Phoenicians: history of this ancient Mediterranean civilization

Who were the Phoenicians and why were they an influential commercial power in antiquity?

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 that took place throughout the existence of this people, their relations with the rest of the Mediterranean cultures, and the main characteristics that gave identity to the inhabitants of Phoenicia.

Who were the Phoenicians?

To speak about the history of the Phoenicians presents a small inconvenience, and it is that hardly any records of their own are preserved, so most of the data have been extracted from the accounts of other civilizations. The information obtained from archaeological excavations and the studies carried out on the vestiges found in the area, together with the information obtained from the archaeological excavations and the studies carried out on the vestiges found, is sufficient to make a reasonably reliable reconstruction of the history of the Phoenicians. 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.Egypt, which in its expansion found a usefulness in the commercial capacities of Phoenicia and therefore favored the development of this culture, since it was beneficial for them, as it was a fast way of access to all kinds of elements that the Phoenicians obtained in their commercial transactions, carried out with all the peoples that participated in them.

Origin of the Phoenicians

The Phoenician civilization arose on the Mediterranean coast of the territory that today would belong to Lebanon, Syria, Israel and Palestine, sometime between the III and II millennium B.C., although there are discrepancies as to the exact date of the emergence of this culture.although there are discrepancies as to 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 originally considered themselves to be 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 due to the debacle of Egypt and the Hittites, which occurred in the twilight of the Phoenician era.which occurred at the end of the Bronze Age (1200 B.C.). This favored the expansion of Phoenicia, and if anything characterized this civilization, it was its ability for maritime trade and exploration. For this reason, they were quick 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 whole area and generate enough resources to consolidate and expand.

By the year 1230 B.C., Phoenicia 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 method of management, and they extrapolated it to other populations 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 along the entire 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 foundation of Carthage, located where Tunisia is today, stands out, since it would be the seed of the civilization that would inherit the Phoenician power and would continue its expansion in the future, even confronting the all-powerful Rome.

What made the Phoenician culture different from others was the way in which it its way of growing and expanding, not through war and conquest, but through trade routes and diplomatic relations with neighboring cultures. and diplomatic relations with neighboring cultures. This 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 Babylon or Assyria, 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 during the first half of the Iron Age (more or less between 1200 B.C. and 800 B.C.). The city of Tyre was the one that grew the most, thanks to the management of the monarch Hiram I, in the middle of the 10th century BC.The city of Tyre grew the most, thanks to the management of the monarch Hiram I, in the middle of the 10th century B.C., a time when David and Solomon reigned in Israel.

In fact, both Tyre and many other Phoenician cities are repeatedly mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, which shows the importance of all these Phoenician city-states in the historical period under study. Later, the city of Tyre would expand and absorb the city of Sidon, which was an aggression for the citizens of that population, and shook the system of city-states, as King Ithobaal, responsible for this movement, was tempted to found a territory of his own.

Beginning of the decline

The Phoenician expansion in the Mediterranean had served to disseminate part of their disseminate part of their eastern culture to the western peoples.. This influence was especially noticeable in Greece. All this mixture meant an enrichment for all, by sharing knowledge that meant scientific and technological advances, and also for philosophy. In addition, the Phoenicians were not only mere intermediaries, but also possessed 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 have already mentioned, one of their dyes, Tyrian purple, is believed to have given them the name of Phoenicians, at the hands of the Greeks. Other Phoenician cities, such as those located in the Iberian Peninsula, produced pottery objects. And the incipient Carthage was a shipyard, manufacturing ships 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 did not have a sufficient did not have a sufficient army to defend themselves against the constant attempts of expansion of the neighboring powers.. This was what happened with the Assyrian empire, which gradually took over several of the Phoenician city-states, maintaining their identity and independence in exchange for a series of tributes, so they remained Phoenicians, but subordinated to Assyria.

The Assyrians decided to maintain this independence from the Phoenician cities and to resort to a status of vassalage due, in part, to the previous good commercial relations that both peoples had, but also because of the interest that the industrial and commercial strength that the cities of the Phoenicians had did not decline, since it brought them an economic benefit that they did not want to stop obtaining. This situation was maintained for a time and then they regained their independence after the death of the Phoenicians. regained their independence after the death of Shalmaneser III of Assyria..

Fall of Phoenicia

Some time later, other monarchs arrived and decided to conquer almost all the territory of the Phoenicians in the Levant. The Assyrian troops managed to seize almost all the land, except for the two most powerful city-states, Byblos and Tyre, which maintained, as before, an independence in exchange for tribute, increasingly demanding. Then began a period 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 Babylonians, who took control of the area and dominated the once Phoenician cities, between 605 B.C. and 538 B.C. But it did not end here, since after the Babylonians, it was the Persian empire that brought the battle back to these lands. In the case of the Phoenician cities, they preferred to pay tribute again in exchange for not having to fight and maintain their activity. Despite the constant conquests, the city-states maintained their important role in industry and trade.

The territory of Phoenicia 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, it allowed the identity of the Phoenicians to be maintained. Another period of instability and constant wars between different civilizations began.

Finally, and after a continuous weakening, what was left of Phoenicia in its original territory was absorbed by the nascent Roman Empire in its province of Syria.in its province of Syria. Throughout the period of repeated conquests, slowly but progressively, many of the inhabitants of the Levantine Phoenicia decided to move to other settlements that had been founded around the Mediterranean, and it was thus that most chose Carthage, a city that was gaining more and more strength and that some time later would be the natural heir of the ancient Phoenicia.

Bibliographical references:

• Blázquez, J.M., Alvar, J., Wagner, C.G. (1999). Phoenicians and Carthaginians in the Mediterranean. Madrid: Cátedra.
• Pardo, F.L. (1996). The Phoenician enclaves in Northwest Africa: from the model of nautical scales to that of colonization with productive implications. Gerión. Journal of Ancient History.
• Prados, F. (2007). The Phoenicians: from Mount Lebanon to the Pillars of Hercules. Marcial Pons Ediciones de Historia.