Building the Phoenicians at Spaceship Earth
Digging though my ephemera, I run across some interesting tidbits. In the EPCOT Center Construction Newsletter, there was an image of the two boats in the Thank the Phoenicians scene are under construction. Of course, back in 1982, it would have simply been called The Phoenician Scene.
From the original 1982-1986 script:
In the Phoenician scene (9th century B.C.), two ships meet in the ocean to exchange goods. Another man on the larger ship (behind the smaller ship) holds a rope that is connected to the smaller ship so that both ships stay together. Fog surrounds the ships. Smoke rises from small fires in pots at both ends of the larger ship. To the right of us is a wall showing the ocean going to the horizon and stars above.
Vic Perrin: On fine Phoenician ships, we take our scrolls to sea. Real scrolls simplified by an alphabet, eagerly shared at distant ports of call.
It would be almost 20 years before we were able to properly thank the Phoenicians.
Looking for a great book on EPCOT Center?
What’s Your Favorite Scene in Spaceship Earth?
Check Out My Old School EPCOT Video
