A dose of history

I have always been fascinated by ancient cultures. Some of the best trips I’ve ever had the chance to take have always been to places filled with traces of ancient races and cultures. I love visiting ruins and places which bear the remains of what once was. And ever opportunity to visit or learn more is something I cannot pass up. This is why for me, it was imperative to view the currently on going exhibition on the ancient Phoenicians at the Institut du Monde Arabe.
The Institute itself is a beautifully built modern museum which marries the traditional elements of Arabic art with modern architecture. And it is wonderfully located along the rive gauche facing the river Seine. It even has an impressive bookstore and souvenir shop where you can spend an extra hour after finishing the exhibition.
The exhibit on the Phoenicians is an attempt to enlarge our knowledge of these mysterious people who dominated the seas and the Mediterranean from 800 to 1200 BC. Their main cities were Tyre and Sidon in what is now present day Lebanon and Syria. At the height of their power, they cut a wide swath across the known world, their colonies extending from North Africa all the way to Spain. They were renowned for their sailing prowess, merchant skills and for creating the alphabet. Despite being such a dominant force however, very little actually remains from their civilization. What the exhibit does wonderfully is to present a great variety of extremely preserved artifacts and relics that demonstrate the deep level of civilization that the Phoenicians enjoyed. It is amazing to see how much influence they wielded on Egyptian, Greek and Arabic cultures and in turn how these cultures influenced their own art, writing and culture. Among the artifacts presented were some impressive stelae and sarcophagi for individuals whose names are long lost to us. There were also wonderful statues of some of the deities they worshiped. One of my favorite artifacts was the tridacne which is essentially a particularly large shell which they used as their make up pallet. One can still see a very faint trace of the colors they used.
Informative and interesting, the exhibit is a treat to bring a little of the ancient times back to us. Just before leaving, there is another thing worth doing to really finish the visit on a delicious note. Take the elevator up to the topmost level of the Institute and enjoy a wonderful view of the city while sipping a steaming cup of fragrant mint tea.