten (or Aton). Rohls new chronology of Egypts dynasties
has Akhenaten being a contemporary of King David of Israel!
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If this is the case, it
argues that this inscription may have been made soon after the reign of Solomon, as it
had to be a time when Israel, ruled by Jeroboam, had turned to paganism but when
there were Egyptians still loyal to the beliefs of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten.
Akhenatens belief-system was rejected by later Pharaohs, so it is difficult to make
sense of a hymn to Aton (Akhenatens god) being present with an Egyptian
contingent much past the reign of Jeroboam of Israel.
The internal turmoil in Egypt caused by Akhenatens rejection of traditional Egyptian
deities provided a golden opportunity for King Davids Israel to focus all of its
attentions eastward against Assyria while devoting scant attention to Egypt as a
potential rival. The Bible relates that Egypt became Israels ally during King
Solomons time, so Israels border with Egypt was secure during his reign as well.
David Rohl makes the following observation about this time:
During the period of Akhenatens reign and for decades afterwards Egypt became militarily
impotent, due almost entirely to the politically naive rule of the heretic...The prosperous northern
empire...had rapidly disintegrated...This chaotic era...would have provided the opportunity for
a new state to come into being in Canaan this is precisely what happened.
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(Emphasis
added)
In other words, Egypt was impotent during the reign of King David and also for
decades afterwards, that is, during the reign of King Solomon! One reason for
Egypts relative decline was the rise of Israel to world power status. The impotence
of Egypt was also caused by the severe internal stresses resulting from the Pharaohs
rejection of the old Egyptian pantheon, to which the priests and much of the populace
remained loyal. The internal stresses in the reign of Akhenaten would have kept Egypt
at the brink of civil war, unable to project power outside its own borders. Also, since
Solomons reign was a time of peace and Egypt was allied to Israel, there was no need
for Egypt to be warlike. When Israels civil war later split Israels tribes into two rival
kingdoms, Egypt quickly attacked Judah and Jerusalem, reasserting its influence over
its northern regions. (I Kings 14:25-29)
However, Egypt attacked only Judah, but remained an ally of the northern kingdom of
Israel, formed by the ten tribes of Israel. The first king of the northern Kingdom of
Israel, Jeroboam, had been a courtier and friend of Egypts Pharaoh (I Kings 11:40), and
one of his first official deeds was to institute the worship of Egypts apis bulls in the
northern kingdom of Israel! (I Kings 12:28-30) King Jeroboam chose to seek security in
alliances with Egypt, Tyre and Sidon instead of obedience to God. Jeroboams
rejection of Israels God set a pattern for future kings, which would never be reversed.
While the smaller kingdom of Judah periodically had good rulers who served God, the
northern kingdom of Israel never returned to God. The ten tribes were politically,
socially and religiously immersed into the Phoenician culture that was also allied
with Egypt until the fall of Samaria.
The famous Amarna tablets, which preserve many letters to Pharaohs court from
rulers of petty city-states in Palestine during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, take on
a whole new perspective in David Rohls revised chronology. It is known the Amarna
Tablets were written in the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten, as they were found in the
ruins of Akhenatens capital city, Amarna. Egypts other Pharaohs ruled from other
cities.
The events described on the Amarna Tablets coincide with biblical events and
mention prominent biblical characters. In David Rohls words:
...the Amarna period is contemporary with the rise of the Israelite Monarchy...the Amarna letters log
the whole process, beginning with the Hebrew revolt in the central hill country of Palestine at the
beginning of King Sauls reign and ending with the assault upon Jerusalem in the eighth year
of King David.
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(Emphasis added)
It is a vital clue that the Amarna tablets seem to end with the eighth year of King
Davids reign. That is the year that David conquered Jerusalem and became king over
all the united tribes of Israel. (II Samuel 5:1-10) When David unified all the tribes of Israel
under his unified command, the petty city-state rulers who had been writing to
Pharaoh Akhenaten ceased their messages. The reason is obvious. David tolerated no
opponents as he consolidated the territory under his rule; rulers of city-states within
his claimed domain either submitted to David or they died. The Amarna letters
mention the leaders and activities of a group of people called the Habiru, which is
an obvious term for the Hebrews. Rohl notes the Sumerian logogram-form for the
word Habiru is SA.GAZ.
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The term SA.GAZ is a form of the root word of the
Israelite forefather Isaac, [the Saga, Sacae, or Saka], which Genesis 21:12
and 48:14-16 had prophesied would be the name attached to the birthright Israelite
tribes.
David Rohl asserts that the Amarna Tablets identify Israels King Saul as Labayu, a
king who rose to power in Palestine. King Labayu wrote letters to Pharaoh Akhenaten
in the Canaanite tongue, which is simply early Hebrew in David Rohls words.
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For a full accounting of the Amarna Tablets description of biblical events and
personalities, the reader is referred to David Rohls aforementioned book. However,
several instances will be cited here. Many readers are familiar with the story of
Davids close friendship with Jonathan, the son of Saul. This friendship infuriated
King Saul (I Samuel 20:30-31), and this story is also found in the Amarna Letters. As
David Rohl describes it:
In Labayus third letter to Pharaoh (EA 254) we learn that the kings son...has been implicated in the
activities of the Habiru [Davids rebel band]. This is without the knowledge of his father. Labayu
[Saul] writes: ...the king wrote for my son. I did not know that my son was consorting with
the Habiru. I herewith hand him over... Here again is a clear parallel with the story of King Sauls
reign.
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The Bible records that Saul died fighting the Philistines in a battle that the Hebrew
Israelites lost. (I Samuel 31) One of the Amarna letters to the Pharaoh is from the
Philistine King of Gath, the city of Goliath, who tells Pharaoh of Labayus death:
Let the king...be informed that the Habiru (singular) who was raised up against the lands; the god of...my
lord, delivered him to me, and I have smitten him.
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The obsequious language of the Philistine king indicates that while Egypt was in
temporary decline, the chieftains of Palestine recognized that they were still in
Egypts sphere of influence and they wanted to not alienate the Pharaoh. It was not
until David united all of Israels tribes that Egypts titular influence in Palestine
ended. According to Rohl, the following biblical characters are named in the Amarna
letters. David is referred to as Dadua, and Rohl supports his conclusion by noting:
In its earliest Hebrew form the name David is written Dwd [cf. I Samuel 16:13]..The Septuagint renders
the name as Dad [cf. I Kings 2:33 (ALEXANDRINUS COPY) andEcclesiasticus 47:1].
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(Latter
emphasis added)
Rohl also notes that Joab, King Davids army commander, is named Ayab (Hebrew:
Yoab) in the Amarna Letters,
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and that Davids father, Jesse, is called
Yishuya.
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Non-Israelites mentioned in the Bible are also identified by Rohl in the
Amarna Letters. He cites Goliath as being the Gulatu of the Amarna records, and he
identifies biblical Syrian kings, Hadadezer of Zobah and Toi of Hamath, as being
named in the Amarna Letters. Rohl also identifies one Amarna Letter (EA 256) as
being from the short-lived king of Israel, Ishbosheth (Sauls son), who mentions he
cannot find Ayab (Joab) as he also mentions the biblical personalities of Baanah
(Benenima), David (Dadua) and Jesse (Yishuya) in his account. Baanah eventually
assassinated Ishbosheth and brought the kings head to David, the son of Jesse, who
executed Baanah for his regicide (II Samuel 4). It is noteworthy that all the
personalities mentioned in Amarna Letter EA 256 actually do interact as
contemporaries in the Bible.
The Amarna Letters appear to be the account of Israels rise to power in the time of
David. If Pharaoh Akhenaten was a contemporary of King David, it explains why
Egypt was passive during the glory days of Kings David and Solomon of Israel. It
may also explain why an Egyptian Pharaoh became fascinated with monotheism, the
religion of the resurgent Israelites. It took time for Egypt to reassert itself after the
domestic turmoil caused by Akhenatens reign. When Egypt allied itself to Israel,
Tyre and Sidon, it was in a weaker international position. King Jeroboam of Israel
later forged strong links between Egypt and the northern kingdom of Israel during his
reign, and discoveries of Hebrew-Egyptian-Phoenician artifacts in ancient North
America confirm this alliance lasted for centuries.
We have seen evidence that Baal-worshipping Hebrew-Phoenicians were in ancient
America, but what about worshippers of the God of Israel? One major barrier to
finding relics of worshippers of God (Yahweh) is that such worshippers were
forbidden by God to build elaborate altars. In Exodus 20:24-26, God commanded the
Israelites to make plain altars of earth or natural stones which had not been shaped by
any tools, and added that altars not be placed at the head of staircases. These
instructions effectively eliminated the man-made religious structures that the pagans
built, and which can be unearthed by archeologists today. There could have been
many worshippers of Yahweh in ancient America at the time that Israel served God
under King Solomon, and there would be little evidence of them because of Gods
instructions on altar-building. Also, Exodus 20:23 records that God forbade making
gods of gold and silver, and the second of the Ten Commandments forbids the
manufacture of any graven image as part of religious worship. This further
eliminates the types of artifacts (idols) which pagan worshippers commonly
manufactured. God gave these instructions so people would keep their minds focused
on God and His laws, and not on physical objects.
However, there is evidence that worshippers of Yahweh, the God of Israel, were
present in ancient America. At Hidden Mountain, near Los Lunas, New Mexico, the
Ten Commandments were written on a large stone in ancient Hebrew. Dr. Fell noted
that the inscription, written in ancient Hebrew letters of the style of the Moab Stone,
about 1000 B.C., was not translated until 1949.
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A dating around 1000 B.C. would
place this inscription during the reigns of Kings David and Solomon of the united
kingdom of Israel when Israel was, indeed, serving the God of the Bible. (The famous
Moabite Stone, referred to above, was found in the Mideast and refers to wars
between Israel and Moab in the ninth century B.C., during the time of the separate
kingdoms of Israel and Judah.) George Morehouse, a geologist who studied this
ancient Hebrew Decalogue inscription, estimated the inscription to be 500-2000 years
old based on the weathered patina of the rock.
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However, accurately dating the
inscription on the basis of weatherization was made very difficult, if not impossible,
by the fact that the inscriptions had received periodic scrubbings which removed
evidence of weatherization needed for dating.
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Further complicating the dating of this ancient Hebrew inscription is the statement
that the punctuation [of the inscription] matched that of ancient Greek manuscripts,
such as the Codex Sinaiticus of the fourth century A.D.
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Dr. Fells discussion of this
artifact stated that separation points like those in this inscription date as early as 1200
B.C., but that the oldest known record of some punctuation marks (carets to denote an
insertion to correct an omission) date to the Codex Sinaiticus of the fourth century
A.D. This does not date the Hebrew inscription to the fourth century A.D.,
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but is
rather an example of the oldest knownoccurrence of a similar punctuation mark. How
long such punctuation was used prior to the fourth century A.D. is not known.

In view of the above, this Los Lunas inscription pre-dates the arrival of Columbus by
at least a thousand years, but it most likely dates to the time of King Solomon for
several reasons. The first reason is that the inscription is in the Paleo-Hebrew
characters in use from approximately 1200-600 B.C., which includes the reign of
King Solomon. A second piece of evidence is what the inscription says! Since it is an
inscription of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses, it was obviously made
by Israelites at a time when they worshipped the God of the Bible. Since the Kingdom
of Israel quickly degenerated into pagan practices after the reign of Solomon, it argues
that this inscription was made during the reign of Solomon when Gods laws were the
standard for the nation. I Kings 10:22 records that Solomons sailors undertook
voyages that returned after three years with samples of wildlife, apes and peacocks,
from other continents. Such fleets could easily have visited the New World during a
three-year voyage.
Another factor powerfully supporting a dating of this ancient Hebrew inscription to
the time of Solomon are the economic and logistic realities in the ancient world.
Transoceanic expeditions and colonization efforts in the ancient world required a very
large commitment of monetary and human resources. The source of such resources
had to be the king of a wealthy nation. Because the New Mexico inscription is in
ancient Hebrew, the sponsor for that ancient expedition had to be a very wealthy king
of the ancient Israelites! Solomon was the wealthiest ancient King of Israel, and he
reigned at a time when the Israelites kept the Ten Commandments.

The high cost of financing trans-Atlantic voyages is verified when one considers the
European colonization efforts, which began when Columbus rediscovered America
in 1492. European colonization at the beginning of the modern era required the
backing and approval of national monarchs in order to occur at all. Even companies
with a large presence in the New World, such as the Hudsons Bay
Company, conducted their efforts only with the support and favor of a reigning
monarch. Those who would argue for a more recent date for the Los Lunas
inscriptions are confronted with this major problem: What Old World nation in the
fourth century A.D., or any other date more recent than Solomons reign, would fund
exploration and/or colonization efforts in the New World which would leave behind
ancient Hebrew inscriptions? Since there were no powerful and rich Hebrew-speaking
nations in the fourth century A.D., any such proposed dating lacks the support of any
logical historical context for its occurrence.
Because the Los Lunas inscription proclaims its makers were devoted to the God of
the Ten Commandments, we are limited to those kings of Israel who could have
funded international expeditions during Israels brief period of loyalty to God. This
requirement limits the prospective dating of the Los Lunas inscription to the reigns of
Kings David and Solomon.
The kings of Israel that followed David and Solomon were, almost without exception,
apostates who served Baal and other idolatrous gods. Under later kings, any sailing
fleets would have left inscriptions devoted to pagan gods, as in the inscriptions on the
tri-lingual, Davenport artifact. The kings of Judah who survived until about 587 B.C.,
had several righteous kings whose followers served God, but Judah was a small nation
with few resources to fund and mount such expeditions. Judah had interludes of
resurgent national power, but there is no record that Judah was ever a naval power. I
Kings 22:48-49 and II Chronicles 20:36-37 record that righteous King Jehoshaphat
tried to build a fleet for Judah, perhaps to compete with the fleets of Israel-Phoenicia,
but God himself intervened to stop Judah from becoming a naval power.Therefore, the
only logical historical context for the making of the Los Lunas inscriptions is still
during the reigns of either King David or King Solomon.
Since King David was a warrior with little interest in scientific endeavors, the reign of
King Solomon is the most logical milieu for any expeditions or colonization efforts
which had Israelites carving inscriptions in ancient America proclaiming a loyalty to
the God of the Bible. Also, King Solomons insatiable scientific curiosity about the
worlds flora and fauna (I Kings 4:29-33, 10:22) made him eager to fund international
expeditions.
This author has personally visited and inspected the Los Lunas inscription, and the
site is located adjacent to a large, dry river-bed. This vanished river would formerly
have been a major tributary of the Rio Grande River during a wetter climate when the
river flowed freely. As the dry river-bed attests, there was once enough water in the
ancient Southwest to support thriving colonies. It is likely that the ancient Israelites
established a colony at the Los Lunas site during the time of King Solomon when the
area could be reached via sailing routes from the Gulf of Mexico and the tributaries of
the Rio Grande River. When the climate reverted to its dominant arid condition, the
colony would have been abandoned.
In an apparent attempt to discredit the validity of the ancient Hebrew translation of the
Los Lunas inscriptions, some artifacts were discovered in the region of the Los
Lunas inscriptions and certain individuals asserted that these new artifacts indicated
that the Los Lunas inscriptions were Greek (not Hebrew) writings from about 500
B.C. In a 1986 court trial, it was conclusively demonstrated by expert
epigraphers/linguists that while the Los Lunas inscription is a valid Hebrew rendition
of the Ten Commandments, the other artifacts and the supposed Greek translation
were hoaxes.
70

Additional evidence of ancient worshippers of the Bibles God in ancient America has
been noted on a Decalogue Tablet (an artifact bearing an ancient Hebrew inscription
of the Ten Commandments) unearthed in Ohio in 1860. Besides having the Ten
Commandments inscribed on it, the tablet includes a depiction of an individual
meant to represent Moses [which] has been carved in considerable detail on the front
of the tablet...[and] a handle at the bottom of the tablet, which may have been
constructed to accommodate a strap.
71
The presence of a handle on this tablet
indicates that it served as a portable object, which could accompany worshippers of
God as they were traveling in ancient America.

This Decalogue Tablet was found with grave goods in an ancient American burial
mound. Its presence suggests that the person interred in the mound may have been an
ancient Levite present with Israelite explorers or colonists in ancient America. It has
been noted that the Hebrew inscription also has some characteristics of the old
Phoenician alphabets.
72
A Hebrew inscription with Phoenician features is exactly
what ancient Israelite inscriptions should be like. The Israelites were close allies of the
Phoenicians and shared a common culture and navy from the time of King David until
the fall of Israel circa 721 B.C. Their artifacts would naturally exhibit the traits of
both cultures.

While this artifact unearthed from an Ohio burial mound cannot be specifically dated,
the alphabet used indicates that it was made by ancient followers of God who spoke
Hebrew. While it would be tempting to date this artifact to the time of King Solomon,
the fact that it was engraved with square Hebrew letters indicates a date several
centuries more recent than the Los Lunas tablet, which exhibited the more ancient
Paleo-Hebrew letters. This raises the possibility that there were Israelite colonists in
the New World who remained loyal to the laws of God long after Old World Israelites
abandoned them. Linguistic traits in the New World could also be retained for a
greater length of time due to their remoteness from the Old World and its linguistic
changes.

More evidence of a Hebrew presence in ancient New England, in the area of the 20
acre temple site discussed earlier, is seen in the presence of hundreds of Hebrew-
Semitic root words in the languages of the Eastern Algonquin Indians, as Dr. Barry
Fell documented.
73

Whatever the dating of the above artifacts, such discoveries provide firm
archaeological support to the Bibles assertion that the ancient Israelites sponsored
wide-ranging fleets and were one the major nations of the ancient world. Since the
Ten Commandments in ancient Hebrew have been found in both Ohio and New
Mexico, it confirms that ancient Israelite explorations and/or colonizations of the New
World were widespread. These facts may be disconcerting to establishment sources
who cling to the flawed dogma that Columbus discovered America in 1492 no
matter how voluminous the evidence that Israelites and other Old World civilizations
sent explorers or colonists to the New World. This evidence will become ever more
voluminous and convincing as this book series continues.
Hundreds of inscribed Phoenician, Celtiberian, and Basque stone grave markers, dated
to 800-600 B.C., have been found in the Susquehanna Valley of Pennsylvania.
74
The
inscriptions on these artifacts had been identified as Phoenician decades prior to Dr.
Fells research,
75
but these facts were incompatible with the dogmas and assumptions
of modern historians so they were ignored.
The Egyptian presence in the New World has been found in the writing system of the
Wabanaki/Micmac Indians (an Algonquin tribe) of Maine,
76
in an ancient tablet found
on Long Island in New York,
77
and on the Iowa stele mentioned earlier in this chapter.
Also, it has been documented that the ancient Egyptians sailed the Pacific Ocean as
afar as Polynesia and Hawaii as they roamed the Indian and Pacific Oceans for
gold about 1000 B.C.
78
(Emphasis added) The date of 1000 B.C. parallels the golden
age of Israels Empire days under Kings David and Solomon when the Bible records
that Egypt was allied to King Solomons Israelites.
An inscription in ancient Ogam and Libyan, the language of Egyptian sailors, was
found near the Rio Grande River of Texas, indicating North Africans sponsored by an
Egyptian/Libyan king named Shishonq visited North America in ancient times.
79
The
ancient inscription is translated as, A crew of Shishonq the King took shelter in this
place of concealment, and Dr. Fells commentary on the inscription states: several
kings of this name ruled Libya and Egypt between 1000-800 B.C., an
era when North African voyagers began to explore the New World.
80
(Emphasis
added)
Whether this inscription dates to the reign of King Solomon or not, it further confirms
that nautical travel between the Mediterranean Region and North America took place
in ancient times. The phrase Crew of Shishonq the King may indicate that the king
himself was on the voyage. Obviously, monarchs would not likely have come to the
New World unless it was considered safe to leave their home kingdoms. A period of
peaceful stability, as during King Solomons reign, would have been an ideal time for
such journeys. Also, the Bible records that many monarchs did undertake international
visits during the reign of Solomon. (II Chronicles 9:23-24) The Bible mentions an Egyptian
ruler named Shishak (i.e. Shishonq) sacked Jerusalem during the time of King
Rehoboam of Judah. (I Kings 14:25-26)While Shishaks Egypt attacked Judah, the smaller
Jewish kingdom, it did not attack the much larger, northern Israelite kingdom of
Israel. Indeed, Egypts Shishak was a friend of King Jeroboam of Israel (I Kings 11:40),
so the ten tribes of Israel in the northern kingdom of Israel likely cheered Shishak as
he attacked Judah, their estranged Israelite brothers.
Dr. Fell cited the work of Gloria Farley, who made notable finds of ancient
inscriptions left by Libyans, Celts and Phoenicians who ascended the Mississippi,
Arkansas and Cimarron Rivers.
81
The evidence is compelling that the ancient alliance
of Israel, Egypt, Tyre and Sidon extensively explored North America during biblical
times, following the river courses in Phoenician ships.
It is significant that Dr. Fell noted the time period of 1000-800 B.C. as marking a
period of significant Old World exploration of the New World. This time frame
exactly parallels Bible records showing international travel and commerce flourished
with fleets undertaking multi-year voyages and visiting other continents. This time
frame begins with the reign of Kings David and Solomon, but continues through much
of the history of the northern kingdom of Israel, the dominant partner in the
Phoenician alliance until Israel fell circa 721 B.C. The conclusion is inescapable that
the record of ancient history verifies the biblical accounts. The Bible is not a detailed
history of all that happened in the ancient world, but it confirms what archaeology and
epigraphy have shown about the real state of commerce and travel in the ancient
world.
Israels Phoenician Empire
Many historical accounts confirm that the beginning of the first millennium B.C.,
marked a golden age for Phoenicia. Historian Philip Hitti states:
Phoenician trade on an international scale in textiles, metalwork, pottery, glass, timber, wheat and wine
gave the country three centuries - beginning around 1000 B.C. - of prosperity unmatched in its
history.
82
(Emphasis added)
Secular evidence that Phoenicias greatness began around 1000 B.C. is critically
important since it coincides precisely with the period during which King Hiram of
Tyre allied his people to King Davids Israelites. Since the Israelites were of a
common race, language and culture with the Phoenicians, the true Israelite role in
Phoenicias golden age has not been recognized. In fact, it was Israels golden age
rubbing off on the Phoenician city-states! Israel was the dominant partner in
the Phoenician alliance with Tyre and Sidon serving as junior partners. This
conclusion is supported by the facts that Phoenicias golden age did not start until it
allied itself to Israel, and that their golden age ended when Israel fell. The small
city-states of Phoenicia were unable to sustain any golden age of international
power apart from their alliance with Israel.

At this juncture, new observations must be made about the term Phoenicia. This
book has so far referred to the inhabitants of the city-states of Tyre and Sidon as
Phoenicians, and to the inhabitants of Israel as Israelites. However, the term
Phoenicia, when applied to the ancient world in the time frame 1000-700 B.C.,
designates the combined alliance of the Israelites and the city-states led by Tyre
and Sidon. It must be realized that the people we call Phoenicia did not give
themselves that name. The term Phoenicia is derived from a Greek word, which the
Greek historians used to describe several nations living on the Eastern shores of the
Mediterranean Sea. George Rawlinson wrote:
At first, the term [Phoenicia] was used [by the Greeks] with a good deal of vagueness, of the Syrian
coast generally between Asia Minor and Egypt.
83
(Emphasis added)
The Encyclopedia Judaica states that the Greek name Phoinike is first mentioned by
Homer,
84
and it adds:
though the exact extent of the region called Phoenicia cannot be
determined, the name is clearly the Greek equivalent
of Canaan.
85
(Emphasis added)
Lionel Casson, author of The Ancient Mariners states concerning the Phoenicians:
Even their name is a puzzle. They called themselves Sidonians, from the city that was their chief
center until Tyre outstripped it about the beginning of the first millennium B.C., and their
land was Canaan. It was the Greeks who named them the Phoinikes
[Phoenicians]...
86
(Emphasis added)
The above accounts all indicate the term Phoenicia included a region much larger
than just the small city-states on the eastern Mediterranean coastline. What harmony
with the Bible! I Kings 5:6 also uses the term Sidonians, but that same chapter of
the Bible shows King Hiram of Tyre becoming the leader of the Phoenician city-states
at the beginning of the first millennium B.C! Cassons account also affirms
concerning the Phoenicians that the land of Canaan was their land! It is well-known
that the land of Canaan was the territory of the Israelites! The Bible actually
provides us with contemporary information about who was in the Phoenician alliance,
and why it became so powerful as the first millennium dawned.

The Greek age of Homer is identified in Halleys Bible Handbook as being
contemporary with Israels golden age under Kings David and
Solomon.
87
TheEncyclopaedia Britannica lists many optional dates for Homers birth,
including 1159 B.C., 1102 B.C., 1044 B.C., and 830 B.C.
88
The Encyclopedia
Americana states:
Ancient tradition...plac[ed] Homer in the 9th century B.C....These [poetic sources] suggest a date, now
widely accepted, in the last half of the 8th century B.C.
89

While no one knows the dates of Homers lifetime, all of the above suggested dates
coincide with the period that the Israelites lived in Canaan. This is important
because if Homer and his fellow Greeks originated the term Phoenicia, they did so
at a time when the city-states of Tyre, Sidon, etc., were so closely linked to the
Kingdom of Israel that they were virtually one entity.
The word Phoenicia is, therefore, derived from an initial Greek description of the
area known to us as the land of Canaan and the broader Levantine region of the
Eastern Mediterranean. The term Phoenicia was applied to this area at a time when
Israel was the dominant power in the region; therefore, the original application of the
term Phoenicia included Israel. The Encyclopedia Americana succinctly confirms
the above conclusions in these words:
The name Phoenicians was given by the Greeks to the inhabitants of the coastal region of present-
day Lebanon and the adjacent shores of Israel and Syria in the first millennium B.C. No
evidence exists that they called themselves by any such name.
90
(Emphasis added)
This explains why the term Phoenicia is absent from the Bible. Unlike modern
history texts that reflect Greco-Roman perspectives, the Bible was written from a
Hebrew perspective, and it records the names by which the Phoenicians referred to
themselves. Such names included Israel, Sidonians, people of Tyre, and even
the names of Israels large tribal units.
After Israel fell, the term Phoenicia remained on the smaller city-states of Tyre,
Sidon, etc., even though they lacked the manpower to sustain the empire that had
existed when they were allied to the Israelites. However, during the period of 1000-
700 B.C., the term Phoenicia meant the alliance of Israel and the city-states of Tyre,
Sidon, etc. It is not technically correct to say the Israelites were allied to the
Phoenicians because Israel itself was the dominant member of the allied people on
the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea who were called Phoenicians by the
Greeks. This explains why international power and influence characterized the
Phoenicians from approximately 1000-700 B.C., the time when Israel was in the
alliance, and why the term Phoenician describes a people with severely reduced
numbers and influence after 700 B.C., when the Israelites were absent and the city-
states were left all alone.
This series of books will sometimes refer to Phoenicians and Israelites, but the
reader should realize that, during the lifetime of the kingdom of Israel, the term
Phoenicia included the Israelites.
Philip Hitti also notes: around 1100 B.C., Egyptian wisdom writing reached its
highest ethical point...[it] counsels against arrogance, snobbery, ill-temper, and
oppressing the poor. [It]... stresses courtesy, deference, contentment, tolerance and
kindness...it served as a source for certain Hebrew Proverbs.
91
The Hebrew proverbs
referred to are, of course, those attributed to Solomon at the beginning of the first
millennium B.C., and found in the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Whether Solomon
borrowed these from the Egyptians or whether it was in fact the other way around is a
valid question. The time dating of around 1100 B.C. is so close to the reign of
Solomon that the case can easily be made that the wisdom of the Egyptians was
learned from their ally, Solomon. The above virtues are all regularly found in the
Bible as elements of how God expects us to deal with other people. It is significant
that Egyptian wisdom reached its highest ethical point at the general time that Egypt
was allied to King Solomon, the wisest king who ever lived! The fact that Egypts
Pharaoh became Solomons father-in-law (I Kings 9:16) also offered an easy pathway for
Solomons wisdom to flow to Egypts elites.
From the above accounts we find international power attributed to the Phoenicians
and wisdom characterizing the Egyptians at a time the Bible states both had allied
themselves with King Solomon of Israel, who was exceedingly powerful and wise.

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