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==The history of the Phoenicians==

The Phoenicians were a Semitic people who inhabited the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean, in what is now Syria and Lebanon. Archaeological evidence indicates that they were related to the Canaanites. The Phoenicians emerged in history about 1800 BC, during the Early Bronze Age. They occupied a narrow strip of land and they were surrounded by stronger kingdoms and Empires <ref> Moscati, Sabatino The World of the Phoenicians (NY: Frederick A. Praeger, 1995, p. 34) </ref>. This forced them to become highly urbanized and to become seafarers and merchants. The main cities in Phoenicia were Tyre, Sidon, Arwad, Berytus, and Byblos. It appears that they developed complex political systems. The cities were often rivals’ but often cooperated on maritime and trading matters and often formed a league of city-states. At times one urban center would dominate the others as was the case with Tyre, which dominated Phoenicia in the 9th century BC. The wealth of the cities meant that they were often targeted by predatory kings. The Phoenicians came under the sway of the Pharaohs until about 1250 BC. The invasions of the Sea-peoples led to the collapse of the Egyptian Empire. This led to the economic and cultural flourishing of the Phoenicians. Based on the archaeological evidence, it seems that there was a great deal of continuity in Phoenician society and culture, but they also absorbed Babylonian and Egyptian influences <ref> Moscati, p 14</ref>. The urban population in Phoenicia exploded in the 9th and 8th centuries BC. They had already established a number of trading posts from Spain to the Levant, which they then expanded into colonies. In 814 BC, colonists from Tyre settled in what became Carthage, during the reign of King Pygmalion. The kings of Tyre were able to establish an informal empire that included all of the Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians remained the dominant sea power in the Levant even under pressure from the neo-Assyrian Empire. However, the rise Persians Empire was to deal with a blow to Phoenicia especially after the fall of Tyre in 585 BC. The Phoenicians remained wealthy and remained maritime powers, because they had a great deal of autonomy, even under Persian domination. The decline of the Phoenicians was gradual, and they eventually lost all their autonomy in the aftermath of the conquests of Alexander the Great. They became Hellenized, over the years they lost their cultural and religious identity<ref> Moscati, p 14</ref>.

==Phoenician economy, society, and religion==

The Phoenicians were great explorers and it is believed that Hanno, explored the west coast of African in the 7th century BC. There are even some sources that claim that they visited the British Isles. The city-states had large fleets and they pioneered the development of the multi-tiered galley, which was revolutionary. The Phoenicians became great sailors in an effort to secure resources and to engaged in trade. The economies of cities such as Tyre were dependent on manufacturing and trade. They exported cedar wood all over the Mediterranean and were renowned for their production of purple dyes, which were very popular with ancient monarchs. The Phoenicians, like the Hebrews, who were related people, were very religious people. Their chief god was Baal and many of the Phoenician gods derived from the religion of the Canaanites. Each city has its own titular deity, for example, Melqart was the patron deity of Tyre <ref>Clifford, Richard J. "Phoenician religion." Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research 279, no. 1 (1990): 55-64 </ref>. It has been claimed that they practiced human sacrifice and in particular, they sacrificed children at a site known as a Tophet, but this is rejected by some historians. Religious fraternities were very important in Phoenician social and commercial life.