Lebanon Cedar - Lebanon

The Beqaa Valley is located 30 kilometers to the east of Beirut and served as an important agricultural asset to the Roman Empire when the area was under their control. The importance of the Beqaa Valley remains evident today; the fertile valley accounts for approximately 40% of Lebanon’s arable land.

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Cedrus libani - The Lebanon cedar tree is an evergreen tree growing to 45 meters in height and 2.5 meters in diameter. In ancient times it was used locally and exported to distant markets. The wood, oils, and resins of the Lebanon cedar were of exceptional quality. The Phoenicians used the lumber for building commercial and military vessels, the oil was used as an insect repellant or as a base for paint. The resins were incorporated by the Egyptians as one of the crucial ingredients in their mummification process.

Anise - Lebanon

Pimpinella anisum - Anise is a flowering plant native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia. The plant produces small white flowers bunched in clusters. The plant grows to about 90 centimeters in height and produces tiny seeds; 3 to 5 millimeters long. It is a food plant for several butterfly and moth species still in the larvae stage. Human use includes cultivating the dry seeds for use as a flavoring in various foods and beverages. The seeds have a distinctive licorice taste. 

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Phoenicia was an ancient civilization centering itself in Lebanon with its capital at Byblos. The Phoenicians owed their prosperity to an extensive network of trade routes they had established along the entire Southern Mediterranean coastline. Rather than having a centralized form of government, Phoenicia consisted of several independent city states united to serve a common cause; trade. The Phoenicians reigned from 1200 BC until they were absorbed into the Persian Empire in 539 BC.