This is Thomas Anon,
Good day. I’m sorry if I sound like I’m butting in your conversation but you asked about the Phoenician archives. I can reply to that to a certain extent, but you must keep Fomenko out of it. I’ve said repeatedly not to mix both. I don’t want to argue about that but I can tell you what I know, from the ground if you are willing to listen. Again I’m sorry if I’m butting in.
For sure, FOR SURE the Phoenician archives existed till 1st century B.C. = many eye witnesses from many “countries” and individuals who came to “consult” it. It all changed during the first Triumvirate. Back then, the coastal Polis were under the rule and hegemony of the Armenian King Dikran the Great or Dikran II. As proof of that go take a look at the tetradrachms he printed mostly in Antioch. While in Tyr barely a couple of bronze coins minted under his rule were found suggesting the metals were re-melted and re-used. And he also founded Tigranocerta, his new capital, along the Tigris River, which location is still very disputed among historians. We have a few coins that showed up which were minted there. And just a small not his name can be written Dikran or Tigrane depending on the language you use. It’s like the Arabic Youssef and Joseph, same first name but different language.
Till the reign of Dikran, the Phoenician archives didn’t just existed but it was also preserved = taken care of. Tigrane from the Artaxiadian dynasty always had inspiration to “reach the sea”. Back then the Hellenistic big Polis of the coast, Antioch being top notch one, were seeking the military protection from a king who was Hellenized, and whom would preserve the Hellenistic culture in the Polis. With mutual agreement, they opened the doors of their Polis to Tigrane and welcomed him as king. They provided him with the economical wealth those Polis could generate, gave him access to the sea, in exchange for security and military protection. It all went smoothly and Tigrane’s wealth, mostly the HUGE metal reserves he had, mostly silver gained big reputation around the Mediterranean sea . A great reputation, the title of king of kings, a big wealth and one heck of load of minted metals in his reserves, which ultimately attracted the ROMAN gaze upon his wealth. The Romans needed the metal more than anything and hearing upon the big silver reserves of Tigrane, they started hatching plans.
Lucullus came with a military expedition and wreck havoc in the entire eastern shores of the Med. He attacked Tigranocerta and Dikran had to surrender. The plunder of Tigranocerta is the main reason why we can barely find any Dikran coins minted there. The metal was taken to Rome, melted down and re-printed. There are a lot of Roman writers talking about this, most how barbaric Tigrane was, which was not the case. Those Roman scholars and writers (as Plutarch and Cicero) were the MSM of back then. If you compare their propaganda and method used to defame others, it’s EXACTLY the same as what the MSM does now. I believe this is Cabal weapon or tool from back then. These writers worked for Cabal back then, they would “deviate” the truth, but not totally wipe it out.
If I remember correctly, it was either in 64 or 63 BC that Pompey came to the region and a second confrontation with Dikran the Great took place. After the second defeat of the “old” Tigrane, from the Roman writers, Pompey took pity of the old man and he respected him so he let him go back after paying loads of silver coins = a king’s ransom. Tigrane retreated to the north, back to the mother land Armenia, and stayed in his old capital Artaxata. Pompey won the military battle and he amassed loads of silver, but he also created a big vacuum in the region. When he wanted to go back to Rome, he couldn’t leave the region “conquered” by Rome with little troops. How could a small number of roman soldiers keep in check a vast region that has anti-roman feelings. So he turned to a “friend” of his later known as Herod the Great. Oh yeah! You’ve got it right, it’s the same Herod whom built the “second temple”. Herod became king even though he was not of the jewish kings bloodline, the Hasmonean dynasty. He was imposed upon the jewish people. So in other words, Herod the Great was appointed as temporary “guardian” or “supervisor” of Roman interest in the region until the roman army could solidify and fortify their military presence.