The Phoenicians
In this lesson, students will identify
characteristics of Phoenician civilization.
Students will be able to define and/or
identify the following terms:
Phoenicians
Alphabet
Cultural Diffusion
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Phoenicia was located in Southwest Asia.
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Phoenicians
• The Phoenicians were a Semitic-speaking
people.
• They settled in small city-states in presentday Lebanon.
• There were few natural resources in their
land. So, they turned to the seas.
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The Phoenicians were seafaring traders.
They sailed the Mediterranean sea.
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Phoenician Traders
• By 900 B.C., the Phoenicians dominated
Mediterranean trade.
• The Phoenicians were able to build a
civilization without relying on agriculture.
• Income generated by trade allowed the
Phoenicians to build permanent
settlements.
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These are Phoenician coins.
Phoenician money was minted
by individual cities.
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The World’s First Alphabet
• The Phoenicians invented the world’s first
alphabet.
• Each of the twenty-two Phoenician
alphabet symbols represented a different
sound.
• The Greeks adopted the Phoenician
alphabet. From the Phoenician and Greek
alphabets come our alphabet.
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An alphabet based on symbols
representing sounds is easier to learn
than the use of characters.
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Phoenician Colonies
• The Phoenicians established trading
colonies throughout the Mediterranean
region.
• A colony is a region controlled by a distant
country.
• Carthage was a famous Phoenician
trading colony in North Africa.
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Carthage was a Phoenician colony located
in North Africa.
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Phoenician Purple
• The Phoenicians made their own purple
dye.
• The Phoenicians had a monopoly on the
market for purple.
• The Phoenicians crushed shellfish to
make their purple dye.
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The Phoenicians established many colonies.
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Travel and trade encouraged cultural
diffusion.
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Questions for Reflection:
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Who were the Phoenicians?
Why did the Phoenicians turn to the seas?
What was Carthage?
Name the most significant Phoenician
contribution to world history.
• Why was Phoenicia known for its purple?
• How did Phoenicia’s location benefit it?
• Why do we remember Phoenicia?
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