1. Ancient Canaan & The Phoenicians

2. Canaan Two groups formed small kingdoms in this land:
Lies at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, in an area shared today by Lebanon & Israel.
In ancient times, this area connected Egypt and Mesopotamia
Soldiers, shepherds, and merchants transported goods & ideas
Two groups formed small kingdoms in this land:
Phoenicians and Hebrews
Both groups interested in trade & learning

6. The Phoenicians (est @ 1830 B.C.E.)
Most information comes from:
The Bible
writings of other ancient peoples
the ruins of their ships and cities

7. Two different groups: Canaanites Philistines
from the desert south & east of Canaan
wandering herders
Philistines
eastern Mediterranean near Greece
traders & shipbuilders

8. Sea-Based Trade
Land could not grow enough food for all people, so Phoenicians turned to the sea
Used cedar wood to build strong, fast ships
Sea-based trade
Traded: cedar logs, cloth, glass trinkets, perfume
For items such as:
Egypt: gold & other metals, papyrus, linen
Mesopotamia: pottery
Cyprus: copper & animal hides

9. Phoenician Trade Routes

11. Used the sun & stars for navigation
Signed peace treaties with larger & more powerful neighbors

12. Cities of Phoenicia
Phoenicia was a collection of independent city-states- it never became a united country.
Largest city-states were: Tyre, Byblos, Beirut, and Sidon
Spoke the same language & practiced the same religion, but did not always get along
Ruled by kings, then councils of merchants

13. City structure:
surrounded by large stone wall for protection
many merchant & artisan shops (esp carpenters, cabinet-makers, metalworkers)
Very crowded: narrow streets & packed buildings
Ports located outside the walls were the center of all activity

15. Cloth-dying centers
Phoenician means “purple merchants”
Legend of Melqart

16. Carthage
Sailors set up trading posts & colonies (permanent settlements) that later turned into cities along coast of N. Africa
Carthage founded in 814 B.C.E. in present-day Tunisia
Became a powerful trading city
Legend of the Phoenician princess Dido

18. Gods & Goddesses Believed in many gods who were tied closely to nature
Built temples to worship
entrance, main hall, and holy of holies
made sacrifices of wine, perfume, animals, and humans
only priests could offer sacrifices
Life after death
at first buried in clay urns (ornamental vases)
later influenced by Egyptians: embalmed, wrapped, buried bodies

19. The Alphabet
Phoenicians did not invent the alphabet, but they did pass it on through trade to other cultures
Used picture system at first, but difficult for trading
Borrowed a simple version of Egyptian hieroglyphics from the people of the Canaanite towns to the south
22 symbols or letters used to form words
Borrowed & evolved: Phoenicians to Greeks to Romans… eventually English!