Chapter 6
The Phoenicians
and the
Hebrews
When and Where?
• 1200 B.C. – 510 B.C.
• Present day Lebanon
and Israel
Ancient days:
was a bridge
between Egypt
and
Mesopotamia
Section 1
The Phoenicians
The Phoenicians
• Lived in northern Canaan
(Cannanites)
• We learned about them
from Bible, other ancient
peoples, and ruins of cities
and ships
The Phoenicians
• Semitic-speaking people (Semitic –
languages of Southwest Asia and
North Africa)
• Settled in small city-states in present
day Lebanon (Northern Canaan)
• Canaanites: herders to traders
• Why?
Growth of Trade
• Could not grow enough
food to feed their people
• Few natural resources so
they turned to the sea
• One resource was
abundant…
Trade
• Mountains produced cedar forests
• Built ships of cedar
• Began coastal trading
• By 900 B.C. they dominated
Mediterranean sea trade
• Some sailors were artisans who carried
work with them on ships
Sailors
• Sailors and explorers plotted
course using sun and stars – no
maps or modern technology
• Sailed beyond Gibraltar
• Some believe they sailed around
west coast of Africa
• Some believe they sailed across
Atlantic
Phoenician City-States
• Independent citystates
• Never united
• Why?
Mountains
separated
them!
Zahle
Jounieh
Major City-States
• Tyre
• Byblos
• Beirut
• Sidon
Byblos
Byblos
Byblos
Byblos
Byblos
Beirut
Beirut
Beirut
Beirut
Beirut
Sidon
Sidon
Sidon
Tyre
Tyre
Tyre
Tyre
City-States
• Shared common language and religion
but quarreled (trade profit)
• Ruled by king who was also priest
• Rich merchants forced kings to share
power with councils of merchants
• Councils soon told kings what to do
City-States
• Surrounded by walls
• Crowded
• Buildings close together; made
of stone or brick (roof gardens)
• Port – outside walls; center of
activity
Phoenicians became…
• Carpenters and cabinet
makers (wood)
• Metal workers (learned
from Egypt &
Mesopotamia)
Cities became…
• Cloth dying centers
• Soon gained a monopoly on
purple dye and cloth
• Purple dye
• ”Phoenician” = “of purple
merchants”
Legend
• God named Melqart was walking
along seashore with Tyrus and a dog
• dog picked up shellfish called Murex
• dog’s mouth turned purple
• Tyrus refused marriage unless
Melqart gave her a gown of purple
Gods and Goddesses
• Polytheistic
• Nature: worshipped on hills
and under trees at first
• Later built temples
Temples
• Entrance hall
• Main hall
• Holy of holies (most
sacred chamber)
Afterlife
• Believed in afterlife
• At first – buried in urn
(ornamental vases)
• Later – embalmed
(influenced by Egyptians)
Phoenicians learned to make
agreements (business):
• Treaties: agreements between
states or countries
• Made treaties agreeing to ship
others’ goods in exchange for
guaranteed Phoenician
independence
Phoenician Colonies
• With new wealth (from trade) they
began to build permanent settlements
• Est. trading colonies throughout the
Med.
• Colony – region controlled by a distant
country
• Carthage – famous Pho. Colony in
North Africa
Carthage
• Phoenician sailors and traders
built post and colonies
(permanent settlements) along
northern Africa
• Carthage – founded in 814;
present day Tunisia
Legend of Carthage
• City was found by Phoenician
princess (Dido)
• Dido ruled Tyre
• Her brother killed her husband
• She fled to North Africa and
built Carthage
Contributions
Phoenician coins were minted by
individual city states
Tyre
The Alphabet
• Ideas spread through trade
• Most important gift – idea of alphabet
• Did not invent alphabet but passed on
to Mediterranean areas
• Each of the 22 Phoeniciacn alphabet
symbols represented a different sound
• The Greeks eventually adopted this
alphabet
• Page 105 in textbook shows alphabet
Travel and trade
encouraged cultural
diffusion