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Phoenician Trade and Commerce

Page history last edited by Robert W. Maloy 1 month ago

 

 

 

Table of Contents


Ancient Phoenician coin. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 AP World History Period 1.3:  Early Societies

 

 

 

Focus Question: Who were the Phoenicians and what impact did they have on the Ancient Mediterranean world?

 

 

 

 

Overview of the Phoenicians

 

VIEW: Map of original Phoenician territory

The original Phoenician civilization, rooted in the Levant, existed here.

 

 

 

WATCH: "How did the Phoenicians Colonize the Mediterranean Sea?" Knowledgia, February 15th 2022

  

 

 

 

Rise of the Phoenicians

 

 

WATCH: "Introduction to the Minoans and Minoan Civilization," History with Cy, April 3rd, 2019.

 

 

The fall of the Minoans resulted in the rise of the Phoenicians. See The Phoenicians and the Phoenician Experience in Lebanon Cambridge and Boston Press for more extensive information on the Phoenicians.

 

READ: Timeline of Phoenician Civilization, World History Encyclopedia, 2024.

 

Phoenician society and culture

 

 

 

WATCH: Ancient Carthage -- 3D film, UNESCO, April 11th 2011

Carthage was the principal city founded by Phoenicians emigrating from Tyre. The city grew to eclipse Tyre and form its own Phoenician empire.

 

 

 

READ: First Rulers of the Mediterranean, National Geographic, 2024.

 

 

READ: this excerpt from Khan Academy on women in Phoenician communities.

 

In general, there was a lot of social mobility in Phoenician communities. Phoenicians frequently married non-Phoenicians, and women had more freedom than many other women in the ancient world. There are few sources about Phoenician life in general and even less about women. But evidence suggests that women had a seat at the table—literally. Carvings and inscriptions show women at banquets and large gatherings alongside their male family members. They are also seen at religious events. There were many respected female deities (gods). The Phoenicians also had famous female leaders, including Dido, the Queen of Carthage.

 

 

Click here for an article about ancient dress to help paint a picture of what the Phoenicians may have looked like.


 Hurrian Hymns

 

Music was an important part of ancient civilizations. The oldest known written music, the Hurrian Hymns (c. 1400 BC/BCE), was discovered in modern-day Syria.

 

  • Music written on clay tablets was discovered in the 1950s in Ugarit, an ancient Canaanite city-state near what was Phoenicia

 

  • Usually played on lyres, songs were usually odes to rulers or gods and goddesses

 

  • Link here to listen to musician Michael Levy play the modern interpretation of Hurrian Hymn No. 6, the only text in good enough condition to be interpreted, on the lyre



More information on Phoenician music: https://phoenicia.org/music.html

 

 

 

Phoenician trade

The superior navigation and ship-building skills of the Phoenicians allowed them to travel greater distances, control trade routes, and collect highly sought-after goods for trade.

 

 

 

LISTEN: Trade in the Phoenician World, World History Encyclopedia, April 1st 2016

This article provides a good overview of Phoenician trade.

 

VIEW: The Phoenician Roundboat, Phoenician Research, 2024

 

The roundboat served as a critical trading vessel for the Phoenicians and Mediterranean civilization. From Phoenician Research.

 

 

PLAY: Phoenician Trade Game, ssk5117, 2024.

Play this game to understand the decisions made by a Phoenician trader!

 

 

LISTEN: Carthaginian Naval Warfare, World History Encyclopedia, June 9th 2016

Listen to, or read, this article to understand the Quinquereme, a major innovation on behalf of the Phoenicians. 

 

 

READ: Phoenician Ships, Boats and Sea Trade, Phoenicians in Phoenicia, 2024

 

  • They are thought to be the first people to make use of Polaris, the North Star, for navigation.
    • They maintained their control over long-distance trade by keeping their trade routes, including a knowledge of regional winds and currents, a secret from outsiders.

  

 

Did Phoenicians Complete the First Circumnavigation of Africa?

 

Image result for ancient phoenician map 


When the Egyptian Pharaoh, Necho II, organized an expedition to sail all the way around Africa (610-595 BCE), it was Phoenician sailors who completed the voyage for him.
 

 

Information about Herodotus' account of the first circumnavigation of Africa can be found here.

 


Circumnavigating Africa--In The Wake of the Phoenicians. Modern sailors recreate the ancient journey


Round Africa on a Phoenician Ship -- modern sailors recreate Phoenician ship and set sail (BBC video)

 

 

 

Image result for phoenician glass

 Tyrian Purple, a Youtube video explaining the process of making Phoenician purple dye which was a major trading commodity.

 

4) Phoenician Glass: Man made glass had been produced in Phoenicia as early as the 3rd millennium B.C.E.

  

 

 

 Why did the Phoenicians succeed in expanding their trade networks?

 

  1. They combined naval acumen with a concerted effort to monopolize particular high-demand trade goods

  2. Early in their history, they centralized their trade around Sicily, Southern Italy, and Tunisia

  3. The Phoenician language spread quickly and allowed for cross-cultural exchanges and trade domination

  4. They established a steadfast relationship with the Egyptians to become a major agricultural trader

 

 

 

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