Tyrus found the color so attractive that she requested from Hercules a robe of the of the same color as the price for her hand in marriage. When the dog returned to its master its mouth was stained a brilliant purple. Hercules’ dog came across a murex shell and devoured it. According to this tale, Hercules was strolling along the beach with a nymph, Tyrus, and his dog. One legend states that it was the Greek hero Hercules who discovered this dye. Tyrian purple was a highly-prized dye that was made using several species of sea snails belonging to the Muricidae family (commonly known as murex snails). Indeed, this was one of the best-known products of Phoenicia. (Baddu676 / Public Domain )Īs mentioned before, the Greek ‘Phoiniki’ is associated with the dye known as Tyrian purple, which was traded by the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians flourished as marine merchants. Nevertheless, the Phoenicians distinguished themselves from their Canaanite brethren by their achievements as seafarers and traders.
This is due to the fact that the Phoenicians were themselves Canaanites. During that time, there were other Canaanite cultures inhabiting the region as well, and archaeologists are unable to differentiate between the Phoenicians and these other cultures in terms of material culture, language, and religious beliefs. The Phoenicians flourished during the 1 st millennium BC. Instead, it is accepted that the Phoenicians were originally from the eastern Mediterranean and may have developed from the Ghassulian culture, which is an archaeological stage in southern Palestine dating to the Middle Chalcolithic period, i.e. In addition, there is a lack of evidence to support the claims that the Phoenicians emigrated to the eastern Mediterranean from other areas of the ancient world.
Archaeologists today, however, regard Herodotus’ account of the Phoenicians’ origins as a myth. Thus, the Phoenicians were known also as the ‘Purple People’.Īccording to the Greek historian Herodotus, the Phoenicians were originally from the Red Sea area, but later emigrated to and settled along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. This is due to the fact that one of the most valuable objects produced and exported by the Phoenicians was a dye known as Tyrian purple. The Greek ‘Phoiniki’ is phonetically similar to their word for the color purple or crimson (‘phoînix’). The ancient Greeks referred to the land of the Phoenicians as ‘Phoiniki’, which is derived from the Egyptian ‘Fnkhw’, meaning ‘Syrian’. The term ‘Phoenicians’, however, is commonly used today, as it was the Greeks who called these people by this name. Interestingly, in Hebrew, this word also meant ‘merchant’, which is an apt description of the Phoenicians. Scholars have speculated that the Phoenicians referred to themselves as ‘Kena’ani’ (‘Kinahna’ in Akkadian, or ‘Canaanite’ in English). The Phoenicians made numerous contributions to human civilization, the most notable of which being the Phoenician alphabet, which is the ancestor of many other alphabets that are used today. The greater part of the territory they once occupied corresponds to modern day Lebanon, but the Phoenicians also held parts of southern Syria and northern Israel. Apart from Carthage, the Phoenicians founded colonies on Cyprus and in Anatolia as well. The Carthaginians themselves became a dominant maritime power in the western Mediterranean, until its final destruction by Rome in 146 BC, following their defeat in the Punic Wars.
The History of the PhoeniciansĪccording to tradition, the city was founded as a colony in 814 BC by Phoenicians under the leadership of the legendary Queen Dido. They were also the inventors of the alphabet. One of the most notable signs of their trade activity is the establishment of Carthage, in present day Tunisia. The Phoenicians were renowned as excellent mariners and used their expertise to trade all across the Mediterranean. Despite little being known about them as very few of their inscriptions have survived, their legacy has had an enormous impact on the world, which is still felt today. The Phoenicians were an ancient people who once ruled the Mediterranean.
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