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Phoenicia
From 1200 BC to 539 BC, the ancient Semitic civilization of Phoenicia was situated on the western, coastal part of the Fertile Crescent in what is now Lebanon and Tartus Governorate, Syria. They are known for almost all modern day alphabets being derived from their alphabet.
714 Questions
What effect did their sea trade have on the Phoenicians alphabet?
The Phoenician traders spread the alphabet through the Mediterranean Sea. It was taken up by the Greeks and adapted as their own alphabet, and they spread this to their own colonies.
When was Phoenicians Carthage founded?
Carthage was founded sometime between 846 and 813 BC ; please note that most historical sources are not definitive because Rome did it's best to eradicate every trace of an erstwhile opponent and it's history .
How did the Phoenicians economy depend on technology?
It depended on technology because they couldn't deliver goods across the sea to other colonies if they didn't have technology like the wheel and sail. Furthermore, other colonies kind of depended on the Phoenicians to deliver trade across the sea...
Did the Phoenician alphabet symbols stand for a single word?
If they stood for a single word, it would not be alphabetic. An alphabet is comprised of a set of symbols each of which has a sound value, so a word is a combination of several symbols.
What snail makes a Phoenician dye?
The dye is produced by Murex brandaris and Murex trunculus which are the older names for Haustellum brandaris and the Hexaplex trunculus.
These medium to large predatory tropical sea snails are carnivorous marine gastropod molluscs in the family Muricidae, the murexes or rock snails.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murex
The snail of the 'Murex' Mollusc is found on the east coast of the Mediterranean near Phoenicia. A dog accidentally bit into one, and the snail secreted a purple dye which was seen on the dog's lips. The Phoenicians learnt how to dye silk with the crushed snail and could produce the colors of purple, reddish/blue and even yellow with it.
The Chinese, while travelling on the famous 'Silk Road' route, brought their silk cloth to be dyed by the Phoenicians, until they learnt the source of the dye and the secrets of the Phoenicians dyeing methods, some hundred or so years later.
SOURCE: The Silk Road - A history. by Irene Franck & David Brownstone
Facts on file Publications -U.S.A.
Why was the method of Phoenician alphabet writing so superior to cuniform?
We are often told that the Phoenicians invented the alphabet. Regardless of who put pen to papyrus to create it, the Phoenician contribution was none-the-less major and critical. Cuneiform had too many symbols and the alphabet the Phoenicians developed was more simpler for all the tasks you needed in respect of communication.
How was Assyrian leadership different from Phoenicia's?
Phoenicia was comprised of independent city-states with their own political systems. Assyria was an empire ruled by a king and his council.
Why would the Phoenicians need to establish colonies in far-away lands?
They were trading stations - as great traders, the Phoenician need local bases to carry out this trade and protect it.
How long did it take for the Phoenicians to write the alphabet?
A couple of minutes, just as we write ours today.
What are three facts about the Phoenicians?
It was a group of independent city-states with a common ethnic background. They elected to deal with and expanding population by trade rather than conquest. They traded around the Mediterranean Sea, going as far afield as the Canary Islands in the Atlantic, and to Britain for tin. They developed an alphabet which became the basis for Greek and Latin and hence the alphabets we use today. They were absorbed first into the Persian Empire, then the Roman Empire.
The Phoenicians were merchants who:
traveled where no one ever had including England
Had a speacial dye they made from shell fish
lived in a area with cedar trees (This is what the mostly made their boats out of)
Sold many things including cloth, glass, wood, and metal.
What area did both the hebrews and Phoenicians settle?
They both settled in the area today known as Lebanon, Israel, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, and Jordan.
What is the Phoenicians writing system?
It was alphabetic, and was adapted by the Greeks and Romans, and so was the basis for today's alphabets.
How did the Phoenician alphabet affect the Mediterranean world in later civilizations?
It was adapted for se by Latin and Greek, and so the basis of writing today.
What three characteristics a Phoenician sea trader might need to possess?
A Phoenician sea trader would have needed sailing skill, navigational skill, defensive ability, business acumen.
Why did the Phoenicians trade water?
Phoenicians did not trade water as water was not a commonly sought substance. (People drank beer and washed their clothes and themselves in rivers.) Phoenicians traded using ships to navigate over the Mediterranean Sea (water) to navigate between the different civilizations on the edges of the Mediterranean.
Why were the Phoenicians known as a Great Sea Power?
We are often told that the Phoenicians invented the alphabet. Regardless of who put pen to papyrus to create it, the Phoenician contribution was none-the-less major and critical. They were the major sea-traders of the Mediterranean, and they went everywhere. When the Phoenicians began using the alphabet as a simple and easy way to keep track of their trades, it was exposed to everyone. Also they show the other countries that ships could travel around the globe trading important commodities. Phoenician mariners sailed to Mediterranean and southwestern European ports. The Phoenicians were the great merchants of ancient times. They sold rich treasures from many lands.
Where did the Phoenicians live?
Phoenicia, the coastal area of present day Syria/Lebanon, with a major centre of Carthage in today's Tunisia.
