Chapter 6 Section 1
The Phoenicians
Vocabulary
• Canaan – Bridge that connected Egypt and
Mesopotamia in ancient times
• Canaanites – people that lived in Canaan
• Phoenicians – a small group of Canaanites that
lived in the northern part of Canaan
• Philistines – a small group of Canaanites that lived
in Southern Canaan
• Treaties – agreements between states or countries
• Holy of Holies – most sacred chamber in a
Phoenician Temple
• Urns – decorative vases used to hold the ashes of
the dead
• Colonies – permanent settlements in a land ruled
by a foreign country
• Carthage – Phoenician Colony on the north coast of
Africa, located where present day Tunisia is
1. Where does the most of what we
know about the Canaanites come
from?
• Most of the info about these groups comes
from the Bible, other ancient writings, and the
ruins of their cities and ships
2. Why did the Phoenicians turn to the
sea to make a living?
• The land wasn’t rich enough to grow all the
food needed for the people in Canaan
3. What type of wood was grown in
Phoenicia?
• Cedar
4. What did the Phoenicians use to
plot the courses of their journeys?
• Used the stars and sun to navigate the open
seas
5. What area do archaeologists believe
the Phoenicians the first to explore?
• The Americas
6. How did the Phoenicians remain
free from the larger surrounding
countries?
• They set up treaties with the surrounding
countries
7. What art form did the Phoenicians
discover? How did the spread the
knowledge of that art form spread?
• Glassblowing
• Knowledge of the art spread with their trade
8. Describe the political set up of
Phoenicia.
• The cities states were ruled by powerful priest-kings
in the beginning
• As time went on the priest-kings were forced to
share power with a council of other high standing
citizens
9. How did the Phoenicians get their
name?
• Phoenician means “of purple merchant”
• Their name comes from a legend involving a god
named Melqart
- Melqart was walking with his girlfriend Tyrus
on the beach. When their dog found a shellfish
called a murex. The dog bit down on the fish and it
turned its mouth purple. Tyrus refused to marry
Melqart until she could have a dress of that color.
Melqart gave her the gown and started the dyemaking trade in Phoenicia.
10. Describe the Phoenician Religion.
• Polytheistic
• most gods were based in nature
- original worship was outdoors under trees and
on hills, later developed temples
•Most sacred room holy of holies
11. Summarize the legend of how
Carthage came to be settled.
• This origins of Carthage are explained in the legend
of Dido
- Dido was a Phoenician Princess who ruled over
the city of Tyre. Her brother became jealous,
murdered her husband, and took over Tyre. Dido
escaped and she and her followers fled to Carthage
along the northern coast of Africa. Their new city
became one of the most prosperous Phoenician
Ports.
12. What was the most important idea
spread by the Phoenicians?
• Phoenician Alphabet
• simplified Egyptian Alphabet to keep track of trade
- consists of 22 symbols used to make words
- basis for Greek, Roman, English, and many
other alphabets