In the cradle of civilization, there are all these leftovers of old times. At the mouth of the Dog river in Lebanon, ancient armies left stone tablets to mark that they were there. The next army passing, seeing the old tablet, is then inspired to leave one of its own. There are now 17 plaques from the ancient Egyptians through to the modern state of Lebanon. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
The stamp today is from the period of the League of Nations granted France a mandate to administer Lebanon. You issue a stamp like this of a historic site to suggest that you are acting as a good steward of the area. That was true, the stone tablets were not removed to be displayed in Paris in a museum or even worse as a rich guy’s trophy. In fact the French were inspired by them, leaving two new ones mentioning their being there and another to honor war dead, you know the price they paid for being there.
Todays stamp is issue A13, a 4 Piaster stamp issued by Lebanon in 1930. It was a 21 stamp issue in various denominations showing ancient sites around Lebanon. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth $1.60 used.
The crossing of the Dog river at the site of the bridge is quite trecherous although the river if fordable during certain times the year. The troubled crossing probably inspired the leaving of the earliest stone tablet by King Ramses II of Egypt around 1200 BC. Ramses left three tablets recording his adventures in then Phoenicia. Around 600 BC came new tablets from Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II and then 5 more from various Assyrian Kings.
Around 217 BC it was the Romans turn to make a mark under Emperor Caracella. He left more than a tablet he left the first version of the bridge shown on the stamp. Tablets under the Byzantines written in Greek also expand on the efforts made in roadwork and improving the bridge. Why not, if they don’t toot their own horn, who will?
No doubt the mandate period French were inspired especially by the tablet left by Napoleon III dating from his expedition there in 1860. Perhaps less so by the one left by the British in 1918 commemorating the work done by their Arab Legion ridding the place of the Ottomans. Lebanon itself left one in 1946 celebrating the leaving of foreign troops from a new independent Lebanon. Respectfully, neither Israel nor the PLO, nor the various peace keeping foreign legions traipsing through have felt the need to leave a permanent record in stone of their intrusions.
The bridge on the stamp has required several rebuildings since Roman times, most recently in 1809. The modern coastal highway of Lebanon uses a tunnel to cross the Dog river leaving the bridge and its old tablets to the tourists.
Well my drink and I will get the unusual bonus of pouring two more drinks for myself to toast the Romans for building the bridge and the Lebanese for allowing it to survive. Three drinks? gosh this is turning into quite a night. Hope nobody out there decides on a drinking toast game involving all 17 tablets. If you do, invite me. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.