Cities of the Phoenicians. The heyday of the Phoenician cities. Phenicia in antiquity

The history of the Ancient World is full of interesting questions and even mysteries. Most likely, we will never know for sure how many great civilizations could not be born, being crushed by their neighbors, more powerful and successful in the military and economic terms. But some of the people managed to "get out into people". Sometimes this was helped by the collapse or weakening of powerful neighbors.

Such were the Kassites, once emerged from the composition of ordinary mountain tribes, such once were the Phoenicians, vegetated under the fairly strict control of the Egyptians. But everything ever ends, and Egypt began to weaken. Soon after, both the cities of the Phoenicians, and all their people, began to develop rapidly and prosper.

Who were they?

Contemporaries described this people as follows: "They were amazing people, equally easy to manage with both peaceful and military affairs. They invented their writing, achieved unprecedented successes in politics, public administration and navigation. The Phoenicians were and are traders from God. "

Having become acquainted with the information provided by modern anthropologists, we can even imagine the appearance of these people. Like many peoples of that era, they did not differ from the heroic article. Men were rarely above 1.63 meters, women - 1.57 meters. Judging by the remaining images, people had narrow, slightly elongated faces, almond-shaped eyes, curly hair and a short, straight nose.

The Phoenicians' clothes were bright and colorful. So, the Egyptians wrote that in the crowd of citizens of the pharaoh, these aliens stood out, like "butterflies on the sheep fleece". Men and women in Phenicia equally loved fine jewelry made of precious metals and stones.

Basic Phoenician Policies

As soon as Egypt began to surrender politically and militarily, Tire, Sidon, Bibl, Arvad and some other policies immediately declare their independence. And in this there was absolutely nothing surprising. The fact is that not only the cities of the Phoenicians, but all other large settlements at that time were actually autonomous states.

Often there was a "personal" king, his own faith and his clergy, his own army, armed with his own artisans. We can not talk about farmers! They were much more impressed with the idea of paying taxes only in one pocket, rather than in several. To this idea, Tire came faster than the rest. The city quickly became completely independent, although for a while it was formally subordinated to Sidon.

Elevation of Tire

At that time, the first among equal was this city, but its time quickly came to an end. The terrible foray of the "peoples of the sea" did not leave the once stately settlement of stone on stone, after which the cities of the Phoenicians began to listen to the opinion of Tire. The latter at the time has reached its peak of development. The throne was then occupied by King Hiram I.

In many sources there is evidence that he was a contemporary of the great Solomon, king of the Jews (about 950 BC). Hiram began his accomplishments by making a massive artificial embankment around the city, almost doubling his territory. The tsar was lucky: soon his miners found a good spring in fresh water in these places, so that Tire became a practically impregnable stronghold. The achievements of the Phoenicians of that time in the irrigation business are also known.

Thanks to well-thought irrigation systems and makings of breeding, they could fully provide themselves with food. In those days it was an incredible progress in the development of the state.

The Appearance of Carthage

Not surprisingly, the city very soon established strong trade relations with all its neighbors. Most likely, it was Hiram who began the colonization of modern Tunisia. This assumption is based on the fact that his heirs laid Carthage there, and the terrain itself was perfectly familiar to them, since the builders immediately chose the best place for the new policy. Some small colonies of the Phoenicians were founded, information about which has not reached our time.

Tradition says that his tabulation occurred in 814 BC. E. Soon the Phoenicians actively traded with Mesopotamia and the peoples inhabiting the Nile valley. In addition, they gradually settled firmly in those areas from which it was possible to control approaches to the Mediterranean. All this led to the fact that from all the cities of this state, Carthage retained its importance for a long time. History brought us information about the majestic Hannibal and his struggle with Rome.

What was the basis for the wealth of policies?

To attract new people (military, in particular), the kings of the cities were favored for the faithful service of the land. Inside the rural community there also existed a certain landed property, which was distributed among its members depending on the merits and influence of a particular person. However, by that time his own agricultural production only fed Phenicia, but little influence on trade profits.

Where more money did the Phoenicians have, developing precious metal deposits in the mountains of Lebanon. In addition, there were many valuable tree species growing, the wood of which quickly became the most important export item. Foreign merchants liked Phoenician wool, painted with purple, the secret of which was known only to scientists of Tire. Since the VIII - VII centuries. BC. E. Increasing importance is the production of refined and refined glassware, which also enjoyed great demand from foreign traders.

Expansion of sea trade

After Egypt finally disintegrated, Tire and other cities began to grow rich at an amazing rate. Virtually all the colonies of the Phoenicians quickly expanded, many of them later became independent states. They quickly captured all the trading channels of the Egyptians, and the process of enrichment went even faster.

What did the Phoenicians trade?

It should be understood that in ancient times Phenicia grew rich not so much because of the sale of goods produced on its territory. First of all, its welfare grew due to resale of luxury goods and rare products (jewelry, in particular). In addition, the inhabitants of this country were not only beautiful sailors, but also desperate pirates. All the loot often quite officially surrendered in the Phoenician cities, for which the ancient "privateers" received a decent jackpot.

Remembering that the Phoenicians were seafarers from birth, neighboring countries did not dare to tear them up, since the state's navy could deliver a lot of problems to the offenders. At the same time, the "glory" of this people was such that even the worst enemies could for the time forget their quarrels in order to drown together a couple of their ships together. The Phoenicians knew about this, and therefore did not disdain to make impudent naval raids on coastal settlements, completely taking away the people who inhabited them in captivity.

Not surprisingly, one of the main articles of the income of the sea trade of the same Tire were slaves. There is information that in ancient times Phenicia was one of those unique states in which the kings of the polis could lend considerable sums to ordinary citizens. This was done not for the sake of altruism, but for the purpose of developing "entrepreneurship": a person received money from the state, which only the ship and stocks of goods could buy for the first time. The pledge of loyalty was the family of "gifted". Simply put, it was not in the interests of citizens to cheat money.

Land routes Phoenicians mastered is not so controversial. But everything changed in the first millennium BC. Er, when people were able to tame camels. The people of the burnt traders could not miss such a unique opportunity, and therefore the development of the same Syria began instantly.

Some clarifications

One might think that in ancient times Phenicia was simply a branch of paradise on earth, where free citizens of the country could freely trade and earn. Everything was not so simple. Yes, constantly developing trade brought huge profits to the state, and almost any free person could open his business.

But a significant number of slaves, without which Phoenician trade could not function, the ever increasing number of destitute debtors and representatives of bankrupt families gradually turned into a real bomb, on which the ancient Phoenician "exploded".

The slave trade and the class struggle

In the Ancient World, this country had a bad glory, which arose precisely because of the predilection of its people to the slave trade. A huge amount of "living goods" was sold to other countries, but the ancient Phoenician herself was in dire need of these people: workshops and shipbuilding shipyards, quarries and vineyards, road construction and sheep breeding ... In short, without slavery, the entire state economy would immediately come end.

All the achievements of the Phoenicians, especially in the field of the construction of high-quality roads and grandiose temples, were based precisely on the work of slaves. However, this phenomenon had a reverse side, which was often extremely unpleasant and even deadly for the "rulers of the world" themselves.

Almost all contemporaries testify that a tense and constantly escalating class struggle was taking place in the country. So, the Greeks repeatedly wrote about the grand slave rebellion in Tire, to which thousands of poor citizens joined. The leadership of the uprising is attributed to a certain Abdastratus (Starathon). Strangely enough, but the grandiose massacre, which happened around the 9th century BC, ended in the complete and unconditional victory of the slaves.

Greek historians testify that all men of the "privileged" classes were mercilessly carved, and their women are distributed among representatives of the insurgents who inhabited Tire. The city was completely depopulated for a long time.

Paradoxes of domestic policy and gradual fading

In general, in the Greek texts of historical themes, it is almost universally reported about some mysterious "Phoenician misfortunes." It may very well be all the echoes of a grand slave uprising that swept through all the cities, including the great Carthage. History, however, did not learn anything to the ruling class. No softening towards the slaves was foreseen, and the state did not think of somehow "diversifying" its dependence on their labor.

All this later led to the fact that the history of the Phoenicians ended sadly, and once the great state, weakened by constant quarrels and internal turmoil, was simply pulled apart by strong neighbors.

Despite this, all contemporaries spoke of them with the deepest astonishment. Greeks and Romans were surprised how the Phoenicians, whose world map was the most detailed at that time, having managed to conquer many nations, could not organize at least some kind of similarity of the state. "By ruling the world, they can not command in their own home," they said of this people. Traders, desperate and adventurous travelers, they became almost the first people in the whole history of mankind who created their Empire not with fire and sword, but with conviction, cunning, intelligence and gold.

The new elevation of Sidon

So, because of political squabbles, intrigues and uprisings of slaves, Tire loses its significance in the end. "The reins of government" immediately intercepts (at the end of the IX century BC) the completely restored by that time Sidon (the present city of Sayda in Lebanon). In those years, this policy restored the lost value, acquired a powerful fleet and army, and therefore could dictate its conditions to its neighbors.

Historians believe that the ancient Phoenicians built it approximately in the IV century BC. Already in the second millennium, Sidon was strong enough for a fierce struggle with Tire in the region. At the beginning of the first millennium BC, citizens of this particular city-policy took the most active part in the Phoenician colonization, which swept across the entire Western Mediterranean. However, soon he fell into a strong dependence on Tire, who had grown stronger by that time.

In 677 BC, the city was captured by Assyrian troops, which completely destroyed it. However, already in a decade it was completely restored. Approximately at the beginning of the 6th century BC Sidon was absorbed by the Persian empire , in which the dynasty of the Achaemenids reigned.

End of an era

Soon, and other cities of the Phoenicians completely lose their independence. Already in the middle of the VI century BC, the restless Assyrians began to appear more and more under their walls. Despite the continued economic power, all policies, with the exception of proud Tire, quickly submit to the authority of Assyria.

Do not forget that at the end of the 7th century BC, its former power began to conquer Egypt, and therefore a considerable number of the cities of the former Phenicia are included in its composition. Finally, in those centuries the Persian empire quickly began to wither and develop, which put the final point in the history of the state of sailors, traders of live goods and pioneers.

However, the Phoenicians themselves were not up to this point: their cities retained their self-government, and trade became even more profitable at the expense of the protection and patronage of the Persians. The Phoenician fleet was part of the Persian flotilla as the most powerful and respected unit of the latter.

Afterword

This people still long reminded of themselves. Thus, the language and traditions of the Phoenicians persisted in many regions of the Mediterranean almost to the end of the Middle Ages. Only the brutal Arab conquests finally put an end to the developed ancient culture.

Over the past few decades, we have made significant progress in studying the writing and language of the ancient people. A lot of new inscriptions are opened every year ... Archaeologists assume that an in-depth study of the Phoenician heritage can reveal to us many of the secrets of the Ancient World.