What is the largest Phoenician city?

Phenicia occupied an important place in the ancient world. This state stretched from Egypt to Mesopotamia, favorably located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Residents of the country were able to create a highly developed civilization with crafts, a rich culture and maritime trade. The writing of the Phoenicians is one of the most ancient recorded in human history. It is interesting that it influenced in no small degree the formation of ancient Greek letters. The highest flowering civilization of the Phoenicians fell on 1200-800 years BC.

The largest Phoenician city

This definition can be applied immediately to several important centers of antiquity on the Mediterranean coast. For a sufficiently long time of the existence of civilization, different cities reached unprecedented heyday and fell into decay. So, the largest Phoenician city of the early period is Sidon. Later, it was eclipsed by Tire and especially by Bibl.

Sidon

With its wealth and power, this ancient Phoenician city, like the entire civilization, was indebted to broad commercial relations and active maritime trade. Among other things, Sidon at some point was the most important center of the ancient world in some crafts. For example, glass was produced here, as well as purple paint, later bronze casting and jewelery were highly developed. In XV-XIV centuries Sidon was the most important cultural center.

Biblical

It was known since the IV millennium BC. However, the real flourishing of this center began at the end of the second millennium and continued until the conquests of Alexander the Great. This largest Phoenician city was repeatedly mentioned in the Bible, being called Hebal. It is interesting that it was from this seaport that papyrus was imported to Ancient Greece, why it was called "biblos" in the ancient world , which, in turn, gave the name of the most famous book in the world.

The largest Phoenician city of a vanishing civilization

The Phoenicians, like the Greeks later, actively expanded their presence in the Mediterranean through the founding of colonies. It is interesting that some Phoenician cities, created as colonial settlements far from the metropolis, eventually turned into powerful City-state. The most famous of them is Carthage. He is the most worthy opponent of Rome, who waged long Punic wars with him in the III-II centuries BC. The city was founded by the colonists of the Type at the end of the IX century BC. And after a significant reduction in the former Phoenician influence in the Mediterranean, Carthage manages to reassign yesterday's Phoenician colonies. Already in the III century BC it turns into the largest state formation in the entire western Mediterranean. He is subordinated to North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Southern Spain. However, Carthage faces a worthy opponent for herself in the person of a young still Roman Republic. A series of wars, with varying success, put an end to the domination of the last Phoenicians in the Mediterranean.