MODERN SCIENCE and archaeology in recent years have made tremendous progress in uncovering facts about our forgotten past. Not only has much of the Sacred Story been confirmed as fact, but many misconceptions about it have been proven untrue. A common misconception of yesteryear was the idea that although the Phoenicians traded and established colonies throughout the Mediterranean area, their Israelite neighbours never set foot on a boat or visited distant lands in ancient times. This idea persisted in spite of the fact that the word, ‘Hebrew’ itself is known to have signified “a colonist.” Modern research has in fact now documented that ancient Semitic colonization in Europe, including Hebrew, was “enduring and significant,” according to Dr. Cyrus H. Gordon, whose extensive research was highlighted throughout an entire issue of BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGIST magazine (March, 1996). Having written over 20 books and learned over a dozen languages, Dr. Gordon is widely considered the leading American archaeologist and antiquarian of the twentieth century. His research has established that “no longer can we… consider Israel the vacuum-packed miracle from Sinai. Rather must we view Greek and Hebrew civilizations as parallel structures built upon the same East Mediterranean foundation.” (“HOMER & BIBLE,” page 72).