User:Tyre123/Phoenicia

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I will add a section called Seafaring Trade immediately following the Trade subsection, inside the Economy sebsubsection before the subsection titled Industry. This will explain how during their rise as a people/population, they relied heavily on their aptitude in the water to expand and trade.

Phoenician seafaring and trade routes

Phoenician seafaring was pivotal to their economy and cultural expansion. They dominated maritime trade in the Mediterranean from around 1200 BCE to 500 BCE. Phoenician ships, often propelled by sails and oars, were well-designed for long-distance voyages. Phoenician civilisation revolved around seafaring, for trade as well as food. This is proven by almost all Phoenician cities being located on a coast line with a large natural harbor.

Trade routes

The Phoenicians established extensive trade networks, connecting major Mediterranean ports such as Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos with regions as far as Greece, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Iberian Peninsula. The "Phoenician Circuit" was a renowned trade route linking Phoenician settlements with key trading partners. This facilitated the exchange of commodities like timber, Tyrian Purple, glassware, pottery, and precious metals. Phoenicians were also instrumental in the dissemination of luxury goods like ivory, spices, and exotic animals.

Phoenician maritime trade routes led to the establishment of dozens of colonies across the western and central Mediterranean Sea. Most notably being Carthage as well as settlements in Malta, Cyprus and Sicily.

Impact and Legacy

Phoenician seafaring profoundly influenced the ancient world, shaping economic, cultural, and political landscapes. Their mastery of trade routes led to the establishment of colonies and trading outposts along coastal regions, spreading Phoenician culture and commerce. Additionally, their maritime expertise influenced subsequent civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Carthaginians.

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I will add a section called Seafaring immediately following the Origins section, before the section about time periods. This will explain how during their rise as a people/population, they relied heavily on their aptitude in the water to expand and trade.

I will add a section after shipbuilding about some of the shipwrecks found and what the boats looked like. I named it "Shipwrecks". This will expand on the shipwrecks and take a deeper look at them. I will also add some information on the expansion across the Mediterranean. I named this section "Overseas Expansion".

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The Phoenicians were renowned as cunning seafarers and traders who dominated the commerce around the ancient Mediterranean world. They found great success due to their exceptional shipbuilding skill and their navigational expertise. They are credited with the invention of the keel, battering ram on the bow, and caulking between planks, creating better ships which allowed for their maritime dominance and ability. They did not have any navigational tools on their ships and relied only on their natural landmarks such as coastlines and the stars. Their ability to travel with only the sky to guide them allowed them to explore and travel wherever they needed, but it limited their ability to travel to the seasons with a stable climate.

Shipbuilding

As early as 1200 BC, the Phoenicians built large merchant ships.^{[citation needed]} During the Bronze Age, they developed the keel.^{[citation needed]} Pegged mortise-and-tenon joints proved effective enough to serve as a standard until late into the Roman Empire.^{[citation needed}

The Phoenicians were possibly the first to introduce the bireme, around 700 BC. An Assyrian account describes Phoenicians evading capture with these ships.^{[citation needed]} The Phoenicians are also credited with inventing the trireme, which was regarded as the most advanced and powerful vessel in the ancient Mediterranean world, and was eventually adopted by the Greeks.

The Phoenicians developed several other maritime inventions. The amphora, a type of container used for both dry and liquid goods, was an ancient Phoenician invention that became a standardized measurement of volume for close to two thousand years. The remnants of self-cleaning artificial harbors have been discovered in Sidon, Tyre, Atlit, and Acre. The first example of admiralty law also appears in the Levant. The Phoenicians continued to contribute to cartography into the Iron Age.

Shipwrecks

In the shadowy depths of the Mediterranean Sea, there are remnants that lie there telling a story about the Phoenicians and their trading. Seeing the shipwrecks can tell us a lot about what the Phoenicians did and what items they traded, as well as proving their existence to us. Each artifact that the archeologists find has significant meaning to the rich history of the Phoenician culture.

In 2014, a 12 meters (39 ft) long Phoenician trading ship was found near Gozo island in Malta. Dated 700 BC, it is one of the oldest wrecks found in the Mediterranean. Fifty amphorae, used to contain wine and oil, were scattered nearby.

In the 1990s, deep-water exploration in the eastern Mediterranean between Egypt and Israel revealed evidence of Phoenician maritime commerce during the Iron Age. At a depth of 400 meters (1,312 ft), two shipwrecks were identified due to the 400 visible transport amphoras. Neither of these shipwrecks have been excavated yet, but there is definitely a lot of rich history associated with these wrecks that historians and archeologists should do further research on.

Phoenician Colonization

To facilitate their commercial ventures, the Phoenicians established numerous colonies and trading posts along the coasts of the Mediterranean. Phoenician city states generally lacked the numbers or even the desire to expand their territory overseas. Few colonies had more than 1,000 inhabitants; only Carthage and some nearby settlements in the western Mediterranean would grow larger. A major motivating factor was competition with the Greeks, who began expanding across the Mediterranean during the same period. Though largely peaceful rivals, their respective settlements in Crete and Sicily did clash intermittently.

The earliest Phoenician settlements outside the Levant were on Cyprus and Crete, gradually moving westward towards Corsica, the Balearic Islands, Sardinia, and Sicily, as well as on the European mainland in Genoa and Marseilles. The first Phoenician colonies in the western Mediterranean were along the northwest African coast and on Sicily, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. Tyre led the way in settling or controlling coastal areas.

Phoenician colonies were fairly autonomous. At most, they were expected to send annual tribute to their mother city, usually in the context of a religious offering. However, in the seventh century BC the western colonies came under the control of Carthage, which was exercised directly through appointed magistrates. Carthage continued to send annual tribute to Tyre for some time after its independence.

Overseas Expansion

Guided by their advanced navigational skills and mastery of shipbuilding, the Phoenicians embarked on numerous journeys across the sea, establishing colonies and trading posts along the coasts of North Africa, Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia, and beyond. These settlements, strategically positioned along key maritime routes, flourished as centers of trade, linking the diverse cultures of the ancient world.

The Phoenicians main reason for expanding was due to commercial reasons. However, in doing this, they were able to expand not only their land but their culture and knowledge as well. They brought their culture along with them wherever they went, giving new opportunities to the other civilizations to build off of them and vice versa. They made their way all around the sea and the number of establishments during the eighth century saw a huge increase along the coastlines of the Mediterranean.

Studies have revealed that during the ninth and tenth centuries there was a significant increase in the population of Phoenicians. The Phoenicians then looked to overseas expansion as a way to counter overpopulation, while taking over new areas. They branched out to different parts of the Mediterranean, making new trade routes and finding new items. The boom in population numbers eventually helped the Phoenicians grow larger.

Phoenician Diet

Food has come a long way over the past few centuries, but despite this modern age still relates to the Phoenician diet. Phoenicians also began their mornings with cereals but was instead boiled like modern-day oatmeal.  These may have been consumed in hand-made and gray bowls, which were common for tableware during the ninth to sixth centuries BC. If it was not boiled it was in the form of bread or flat cakes, and instead of sugary add-ons like lucky charms, Phoenicians added pulses for flavor like peas, lentils, chickpeas, and board beans. Along with adding these greens to their cereals, Phoenicians were also huge fans of vegetables overall, which were harvested in their vegetable gardens. These homegrown vegetables went great with fish, their main source of protein. These would be served on plates with a more open and shallower profile to help with the size of the meal, and condiments on the side would have gone on smaller plates or bowls. Around the eighth to sixth centuries BC, olive oil would have gone well on the small plate to pour on the fish or even to cook the fish in. Along with fish, olive oil was seen as a precious liquid and would have been stored in many ways because of its multiple uses just like fish. Not only was fish important for refueling the Phoenicians, but fish was also important in fueling their economy. A wide variety of fish were consumed and traded like sturgeon, anchovies, and sardines. Consumption of these fish spread to neighboring civilizations of the Phoenicians because of their preservation techniques of salted fish and fish sauce.

References

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