To what extent did the religion, ethnicities, and languages of the Lebanon region change because of its exposure to other cultures?
By NancyN
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During antiquity in Lebanon there were a variety of *SEMITIC tribes. The main *SEMITIC group were the *PHOENICIANS. The major language was *PHOENICIAN but there were other *SEMITIC languages spoken. As for religion, they had *POLYTHEISTIC beliefs and believed in many gods.
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In the 5th century *CHRISTIANITY was established in the region around Lebanon which impacted the religious practices in the region. Abraham, also known as the Apostle of Lebanon, had the greatest impact on the people of the Lebanon region with *CHRISTIANITY. Abraham preached *CHRISTIANITY to the inhabitants of the Lebanon region in the late 3rd century and died in the early 4th century although *CHRISTIANITY did not become widely practiced in the region until the 5th century.
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In the 7th century *ISLAM was established in the region impacting the religions that were practiced in the region around Lebanon.
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Starting in 1918 the area around Lebanon was ruled by France and the French rule impacted the language spoken in the region. After the end of a world war France was put in charge of governing the Lebanon region in 1918.
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The main religions of modern day Lebanon are Shiʿi Muslims and Sunni Muslims. The main languages of modern day Lebanon are Arabic, Arabic spoken in the North Laventine dialect, French, and English. The main ethnicities of modern day Lebanon are Lebanese Arab and Palestinian Arab.