Phoenicians: History Of This Ancient Mediterranean Civilization
To understand the history of the ancient world, it is necessary to pay special attention to the civilization of the Phoenicians.
Below we will review the most important events experienced throughout the entire existence of this town, its relationships with the rest of the Mediterranean cultures, and the main characteristics that gave identity to the inhabitants of Phoenicia.
Talking about the history of the Phoenicians presents a small drawback, and that is that There are hardly any records of their own preserved, so most of the data has been extracted from the stories that other civilizations have done about them, added to the information obtained through archaeological excavations and the studies carried out on the vestiges found. In any case, there is enough information to make a reasonably reliable reconstruction of the history of the Phoenicians.
It must be taken into account that, in this period, The reigning civilization in the territories near the Mediterranean was that of Egypt which in its expansion found a use in the commercial capabilities of Phoenicia and therefore favored the development of this culture, since it was beneficial for them, as it was a quick access route to all types of elements that the Phoenicians obtained in their commercial transactions, carried out with all the towns that participated in them.
Origin of the Phoenicians
The Phoenician civilization It arose on the Mediterranean coast of the territory that today would belong to Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine, sometime between the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC although there are discrepancies regarding the exact date of the emergence of this culture.
The name Phoenicia would have been given by the Greeks, and would refer to the color of a typical dye with which they traded. They considered themselves originally Canaanite Semites, and do not seem to have made any distinction, at least in principle, with respect to that civilization.
Expansion and golden period
The growth of the Phoenicians was given by the debacle of Egypt and the Hittites, which occurred at the end of the Bronze Age (1200 BC). This favored the expansion of Phenicia, and if something characterized this civilization it was its ability to do maritime trade and exploration. For this reason, it did not take them long to establish trade routes through all the ports bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea. This strategy allowed them to dominate the trade of the entire area and generate sufficient resources to consolidate and expand.
By the year 1230 BC, Phenicia was already the greatest power in terms of both commercial dominance and maritime power. The system of city-states such as Sidon and Byblos was an effective management method, and they extrapolated it to other towns such as Berytus, Arwad, Simyra or Tyre Of all of them, Byblos was considered the nucleus of all those trade routes that connected the known world. Thanks to this method, the Phoenicians were able to expand throughout the Mediterranean coast, establishing settlements.
In this way, they founded cities in island territories such as those that today belong to Cyprus, the Balearic Islands, Malta, Sicily and Sardinia, and also in areas such as the Iberian Peninsula itself and the north of the African continent. Among all of them, the founding of Carthage stands out, located where Tunisia is today, since it would be the seed of the civilization that would inherit the Phoenician power and that would continue its expansion in the future, coming to confront the almighty Rome.
What made the Phoenician culture different from the others was their way of growing expand, not through war and conquest, but through trade routes and diplomatic relations with neighboring cultures. That way of relating through exchange and mutual interest was really fruitful. In contrast to this peaceful policy we would find the example of cultures such as Babylonian or Assyrian, which sought to expand through warlike policies.
Therefore, it was this methodology of seeking economic benefit through good relations that allowed the Phoenicians to reach their highest point as a civilization, throughout the first half of the Iron Age (more or less between 1200 BC and 800 BC). The city of Tire grew the most, thanks to the management of monarch Hiram I, in the mid-10th century BC times when David first and Solomon later reigned in Israel.
In fact, both Tire and many other Phoenician cities are mentioned repeatedly in the Old Testament of the Bible, which denotes the importance that all these city-states of the Phoenicians had in the historical period studied. Later, the city of Tire would expand and absorb Sidon, which was an aggression for the citizens of that population, and shook the city-state system, since King Ithobaal, responsible for said movement, was tempted to found their own territory.
Beginning of decline
The Phoenician expansion through the Mediterranean had served to disseminate part of their eastern culture to western towns This influence was especially noticeable in Greece. All this mix was an enrichment for everyone, by sharing knowledge that represented scientific, technological and also philosophical advances. Furthermore, the Phoenicians were not only mere intermediaries, but they had a powerful industry, standing out in costume jewelry, for which they used glass, wood, ivory and various metals.
They also mastered different techniques of textile creation, and were especially good at dyeing fabrics In fact, as we already mentioned, one of their dyes, Tyrian purple, is what is believed to have given them the name Phoenicians, at the hands of the Greeks. Other Phoenician cities, such as those located on the Iberian Peninsula, produced pottery objects. And the incipient Cartago was a complete shipyard, manufacturing boats with a system that made them more economical than those known until then, by making them in series.
But this commercial hegemony had a counterpart, and that is that the Phoenicians They did not have a sufficient army to defend themselves from the constant expansion attempts of neighboring powers This was what happened with the Assyrian empire, which little by little took over several of the Phoenician city-states, maintaining their identity and independence in exchange for a series of tributes, so they remained Phoenician, but subordinated to Assyria.
The Assyrians decided to maintain the independence of the Phoenician cities and resort to a vassalage status due, in part, to the previous good commercial relations that both towns had, but also because of the interest that the industrial and commercial strength that the cities of The Phoenicians had it not decline, since it brought them an economic benefit that they did not want to stop obtaining. This situation continued for a while and then They regained their independence after the death of Shalmaneser III of Assyria
Some time later, other monarchs arrived who decided to conquer almost all of the Phoenician territory in the Levant area. The Assyrian troops managed to take over almost all the land, except for the two most powerful city-states, Byblos and Tyre, which maintained, as before, independence in exchange for increasingly demanding tributes. Then began a time of revolts that were constantly put down, but the situation was unsustainable
But the Assyrian empire was weakening, and its place was taken by the Babylonian, who took control of the area and dominated the once Phoenician cities, between 605 BC and 538 BC. But it did not end here, since after the Babylonians, it was It was the Persian empire that brought battle to these lands again. In the case of the Phoenician cities, they preferred to pay taxes again in exchange for not having to fight and maintain their activity. Despite constant conquests, city-states maintained their important role in industry and commerce.
The territory of Phenicia was under Persian control for 3 centuries, between 539 BC and 332 BC As for the territory of the Levant, after the Persian occupation it was conquered by Alexander the Great. Although this empire advocated the “Hellenization” of the conquered territories, like its predecessors, they allowed the identity of the Phoenicians to be maintained. Another period of instability and constant wars between various civilizations began.
Finally, and after continued weakening, What remains of Phenicia in its original territory is absorbed by the nascent Roman Empire, in his province of Syria. During the entire stage of repeated conquests, slowly but progressively, many of the inhabitants of Levantine Phoenicia decided to move to other of the settlements that they had founded around the Mediterranean, and this is how the majority chose Carthage, a city that gained more and more strength and that some time later she would be the natural heir of ancient Phoenicia.
