A BRIEF HISTORY
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The people of Phoenicia were descended from Canaanites, Semites, Aegeans, Cypriots,
and Sea Peoples who inhabited the coast in modern day Lebanon.
It was the Sea Peoples who caused the formation of Phoenicia as they repeatedly attacked cities on the coast. Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon would survive these attacks to form the kingdom of Phoenicia, a kingdom of city states, around the 9th century B.C. The great seafaring capabilities of the Phoenicians allowed them to expand and colonize west. Colonies were founded at Carthage (878 B.C.), Sicily, Malta in North Africa, Cadiz in Spain (884 B.C.), and Sardinia. Tyre would remain the greatest Phoenician power from c. 1000 B.C. to the Assyrian incursions in 774 B.C. Phoenicia would find itself under the control of Assyria for much of the 9th and 8th centuries. In 854 B.C. several northern Phoenicia cities including Byblos, Irqanata, Usanata, Shiana, and Arvad joined in an alliance in an attempt to halt Assyrian incursions. Another Assyrian invasion in 738 B.C. would place several Phoenician cities under Assyrian control. Tyre fell to Tiglath-pileser in 734 B.C., but it remained independent of Assyria. All of Phoenicia, save Tyre, fell to invading Assyrians again in 701 B.C. The Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar II swept in next. By 586 B.C. Phoenicia was under Babylonian control. Tyre, however, withstood a 13 year siege before it was captured. 50 years later the Persian Empire, led by Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylonia and absorbed Phoenicia. |
CULTURE
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The kingdom of Phoenicia was a chain of city states located on the coast of modern day
Lebanon. The principle cities were Aradus, Beirut, Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre.
The Phoenicians were the most capable seafarers of their time. Their great ships and skill allowed them to control trade in the Mediterranean. Phoenicia had many forests which provided excellent timber to build ships. The Phoenicians also possessed a good knowledge of astronomy, which allowed the sailors to navigate by the stars. The Egyptian pharaoh, Necho (c. 672 B.C.), recognized the skill of Phoenician sailors and commissioned them to sail around Africa, which made them the first to accomplish this feat. The Phoenicians were strong merchants. Their chief exports were glass, metals, textiles,
jewelry, and dyed cloth. It is from their export of purple dyed cloth that they derived
their name. The Greeks came to associate Phoenicia with their purple dye, which was a
highly demanded color. The Greeks called Phoenicia "Phoinix" from which we derive Phoenicia. |