Phoenicians
Purple dye inventors
The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic people who inhabited the coastal region of the eastern Mediterranean, roughly modern-day Lebanon.
Master seafarers and traders, they established colonies across the Mediterranean, including Carthage.
Their most lasting contribution was the alphabet—a phonetic writing system that became the ancestor of Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic scripts.
The Phoenicians traded purple dye throughout the ancient world.
Historic Phoenician maritime center
- CarthagePhoenician colony that challenged Rome
- LebanonMideast coastal nation
- LevantEastern Mediterranean coastal region
- MediterraneanSea between Europe, Africa, Asia
Canaanite · coastal · Iberia · Sicily · Sardinia · Malta · Cyprus · North Africa
Those who conduct commerce
- commerceExchange of goods, services
- purple dyeColoring agent, violet hue
- murexSpiny marine gastropod genus
- Tyrian purplePhoenician dye from sea snails
glassware · amphorae · cedar wood · ivory · silks · spices · tin · silver
Determining position and course
- maritimeOf the sea
- galleyOnboard food preparation area
- biremeTwo-tiered rowing vessel
- triremeThree-banked ancient warship
sailing · sea routes · shipbuilding · mariners · navigators · sailors · voyage · exploration
Written words for performance
- lettersAlphabetic characters or mail
- writingRecorded language on surface
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
- phoneticRelating to speech sounds
characters · Aramaic · Hebrew script · Arabic script · consonantal · aleph · transmission · literacy
Self-governing urban territories
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- artisansSkilled manual workers
- craftsmenSkilled manual trade workers
- potteryFired clay objects
metalwork · textiles · glassmaking · ivory carving · architecture · harbors · governance · kings
Ancient Canaanite deity
- templesHoly places or head sides
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
- sacrificesThings willingly given up
sanctuaries · high places · Adonis · sacred groves · votive offerings · cult · mythology · stelae
Early metalworking civilization period
- Iron AgePost-bronze historical period
- ancient historyStudy of earliest civilizations
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
- AssyriansAncient Mesopotamian empire builders
Babylonians · Persians · Egyptians · Greeks · Romans · Hittites · Alexander the Great · Persian Empire
Tyre
Historic Phoenician maritime center
- CarthagePhoenician colony that challenged Rome
- LebanonMideast coastal nation
- LevantEastern Mediterranean coastal region
Mediterranean · Canaanite · coastal · Iberia · Sicily · Sardinia · Malta · Cyprus · North Africa · Balearic Islands
merchants
Those who conduct commerce
- commerceExchange of goods, services
- purple dyeColoring agent, violet hue
- murexSpiny marine gastropod genus
Tyrian purple · glassware · amphorae · cedar wood · ivory · silks · spices · tin · silver · copper
navigation
Determining position and course
trireme · sailing · sea routes · shipbuilding · mariners · navigators · sailors · voyage · exploration · oarsmen
script
Written words for performance
- lettersAlphabetic characters or mail
- writingRecorded language on surface
- inscriptionsWords carved into surfaces
phonetic · characters · Aramaic · Hebrew script · Arabic script · consonantal · aleph · transmission · literacy · scribes
city-states
Self-governing urban territories
- urbanizationPopulation shift toward cities
- artisansSkilled manual workers
- craftsmenSkilled manual trade workers
pottery · metalwork · textiles · glassmaking · ivory carving · architecture · harbors · governance · kings · colonies
Baal
Ancient Canaanite deity
- templesHoly places or head sides
- ritualsCeremonial repeated practices
- deitiesWorshipped supernatural beings
sacrifices · sanctuaries · high places · Adonis · sacred groves · votive offerings · cult · mythology · stelae · priesthood
Bronze Age
Early metalworking civilization period
- Iron AgePost-bronze historical period
- ancient historyStudy of earliest civilizations
- archaeologyStudy of physical remnants
Assyrians · Babylonians · Persians · Egyptians · Greeks · Romans · Hittites · Alexander the Great · Persian Empire · decline
- ancient civilizationsAncient Egypt, Sumer, Ancient Greece, Aztecs, Egypt
- Middle EastIraq, Baghdad, Cairo, Iran, Jordan
- historical peoplesAztecs, Babylonians, Celts, Egyptians, Gauls
- Lost CivilizationsAtlantis, Pompeii, Troy, Babylon, Mycenae
- seafaring peoplessailors, navigators, Vikings, fishermen, Polynesians
- Ancient ExplorersMarco Polo, Leif Erikson, Erik the Red, Christopher Columbus, Columbus
PhoeniciansAssyrians
Ancient Mesopotamian empire builders
Babylonians · Hittites · Greeks · Egyptians · Romans
- Phoenician alphabetAncient consonantal writing system