Chapter 6
The Phoenicians and the Hebrews
Section 1
The Phoenicians
1. The Phoenician civilization began to develop about 1830 B.C.
2. They lived in the northern part of Canaan. We know about them from the Bible, ancient
writings and ruins of cities and ships.
3. The Phoenicians were part of a larger group called the Canaanites. They were herders.
4. They did not have enough land to grow food so they turned to the sea for trade.
Reading Check: How did the Phoenicians use treaties to keep the peace? Phoenician
treaties promised free shipments of goods to countries that guaranteed Phoenician
independence.
The Cities of Phoenicia
1.
Phoenicia never became a united country; they had a collection of independent citystates. The largest city-states were: Tyre, Byblos, Beirut and Sidon.
2.
Most city-states had stone walls around them for protection. The cities were crowded,
narrow streets, buildings made of stone or brick. Outside the city walls was a port, the
center of activity.
3.
Phoenician cities were important cloth-dyeing centers. The name “Phoenician” means
“of purple merchants”
4.
Phoenicians earned a living from the sea and from trade items such as cedar
and purple dye.
Gods & Goddesses
1. The Phoenicians believed in many gods who were closely tied to nature.
Reading Check: What was the holy of holies? The holy of holies was the most sacred
chamber in the temple. It was where Phoenicians kept the image or sacred stone of their god.
How did the Phoenicians view their gods? …as closely tied to nature.
2.
They believed in life after death and at first buried their dead in urns, or ornamental
vases. Later, they embalmed them much like the Egyptians.
Carthage
1.
Some Phoenician sailors & traders set up trading posts in North Africa. Other
Phoenicians built colonies, or permanent settlements, in these areas.
READING CHECK: Where did the Phoenicians build colonies? They built colonies along
the coast of North Africa.
2.
The most famous was Carthage, founded in 814 B.C.
The Alphabet
1.
The most important gift of the Phoenicians was the alphabet. They did not invent it,
but passed it on to other cultures.
2.
The spread of the alphabet was a major contribution because it provided an easy to use
writing system. This increased trade because records could be kept, which increased
contact with other civilizations.
SECTION 2 The Hebrews
1.
2.
The Hebrews, or Israelites, were a small group of people among the peoples of the
ancient Middle East. Their religion, Judaism, still exists today.
Most early Hebrews were nomadic, or wandering, herders; some were traveling
merchants.
The God of Abraham
1.
The story of the Hebrews and their god is written in the Bible.
2.
According to the Bible, God made an agreement with Abraham whereby the Hebrews
could always live in Canaan if they would worship Him alone.
Reading Check: What did the agreement with Yahweh promise the descendants of
Abraham’s followers? The agreement with Yahweh promised that descendants of Abraham
could always live in Canaan.
3.
Abraham and his followers settled in Canaan around 1800 B.C. They stayed there for
about 100 years until a drought came – then they left for Egypt to find food.
Moses and the Ten Commandments
1.
When they settled in Egypt, they were made slaves.
2.
About 1200 B.C., the Hebrews escaped Egyptian bondage and under Moses’
leadership, made a new covenant( an agreement or promise) with God, promising to
obey the Ten Commandments.
3.
The Hebrews escape from Egypt into the Sinai Desert was called the Exodus.
They wanted to go back to Canaan.
Reading Check: What does social justice mean? Social justice means everyone has the right
to be treated fairly.
The Promised Land
1. Moses died before the Hebrews entered Canaan.
2. Joshua, their new leader, led them into the Promised Land. Here they became farmers
and herders. They grew olives, flax, barley, wheat and grapes.
KINGS
1. After Joshua died, the 12 Hebrew tribes split apart. A Hebrew judge settled disputes and
led troops into battle.
2. A warrior-farmer named Saul became their first king.
3. David was their next king. He reunited the Hebrews and defeated the Canaanites.
Reading Check: David wrote many of the psalms (sacred songs) in the Bible.
4. Solomon was their next king. He was known all through the Middle East for his wealth
and wisdom.
The Prophets
Reading Check: Who were the prophets and what message did they deliver? The prophets
were persons claiming to have received messages from God. They criticized the way many
Hebrews were living and reminded them of their duty to God and one another.
Reading Check: What did Jews do on the Sabbath? The Jews met in small groups on the
Sabbath to pray and talk about their religion and history.
Major Contributions
1.
The Hebrews were the first people to believe in one god.
2.
The Hebrews were the first people to believe in a just (fair) god. Their laws were
made to each people to treat one another fairly.
Important Ideas
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Phoenicians were successful long-distance sailors because of strong, fast ships and
plotted courses.
Phoenician city-states were crowded, had stone walls around them for protection, with
shops behind. The port lay outside the walls.
According to the Bible, if Abraham and his followers were to go to Canaan and obey
Yahweh, they could always live there.
The Hebrews believed in social justice because they should be like God who was just.
The Hebrews made changes in their religion while living in Babylonia because they
had lost the great temple at Jerusalem.
People who have very limited natural resources can still manage to earn a living
through trade.
Language & religion were not enough to unify the Phoenician people because they
were still separated by mountains.