Lebanon 2003 "Sightseeings: Lebanese Amber"
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| Isue Date | 08.01.2003 |
| ID | Michel: 1433; Scott: 570; Stanley Gibbons: 1405; Yvert et Tellier: 383; Category: pF |
| Design | |
| Stamps in set | 1 |
| Value | LBP 5.000 - Amber with insect (Libanobythus milkii) inside |
| Emission/Type | definitive |
| Issue place | Beirut |
| Size (width x height) | 40mm x 30mm |
| Layout | 25 stamps per sheet |
| Products | FDC x1 |
| Paper | |
| Perforation | 13,25x13,5 |
| Print Technique | Offset, multicolor |
| Printed by | |
| Quantity | |
| Issuing Authority | LibanPost |
Between 11.10.2002 and 08.01.2003, the Post Authority of Lebanon issued 10 definitive stamps shows various sightseeing locations of the country. The first 8 stamps with face values from 100 to 3.000 Lebanese pounds were issued on 11.11.2002 and 20.11.2002, they look like "traditional" sightseeing stamps showing some famous buildings and landscapes.
The last two stamps, with very high face values (5.000 and 10.0000 Lebanese pounds) of the series depict Fish fossil (Nematonotus longispinus), issued on 22.11.2002 and Amber with included insect (Libanobythus milkii), issued on 08.01.2003.
The amber found in Lebanon is very old, perhaps the oldest, from the Cretaceous Period or some 100 million years old. It may hold insight into environments of the past with the study of the inclusions of flora and fauna trapped inside the amber. The organisms found in Lebanese amber date back to the Cretaceous Period; a time when flowering plants and insects were co-evolving. The insect in the piece of Lebanese amber is Libanobythus milkii - a species of small wasps of archaic Scolebythidae family. The only species of the genus Libanobythus.
The species name milkii is given to commemorate professor R. Milka, one of the authors of the article describing the genus and species.
Products and associated philatelic items
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References:
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- Libanobythus milkii:
The Virtual Fossil Museum
Acknowledgements:
- Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice, PhD Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, USA, for review of a draft of this article.
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