1. Seafaring Traders Minoans and Phoenicians
Spreading Culture Beyond the Fertile Crescent

2. Minoans Powerful seafaring people
Dominated trade in the Mediterranean 2000 BCE-1400 BCE
Based on island of Crete
Cities unfortified

3. Minoan Culture Knossos: Capital Colorful painted walls Women Sacrifice
Advanced and thriving culture
King Minos
Colorful painted walls
Athletic people
Loved nature
Boxing, wrestling, bull jumping
Women
In religious ceremonies, priestesses
Mother Earth Goddess
Sacrifice
Bulls and other animals
Sometimes people

8. Minoan’s Mysterious End
Natural disaster? Over population? Invasion?
Had previously withstood earthquakes
1470 BCE earthquake and volcano
Didn’t rebuild
Lasted another 300 years
Invaders from Greece may have taken advantage of a weakened state

9. The Phoenicians Rose to power after Crete Modern Lebanon
Founded a number of wealthy city-states: important trading centers
Shipbuilders/seafarers first to pass straights of Gibraltar
Africa?

11. Commercial Outposts Cities 30 miles apart
Sidon and Tyre: purple dye (murex snails)
Berytus and Byblos: Papyrus
Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain: Fish
Carthage (North Africa)
Trade Goods: wine, weapons, precious metals, ivory, and slaves

14. Great Legacy: The Alphabet
Needed to record transactions quickly
Symbols represent sounds (Phonetic)
Aleph beth
Introduced writing to trade partners
Simplified writing made literacy more accessible
Assyrians captured Eastern cities and homeland controlled by the Babylonians alphabet stuck around