The ingenuity of the Phoenicians

If the Nubians were the great borrowers of ancient civilization then the Phoenicians were the great sharers. They transmitted ideas from most of antiquity. We could say they stole them and sold them or we could say they were the great teachers of ancient civilization. The Phoenicians were the founders of the western alphabet. Many civilizations claim their knowledge as part of their heritage. They were fundamental in establishing communication through the introduction of the phonetic alphabet.

The Phoenicians were the great traders of antiquity. When you combine teaching and trading you create the virtue of Ingenuity. The virtue of ingenuity provides the instructional capital necessary for learning across cultural borders.

How do you trade when you do not speak the language?
I was in sales before my teaching career for 20 years and I know that it is very difficult to sell something when you are not able to communicate with the buyer. I once sold American advertising in Canada and Mexico. I recruited members into the US Chamber of Commerce in Portuguese Newark. This task was difficult but not impossible. I used sign language and cultural, slang, iconic symbols and bits and pieces of the language I would pick up. I found the challenge exhilarating. I think that the Phoenicians were propelled by the rush of excitement when this kind of transaction takes place.

The Phoenicians have made the virtue of ingenuity prominent in history. In English it is a noun and in the language of virtue it is an action verb.

From The Rapiuma, translated by Theodore J. Lewis
Can you find ingenuity in this poem?

Behold your son, behold...Your grandson, your shrine;
Behold ... your hand.The small one will kiss your lips.
There, shoulder to shoulder.Brothers, attendants of El...
There mortals .. the name of El,... heroes bless the name of El.
There the shades of Baal ...Warriors of BaalWarriors of Anat.
There armed forces encircleThe eternal royal princes
As when Anat hastens to the hunt sets to flight the birds of the heavens.
They slaughtered oxen; sheep as well;They felled bulls, fatlings too,
Also rams and year old calves,They butchered lambs and even kids.
Olive oil -- like silver to travelers,... -- like gold to travelers.
... a table set with fruit,Laid with fruit fit for kings,
Day long they pour the wine,... must-wine, fit for rulers.
Wine, sweet and abundant,Select wine...
The choice wine of Lebanon,Must nurtured by El.
One day passes, then a second,The shades eat, the drink;
A third day, then a fourth;A fifth day, then a sixth;The shades eat, they drink. To the banquet house on the summit,... in the heart of Lebanon.