Brief history of the ancient state (country) of Phenicia. Phoenicians Modern Phoenicia
Origin of name
The name "Phenicia" is associated with the production of purple dye from a special type of shellfish that lived in abundance off the coast of Phenicia, which was one of the main industries of the local residents. It is first found in Homer and is often mentioned by Greek historians.
Murex trunculus, from which purple dye was extracted.
In Homer, the name “Phoenicians” is a synonym for “Sidonians”. At the same time, Greek writers knew the name Canaan (henna, which means purple in Hurrian) as the eponym of the Phoenicians and as the name of their country. Some scholars derive the Greek name of the country from the word foynik- “purple”, that is, Phenicia is the “land of purple”. Apparently, Phenicia is the Greek equivalent of the name Canaan.
There is also speculation that "Phoenicians" is a derivative of the Greek word for woodcutters (due to Phenicia's role in supplying wood to the market) and other alternative versions. Discussions continue in the scientific community on the origin of the name "Phoenicia".
It has not been proven that the Phoenicians themselves called themselves by this word. There is information that their self-name is "kenaani"(Akkadian " kinahna»).
The Phoenicians occupied a narrow coastal strip about 200 km long; probably only in northern Galilee (in the region of Hazor) did they live at some distance from the sea. In some cases in the Bible, the name Canaan is associated with the coastal location of Phenicia (Num. 13:29; Deut. 1:7; JbN 5:1, etc.).
The main cities of Phenicia (excluding the colonies) were Sidon, Tire and Beroth (modern Beirut).
But, as a rule, by Canaan the Bible means the entire territory of Eretz Israel, the territory of modern Lebanon, as well as the southern part of the coast of modern Syria.
Such an expanded use of the name is relatively late and, apparently, is associated with the colonization of the internal regions of the country. Signs of such use can be found in Egyptian sources of the 14th-13th centuries. BC e.
The coastal strip is often interrupted by mountain gorges and capes. Only in the Eleutheros region was there a plain of sufficient size. There is only one river - Litani, there are several seasonal streams. None of them were used in agriculture.
The climate is warm, with sufficient rainfall from October to April (100-60 mm in modern times, decreasing from north to south). Conditions were favorable for growing wheat, barley, olives, figs, grapes and other fruits. Good wood grows on the hills and mountains - cedars and junipers (in Hebrew "berosh", Kings 5:22,24), spruces, cypresses and oaks. Sand from the shore was a raw material for glassmaking, and from the sea came a source of precious dye.
Waves of settlement of Phenicia
Although there are many traces of human habitation in Canaan dating back to the Paleolithic period, the settlements found appear to have been founded only in ceramic neolithic, and therefore relatively late in the Syro-Palestinian region. The lag is probably due, at least in part, to the need to clear this part of the coast from forests to make cultivation possible. At Byblos, the first urban settlement dates back to approximately 3050-2850 BC.
The first settlers left behind non-Semitic place names in the first written sources, such as Ushu, Amiya and Ulaz. But most of the place names are Semitic: Tire (a city on an island), Sidon, Beirut, Byblos, Batron, Urkata, Yarimuta, Sumur. Toponymy shows that the massive settlement of the area was carried out by Semites, apparently newcomers from Southern Syria and Eretz Israel, around the beginning of the 3rd millennium BC. e.
The Phoenicians probably arrived in the area around 3000 BC. Nothing is known about their original country, although some traditions place it in the Persian Gulf region.
Paleontropological studies show that these aliens were no different in physical type from their predecessors. Later, around 1500 BC, there is a transition from the prevalence of dolichocephalic to brachycephalic type (decrease in the relative length of the skull), reflecting the more complex cultural relationships of this period.
Commercial and religious connections with Egypt, probably by sea, are confirmed by sources from the Egyptian 4th Dynasty (c. 2575 - 2465 BC).
The earliest artistic representations of the Phoenicians are found in Memphis, in a damaged relief of Pharaoh Sahure from the 5th Dynasty (mid-25th to early 20th century BC). This is a depiction of the arrival of an Asian princess - the bride of the pharaoh; her escort is a fleet of sea-going ships, probably of the type known to the Egyptians as the "ships of Byblos", manned by Asian crews, apparently Phoenicians.
At the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. The Amorites entered Phenicia. Around the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. e. a local language developed there, differing in a number of characteristic features from the Amorite. At the next stage of linguistic evolution, the Phoenician dialect emerged, which differed from the more conservative Hebrew.
The history of Phenicia is divided into two main periods:
- approximately from the 30th to the 12th century. BC. And
- from the 12th century to 332 BC
Phenicia in the III-II millennium BC. e.
Already in the 3rd millennium BC. e. Phenicia was in close commercial and religious contact with Egypt. The Phoenician city of Gebal (later Byblos) became a significant timber trading center during this period. He is mentioned in documents of the Fourth Dynasty (2613-2494 BC)
By the time of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt (c. 2305 - 2140 BC), it had practically become an Egyptian colony; with short interruptions it remained a colony until the mid-18th century. BC e.
Egypt appears to have controlled, to varying degrees, the entire territory of Phenicia and Eretz Israel, during this period, particularly during the Hyksos period (c. 1670-1570 BC). But in the 14th century BC. due to internal political instability, he lost this control.
During this long period there were other influences on Canaan besides Egypt. Contacts with the Aegean world become visible in 2000 BC. They became especially close in the 14th and 13th centuries when, after the fall of Knossos, Mycenae conducted vigorous trade throughout the eastern Mediterranean coast.
Relations with Mesopotamia went even further, probably at the beginning of the 3rd millennium, and almost certainly by about 2400 BC. And three centuries later, documents describe a messenger from the "governor" Byblos from Drehem in Babylonia (although the name should not be taken as implying the suzerainty of the Sumerian Third Dynasty of Ur).
The Amorite invasion was also an important step in the formation of the system of small city-states that became characteristic of Canaan and then continued to exist in Phenicia after the emergence of large nation-states in the Iron Age.
Curses texts show the transition from a semi-nomadic stage (as reflected in the earlier group of texts) - when the cities were probably not yet taken, and two or three sheikhs shared power over the surrounding area, to a completely sedentary stage - (reflected in the later group) - when the city captured and, with a few exceptions, there is one ruler.
The emergence of monarchies occurred everywhere and very quickly. Most likely, it should have been accompanied by serious concessions to other leaders who helped in capturing the city. So at an early stage the king was apparently first among equals. From here a characteristic form of government emerged: royal power limited by the power of wealthy merchant families. In the largest cities there were councils of elders.
Large federations of cities, apparently, were never created, which was facilitated by geographical conditions (dividing the country into isolated areas by mountain ranges).
Between 1700 and 1500 BC. all the kings of the region widely used Indo-European mercenaries - warriors on chariots, who were called Marianne. In the cities of the Phoenician coast they never seized power (all kings bore Semitic names).
Sarcophagus of Ahiram from Byblos, XIII-X century BC.
In the 14th century BC. There was a series of uprisings in Phoenician cities. According to the El-Amarna letters, half of the free people fled from there, and kings were killed.
In the 14th century BC e. a significant part of Phenicia became part of the Amorite state, which soon turned into a Hittite vassal.
During the 19th Dynasty in Egypt, the southern part of Phenicia again came under Egyptian rule. An inscription by Pharaoh Seti I (c. 1318 - 1301 BC) speaks of the conquest of Asia and mentions Tire and Uzu (Palaitiros?) in particular. Seti advanced as far as Kadesh on the Orontes River, but at the time of the accession of his son Ramesses II (c. 1301 – 1234 BC), Kadesh was in Hittite hands. Having concluded a peace treaty, these countries divided Phenicia. The border was probably north of Byblos. The ensuing peace ensured the cultural and material development of Phenicia, and its foreign trade reached its peak.
Ruins of Ugarit
First contacts with Israel
The first meeting of the Phoenicians with the Jews took place during the conquest of the Land of Israel at the end of the 13th century BC. An army of Jews destroyed the Phoenician city of Hazor in Galilee (JbN 11:1-14). Apparently the Jews did not settle on this site, because after about a hundred years, Hazor again became a rich and powerful city, at war with the Jewish tribes (Judg. 4). At the end of this war, Hazor was again destroyed.
In the north of the Land of Israel, some Phoenician cities repelled the Jewish onslaught and remained in their place, paying tribute to the new masters of the country.
| (27) And Menashe did not drive out Beit Shean and the villages around it, and Tanach and the villages around it, and the inhabitants of Dor and the villages around it, and the inhabitants of Ibleam and the villages around it, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and the villages around it; and the Canaanites decided to live in this land. (28) And so, when Israel gained a foothold, he made the Canaanites tributary, but did not drive them out. (29) And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; and the Canaanites dwelt among him in Gezer. (30) Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron and the inhabitants of Naalol, and the Canaanites lived among him and became tributaries. (31) Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acre, and the inhabitants of Zidon, and Ahlav, and Achziv, and Halba, and Afik, and Rehob; (32) And Asher lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for he did not drive them out. (YbN 1) |
At the beginning of the 1st millennium BC. e. Tire became the leading city of Phenicia and for the next 300 years dominated the cities of southern Phenicia, and according to some researchers, was the capital of the country.
W.F. Albright believes that the alliance between Israel and Tire began under Abibaal, Hiram's father, who fought the Philistines at sea while King David fought them on land.
In exchange for agricultural products, Hiram supplied Solomon with timber and sent skilled artisans to build the Temple and the royal palace in Jerusalem, and equipped joint trading sea expeditions from the Israeli Red Sea port of Ezion Geberah to Ophir.
Canaanite (Phoenician) ritual mask found on Mount Carmel.
The close cooperation of Phenicia with the Kingdom of Israel is evidenced by both the Bible and Phoenician sources from this period.
Among the allies who participated in the battle with the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III at Karkar (853 BC), along with the forces of the king of the kingdom of Israel Ahab, king Hamath Irhuleni and king Aram-Dammesek Hadadezer, the troops of the northern Phoenician cities of Arvad, Arki, Usantana and Shiana, however, the cities of southern Phenicia - Gebal, Sidon and Tire - did not participate in the coalition. They probably had a strong navy and a weak land army; they had nothing to do in such a battle.
Trade and colonization
Phoenician wine amphorae.
Surviving documents indicate that from the time of Hiram, the history of Phenicia became the history of Tire.
The names have changed: Hiram is called the king of Tire in the TANAKH, and Ethbaal, who ruled during the time of the kings of the Northern Kingdom of Israel Omri and Ahab, is called the king of the Sidonians (I Ts. 6:31,32), although his throne was in Tire.
During the reign of Hiram, the Phoenician (in fact, Tyrian) colonization of the Mediterranean began, with the goal of establishing control over maritime trade routes. No other Phoenician city created colonies.
One of the oldest, if not the oldest, colony was Kitim mentioned in the Bible (Bereishit 10:04) - Kition, present-day Larnaca on the island of Cyprus. Phoenician colonies were established in Rhodes and other Aegean islands, as well as in Anatolia.
Phoenician expansion is reflected in Greek sources. According to Greek myth, the Phoenician prince Cadmus, who taught the Greeks to write, arrived in Boeotia from Rhodes (Herodotus, Persian Wars, 5:57-58).
The Phoenicians are mentioned in the poems of Homer, for example:
| Then the Phoenician, the cunning deceiver, arrived in Egypt, An evil schemer from whom many people suffered; |
Thucydides wrote that the Phoenicians founded their settlements around the island of Sicily, from there they reached in the north to Sardinia, south to Malta and Gozo, then to North Africa, and from there west to Spain (Peloponnesian War, 6:2) . According to archaeological data, there were indeed Phoenician colonies in Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, in North Africa: Utica and Carthage (Qart-Hadasht, 814-813 BC). Traces of the existence of Carthage have so far been found in layers no earlier than the second half of the 8th century. BC.
The most famous product of the Phoenicians was the purple (purple) dye made from the shells of the mollusk Murex. The second most important are high quality fabrics (vison) from Tire, Byblos and Berit. The Phoenicians knew how to dye fabrics. Multi-colored robes from the Phoenicians are mentioned in almost all lists of Assyrian kings.
Phoenician exports also included cedar and pine wood, embroidery from Sidon, wine, metalwork and glass, glazed earthenware, salt and dried fish. In addition, the Phoenicians conducted important transit trade.
Metal and wood carving became a Phoenician specialty, and Phoenician products made of gold and other metals were also well known. They also produced ivory, figurines, jewelry and seals.
Blown glass was probably invented in the coastal area of Phenicia in the 1st century or earlier. They did not invent glass itself, but developed the technology for its production.
Since all products were made for sale, the Phoenicians adapted the styles of other countries to please the tastes of buyers.
At the end of the 8th century BC. Greek colonial expansion began in the Mediterranean Sea - in the same places where the Phoenicians operated. The Greeks immediately became dangerous competitors and military opponents of the Phoenicians.
Around the middle of the 7th century BC, when Tire fought wars for its independence, the colonies in Spain and Sicily were left to their own devices in the face of intensifying war with the Greeks. After this, they united under the rule of Carthage and effectively became a separate state.
Contacts with Tire turned into purely religious: every year taxes (“tithes”) were sent from the colonies to the temple of Tyrian Baal - Melqart (“king of the city,” that is, the king of Tire; according to some researchers, the king of the other world).
The maritime achievements of the Phoenicians are evidenced by an expedition carried out by Phoenician sailors on the instructions of Pharaoh Neko (610-595 BC). They left the port on the Red Sea to the south, walked around Africa and returned to Egypt from the west, through the Strait of Gibraltar. Herodotus, who reported on this voyage (Persian Wars, 4:42), presented it as sailors’ lies, citing an “incredible” detail as proof: part of the way they saw the sun in the north. This is what proves the authenticity of the story, since only those who visited the southern hemisphere could see this.
Another famous voyage of the Phoenicians is Hanno's expedition to Central Africa (presumably as far as the Ivory Coast) at the beginning of the 5th century BC.
Under the rule of empires
During the reign of the Assyrian king Adadnirari III (810-783 BC), Tire and Sidon were among the tributaries of Assyria. It is not established whether they were part of a single province or formed two different subordinate states. Tire was always mentioned first in Assyrian lists of Phoenician cities, even after the secession of Sidon, indicating its leadership in Phenicia. In the TANAKH, too, lists of Phoenician cities always begin with Tire (Isa. 23; Jer. 47:4; Zech. 9:02).
As early as the 5th century AD, a rural dialect of the Punic language, a descendant of Phoenician, was found in North Africa.
Nothing is known about the language of the first settlers except that it was Semitic. There is a layer in the Ugaritic vocabulary that, for West Semitic languages, has an unusually close relationship with Akkadian; perhaps these are remnants of the earliest speech in the Syro-Palestinian region.
The first physical evidence for a language spoken in Canaan comes from curse texts, shards (c. 1900 BC) or figurines (c. 1825 BC) with the names of rebel rulers and their localities in Canaan inscribed on them.
It was a language that later (around the beginning of the 14th century BC) was divided into “the language of Canaan” (Is. 19:18) and Aramaic. It is usually called West Semitic.
Linguistically, the earliest Phoenician dialect can, with reservations, be considered Ugaritic. The language of Gabla (Byblos) almost coincides with it in time, but its monuments are extremely scarce. The Phoenician Tire and Sidon, as well as the colony of Tire - Carthage (Finnish qart ḥedeš "new city") are represented much richer.
The language survived in the colonies of North-West Africa until the end of the 4th century; even longer - in Sardinia and Malta. In Phenicia proper it disappeared in Hellenistic times, replaced by Aramaic and Greek.
Although the Phoenicians used cuneiform (Mesopotamian script), they also developed their own writing system. The 22-letter Phoenician alphabetic script was used in Byblos as early as the 15th century BC. This writing method, later adopted by the Greeks, is the ancestor of most modern alphabets.
The earliest Phoenician alphabetic text dates from the 11th century BC; an alphabet of 22 consonants was already used there.
Phenicia owned only a small piece of land. But the Phoenician ships plied the entire Mediterranean Sea, visited the shores of Spain, North Africa and, perhaps, even went out into the Atlantic Ocean. In all the ports of the Mediterranean, Phoenician merchants conducted intensive trade, and Phoenician pirates became famous for their desperate bravery. It was with the sea that the life of the Phoenicians was inextricably linked, and Phenicia itself can well be called the first great maritime power of antiquity, and our article today is about it.
Where is Phenicia
But let's first answer the question of where ancient Phenicia was located on the map. Phenicia was located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea on the territory of such modern countries as Lebanon and Syria. During the reign, the territory of Phenicia was transformed into the Roman province of “Syria”, and later the Phoenicians completely merged with the Syrian population.
Phenicia on the world map.
History of Phenicia
It is not known for certain who the first Phoenicians were. Although their ancestors lived on the territory of the state of Phenicia back in the 3rd millennium BC. That is, as evidenced by archaeological excavations.
Herodotus and other ancient historians name the islands in the Persian Gulf as the place of origin of the Phoenicians. Indeed, many modern researchers note the similarity of the Canaanite languages (which the Phoenicians actually spoke) and South Arabian. The division may have occurred in the 4th millennium BC. That is, when part of the South Arabian tribes settled on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, an excellent place in all respects. Nature gave the ancient Phoenicians all the opportunities for a gracious life, land, although there was little, but what was there was famous for its fertility, moist sea winds brought rain, thereby making artificial irrigation unnecessary. Since ancient times, dates, olives, and grapes grew in the gardens and vegetable gardens of the Phoenicians, and goats and sheep ran through the meadows. In a word, the favorable climate of Phenicia was, of course, one of the main assets of this country.
Favorable conditions for life led to the fact that around the 3rd millennium BC. That is, large and developed cities begin to appear on the territory of Phenicia: Ugarit and Arvad in the north, Tire and Sidon in the south, Byblos in the center. Soon, Phoenician cities turned into cultural and commercial centers of the ancient world, and their appearance actually meant the beginning of the heyday of Phoenician civilization.
As for the origin of the name “Phenicia” itself, according to one version it comes from the ancient Greek word “φοινως” which means “purple”, the fact is that it was Phenicia that was the supplier of purple paint, which was made from special mollusks living off its shores . According to another version, the name “Phoenicia” comes from the Egyptian word “fenehu”, which means “ship builder”.
Phenicia reached its greatest dawn with the exit of its inhabitants to the sea. The Phoenicians began to build their famous large keel ships, up to 30 meters in length, also equipped with a ram and a straight sail.
This is what the Phoenician ship looked like. On these ships, Phoenician sailors plied the Mediterranean Sea, and Phoenician merchants began to conduct intensive trade in all Mediterranean ports.
And now the Phoenicians begin to found their first colonies: Cadiz on the coast of Spain, Utica on the African coast (modern Tunisia), Palermo on Sicily. On the islands of Sardinia and Malta there are also remains of ancient Phoenician colonies. But the most famous in history was the Phoenician colony of Carthage, which at one time gave even the Romans a chance to smoke (see the Punic Wars). But the intensive shipbuilding of the Phoenicians had one of the unpleasant side consequences - the disappearance of the cedar forests of Lebanon, cut down almost to the roots as shipbuilding material.
The trade and maritime freedom of the Phoenicians ended in the 8th century BC. e., when Phenicia was conquered by Assyria. The Phoenicians surrendered with virtually no resistance; they were more likely to pay tribute to their more powerful neighbors, provided that they did not interfere with their trade, rather than fight bloody wars for independence.
With the fall of Assyria, Phenicia became part of the empire, and then it was captured by the troops of Alexander the Great. Here it is worth remembering the largest city of Phenicia - Tire, which at that time endured a long siege and did not want to surrender to the famous Macedonian commander.
Then Phenicia was captured by the Armenian king Tigran, and then by the already invincible Romans, who turned this territory into the Roman province of Syria. At this time, Phenicia leaves the historical scene.
Phenician culture
Perhaps the most significant cultural heritage of ancient Phenicia for the whole world is its alphabet. Yes, it was the Phoenicians who were the first to come up with the alphabet in its classical sense, spread it throughout the then ecumene, and so it became the basis of all writing systems existing today.
The Phoenician alphabet is the first alphabet in history.
The Phoenicians also became famous for the production of purple paint, which, as we wrote just above, may have given them their name. Why was purple dye so important? The fact is that the ancient Greeks and many other peoples of the Mediterranean considered the color purple sacred, and purple fabrics were in great demand among them.
Also highly valued were beautiful items made of gold and silver made by skilled Phoenician artisans, Phoenician wine made from the best Phoenician grapes, and famous glass from the Phoenician city of Sidon, the secrets of which were held by a narrow circle of people. In addition to their goods, the Phoenicians intensively traded in what they exported from Greece, Egypt, and Asia Minor, and their ports were centers of international transit trade.
Regarding the political structure, ancient Phenicia was not a monolithic state, but, like ancient Greece, was a collection of independent city-policies. Each Phoenician city-polis was, in fact, a separate small state, headed by a local king.
The cities of Phenicia were surrounded by a wall; in the center of the city there was always a sanctuary and the residence of the ruler. Since the area of the city was limited, houses were built close to each other. The houses themselves in Phenicia were usually built of clay, and were two-story; the owners lived on the upper floors, and various supplies, kitchen utensils, and slaves lived on the lower floors.
The outside of Phoenician houses was painted with special colored plaster. Also, special drainage channels were dug in the center of the streets of Phoenician cities to keep the city relatively clean.
The power of the Phoenician kings was not absolute; it was limited by the councils of city elders. And for many government positions, applicants were even appointed through elections, and what’s interesting is that only rich citizens could take part in the elections, the poor did not have the right to vote (in our opinion, a rather wise system, because the votes of the “goltba” could be bribed with various handouts more than once used in history, both past and very recent times, including, alas, in our country). As we see, although the Phoenician city-polis was headed by a nominal king, by its nature Phoenician society was more inclined to democracy than to eastern despotism.
Religion of Phenicia
The religion of ancient Phenicia was part of the pagan Semitic cults, which were performed by a special caste of priests who occupied a special position in Phoenician society. Interestingly, the famous Jewish Temple of Solomon was built in the image of Phoenician temples, and engineers from the Phoenician city of Tire took a direct part in its construction (the wise King Solomon, knowing how high the Phoenician art in construction was, invited the best craftsmen from there).
But the difference between the Phoenician and Jewish religions was cardinal; if the Jews believed in one God, the Phoenicians worshiped a whole pantheon of gods. Many of the Phoenician gods were taken from the religion of ancient Egypt and ancient Greece, receiving only Phoenician names: Moloch, Melqart, Astarte, etc.
Phenicia, video
And in conclusion, an interesting documentary about the history of ancient Phenicia.
The inhabitants of the country, the Phoenicians, created a powerful civilization with developed crafts, maritime trade and a rich culture.
Phoenician writing became one of the first syllabic phonetic writing systems recorded in history.
The peak of the Phoenician civilization occurred between 1200 and 800. BC.
In the 6th century BC. e. Phenicia was conquered by the Persians, and in 332 BC. - Alexander the Great.
In the later period, the Septuagint translation of the name "Canaanites" is regularly translated in the gospels as "Phoenicians" (cf. Mark 7:26; Matt. 15:22; Acts 11:19; 15:3; 21:2).
Story
In the 13th century BC. Phenicia experienced an invasion of the Sea Peoples.
On the one hand, a number of cities were destroyed and fell into decay, but the Sea Peoples weakened Egypt, which led to the independence and rise of Phenicia, where Tyre began to play a major role.
The Phoenicians began to build large (30 m long) keel ships with a ram and a straight sail. However, the development of shipbuilding led to the destruction of Lebanon's cedar forests. At the same time, the Phoenicians invented their own writing.
Already in the 12th century. BC. The colonies of Cadiz (Spain) and Utica (Tunisia) were founded. Then Sardinia and Malta were colonized. In Sicily, the Phoenicians founded the city of Palermo.
In the 8th century BC. Phenicia was captured by Assyria.
Phenicia came under Persian rule in 538 BC.
As a result, the Phoenician colonies of the western Mediterranean gained independence and united under the leadership of Carthage.
According to Herodotus, Phenicia extended from Posidium to Palestine.
Under the Seleucids, it was considered from Orthosia (the mouth of Nar-Berid) to the mouth of Nar-Zerk. Of the later geographers, some (for example Strabo) consider the entire coast to Pelusium to be Phenicia, others place its southern border at Caesarea and Carmel.
Only the later Roman provincial division extended the name of Phenicia to the interior regions adjacent to the strip as far as Damascus, and subsequently began to distinguish Phenicia Maritime from Lebanon.
Under Justinian, even Palmyra was included in the latter. Mark 7:26 talks about "Syrophoenicians", to thus distinguish them from the African Phoenicians, whom the Romans called "Punami".
Relations with other peoples of the region
From the Phoenicians, the Greeks received knowledge about glass production and adopted the alphabet.
The prophets' predictions about the coming judgment of Tire (Isa. 23; Ezek. 26-28) came true when, after a period of Persian domination, Alexander the Great conquered and destroyed this city. Soon, however, Tire was restored.
A heavy blow to Phoenician trade was subsequently the fall and final destruction of Carthage. During the Roman era, Phenicia became part of the province of Syria.
Phenicia's relations with Israel were episodic. During the time of the Tyrian king Hiram, he provided economic assistance to Israel and provided Phoenician craftsmen for the construction of the fleet and sailors for its operation.
Ahab's marriage to Jezebel, daughter of the Sidonian king Ethbaal, was of great political significance, but had a detrimental effect on Israelite religion.
In Acts, Phenicia is mentioned as the land through which the route from Jerusalem to Antioch passed (Acts 11:19; 15:3).
For Elijah (1 Kings 17:9), as for Jesus (Matthew 15:21), this area outside of Israel was a place where they would go from time to time to seek solitude for reflection and prayer.
Sea expeditions
In 1500 B.C. they managed to reach the Atlantic Ocean from the Mediterranean Sea and reach the Canary Islands.
Around 600 BC circumnavigated the African continent. The journey from the Red Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar took three years. During this voyage, they began to use oars, which were located on three decks, and a quadrangular sail with an area of about 300 square meters. m.
In 470 BC. founded colonies in West Africa.
The Phoenicians are one of the most influential and least understood ancient civilizations. Between 1550 - 300 BC they dominated the Mediterranean. They invented the alphabet that people still use today and founded the first cities in Western Europe. But at the same time, they never had a single state, but only independent city-states connected by a common culture. Originally emerging from modern-day Lebanon and Syria, the Phoenicians established colonies throughout the Mediterranean. It was they who founded Carthage, which threatened the very existence of the Roman Empire.
1. Phoenician blood
The Phoenician civilization disappeared and was forgotten long ago, but the genetic legacy of these ancient sailors lives on today. National Geographic's Chris Tyler Smith tested the DNA of 1,330 men in former Phoenician sites (Syria, Palestine, Tunisia, Cyprus and Morocco). Analysis of their Y chromosome revealed that at least 6 percent of the genome of the modern male population of these places is Phoenician.
2. Inventors of the alphabet
The Phoenicians developed the basis for the modern alphabet in the 16th century BC. By 3000 BC, the Egyptians and Sumerians had invented complex symbolic writing systems. Phoenician merchants were inspired by these early attempts to represent speech through symbols and wanted to develop a version of writing that was easier to learn and use. These traders discovered that words consisted of a small number of repeated sounds, and these sounds could be represented by only 22 symbols arranged in various combinations.
Although the Phoenician language contains vowel sounds, their writing system eliminated them. Today, a similar lack of vowel sounds can still be found in Hebrew and Aramaic, both of which were heavily influenced by the Phoenician alphabet. By the 8th century BC. the Greeks adopted the Phoenician system and added vowels. The Romans also used the Phoenician alphabet and developed it into an almost modern version of the Latin alphabet.
3. Child sacrifice
Much of what is known about the Phoenicians today was actually gleaned from the historical records of their enemies. One of the most consistent facts used in anti-Phoenician propaganda was that they practiced child sacrifice. Josephine Quinn from Oxford argues that there is indeed truth behind these dark myths. In order to gain divine favor, the Phoenicians sacrificed babies, cremated them and buried them with gifts to the gods and appropriate ritual inscriptions in special cemeteries.
Child sacrifice was not really common and was only used by the elite of society due to the high cost of cremation. Archaeologists have discovered graves of child sacrifices around Carthage in modern-day Tunisia and other Phoenician colonies in Sardinia and Sicily. They contain urns containing carefully burned tiny bodies.
4. Phoenician purple
Purple is a dye that was extracted from needle shellfish. It first appeared in the Phoenician city of Tire. The dye's difficulty in making, its rich hue and resistance to fading made it a desirable and expensive commodity. The Phoenicians, thanks to purple, earned fame throughout the world and acquired enormous wealth, since this dye was valued more than gold of the same weight. It became popular in Carthage, from where it in turn spread to Rome.
The Romans passed a law prohibiting all but the elite of the Empire from wearing purple clothing. As a result, purple clothing began to be considered a sign of power. Even for senators it was a great success to be allowed to wear a purple stripe on their toga. The trade in purple ended in 1204 after the sack of Constantinople.
5. Sailors
According to legend, the Phoenicians reached Britain, sailed around the southern tip of Africa and reached the New World thousands of years before Columbus. British 52-year-old adventurer Philip Beale decided to find out whether such long voyages were possible on ancient Phoenician ships. The explorer hired archaeologists and shipbuilders to design and build a 20-metre, 50-tonne Phoenician vessel based on an ancient shipwreck found in the western Mediterranean Sea.
Philip Beale set off on a journey from the island of Arwad off the coast of Syria. He passed through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea, sailed along the east coast of Africa and rounded the Cape of Good Hope. After this, he sailed along the western coast of Africa, entered the Strait of Gibraltar and returned to Syria. The six-month expedition, costing over £250,000 and covering 32,000 kilometres, proved that the Phoenicians could have sailed around Africa 2,000 years before Bartolomeu Dias did so in 1488.
6. Rare European DNA
In 2016, analysis of 2,500-year-old Phoenician remains found in Carthage led to the discovery of rare European genes. Dubbed the "Youth of Bursa", the man belonged to haplogroup U5b2c1. This genetic marker is characteristic of people of the northern Mediterranean coast, probably the Iberian Peninsula. U5b2c1 is one of the oldest known European haplogroups. Today, this rare genetic marker can be found in only 1 percent of Europeans.
7. Lebanese treasures
In 2014, archaeologists excavating in the southern Lebanese city of Sidon made one of the most important discoveries of Phoenician artifacts in the last half century. They unearthed a 1.2-meter statue of a priest dating back to the 6th century BC. She was adorned with a bronze symbol representing the Phoenician goddess Tanit, whose shape was strikingly similar to the Egyptian ankh.
In addition to the artifact, archaeologists found previously unknown underground chambers built in the third millennium BC, and 20 graves dating back to the second millennium BC. Along with artifacts, hidden chambers and graves, researchers discovered 200 kilograms of charred wheat and 160 kilograms of beans.
8. Iberian colonization
According to legend, the Phoenicians founded the Spanish city of Cadiz in 1100 BC. Until 2007, it was just a myth, but archaeologists suddenly discovered the remains of a wall and traces of a temple dating back to the 8th century BC. They also excavated Phoenician pottery, vessels, bowls and plates. During excavations under the Cadiz Theater of Comedy, archaeologists discovered two skeletons that lifted the veil of secrecy over the complex history of the Phoenician colonization of the Iberian Peninsula.
Spanish geneticists analyzed DNA and found that one person was a "pure" Phoenician and died around 720 BC. Another skeleton, buried in the early 6th century BC, had DNA that is common in Western Europe. This suggests that his mother was from the Iberian Peninsula.
9. Phoenician pendant
In September 2015, the Canadian government returned an ancient Phoenician pendant to Lebanon. We are talking about a tiny glass pendant, no larger than a fingernail, that the Canadian Border Patrol confiscated from smugglers on November 27, 2006. The glass bead depicts the head of a bearded man. An expert from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts verified its authenticity and dated the pendant to the 6th century BC. The expert also confirmed that the pendant was made in modern-day Lebanon.
10. Azores Outpost
The Azores are located one and a half thousand kilometers from the coast of Western Europe. When the Portuguese arrived in the 15th century, the islands were considered untouched by mankind. However, archaeological evidence leads some scientists to believe that the Phoenicians reached the archipelago thousands of years ago.
In 2010, researchers from the Portuguese Association of Archaeological Research in Nuno Ribeiro reported the discovery of mysterious stone carvings on the island of Terceira, which suggests the Azores were inhabited thousands of years earlier than previously thought. They discovered several structures dating back to the 4th century BC, which were considered the remains of Carthaginian temples built in honor of the Phoenician goddess Tanit.
From: listverse.com
Phoenicia is an ancient state that was located on a narrow strip of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea near Lebanese mountains.
Phoenician cities
The cities of Tire, Sidon, and Byblos were the main trading ports in Phenicia. They were protected by powerful walls. Each city was headed by a king who lived in a luxurious palace.
The Phoenicians caught the murex shellfish to make an expensive purple dye. The name "Phoenician" comes from an ancient Greek word that translates to "purple people."
- OK. 1200-1000 BC e. - The Phoenicians become rich and powerful.
- OK. 814 BC e. - Founding of Carthage.
- OK. 701 BC e. — The Assyrians conquer Phenicia.
- 332 BC e. — Alexander the Great conquers Phenicia.
- 146 BC e. — Carthage was destroyed by the Romans.
The Phoenicians come from the Canaanite tribe that lived on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. From about 1200 BC. e. they are the most energetic and enterprising merchants of the entire ancient world.
Death of the Phoenicians
Despite the fact that Phenicia alternately became part of the Assyrian, Babylonian, and Persian Empires, the way of life of the Phoenicians did not undergo changes until 332 BC. e. Alexander the Great did not conquer them. The city of Carthage existed for another two hundred years and was completely destroyed by the Romans.
Phoenician crafts
Skilled artisans produced various goods that merchants could sell in foreign lands. The Phoenicians were famous for their exquisite ivory carvings, glass vessels and beads. Phoenician craftsmen built ships from cedar and pine.
Phoenician trade
The Phoenicians sold cedar oil, wine, spices, cedar wood, and rolls of purple fabric to other states. They imported salt, copper, and ivory from various Mediterranean countries: North Africa, Cyprus, Egypt. Phoenician and Egyptian sailors sailed south along the Red Sea. They brought gold and incense, ivory and slaves from Africa. The Phoenicians brought tin from Britain, and on the northern coasts they exchanged their goods for the sunstone amber - the petrified resin of ancient trees. Amber, which was found on the shores of the Baltic Sea, was very highly valued in the Mediterranean countries.
Trade goods were transported by merchants on their ships. For transportation, goods were stored below deck, glass vessels were placed in clay jugs for preservation. To protect merchant ships from pirates, a warship with two rows of oars, called a bireme, was in front.
The Phoenicians were skilled sailors. Born on the shores of the sea, they were not afraid of the sea. From durable Lebanese cedar, a coniferous tree that grew on mountain slopes, they built ships - galleys. The Phoenicians controlled the ship from the stern using two huge oars. The Phoenicians sailed in galleys throughout the Mediterranean Sea. On its banks they founded new cities - colonies. This is how the city of Carthage arose on the African coast, which later became the center of a mighty power.
In the 6th century BC, more than 2500 years ago, Phoenician sailors, leaving the Red Sea for the Indian Ocean, sailed around the whole of Africa. They sailed for three years, landing ashore several times to sow grain and wait for the harvest. Many did not believe the miracles that they talked about when they returned, for example, that the sun was shining in the north. But just these amazing things, which people were able to explain much later, confirm that such a voyage was accomplished in ancient times. Material from the site
Strong trading ships of the Phoenicians plied the Mediterranean, reaching even further, to the British Isles. Before the Phoenicians, no one dared to go through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar from the Mediterranean Sea into the stormy Atlantic Ocean. Along the ocean, the Phoenicians sailed south along the western coast of Africa. Thus, 60 ships took part in Hanno’s voyage from Carthage. The Phoenicians also sent their ships north, to the distant British Isles.
Phoenician merchants founded trading posts and colonies along the entire Mediterranean coast.
Carthage
Among the Phoenician colonies, the most famous was Carthage, located on the northern coast of Africa. It was founded by the daughter of a Phoenician king, Dido, who deceived a local African ruler into obtaining a large plot of land for the construction of a city.