The Phoenicians
There are no records showing where the Phoenicians came from. Their major cities Tyre and Sidon have the same names as two of Ham's grandsons. For this reason some scholars believe these people were Hamitic. Their greatest contributions were in navigation and trad as well as a written alphabet.About 2,000 B.C. the Phoenicians settled along the coast of the area know today as Lebanon. Because other peoples living in the Fertile Crescent were more powerful the Phoenicians were limited to the territory along the coast. Their country was too mountainous for them to make a living by farming. So like the people of Crete they turned to the sea for their livelihood. As the Phoenicians traveled the entire length of the Mediterranean Sea they established trade cities along the coast. Phoenicians cities flourished in Cyprus, Malta, Sardinia, Sicily, and in North Africa including the powerful city of Carthage. Long after the Phoenician cities in Canaan had been conquered North Africa's Carthage challenged Rome for leadership of the Mediterranean area.
Trade
The Phoenicians developed a strong merchant marine and their ships carried trade goods to every part of the known world. Phoenician sailors were brave and adventurous. They sailed pas Gibraltar into strange and unexplored waters and began trading with British tribes. From Britain they brought tin, furs, and hides. Their ships also reached the southeastern coast of Africa where it was profitable to trade jewels, spices, and other goods.
Brave sailors
Recently archaeological findings in South America lead scholars to believe that the Phoenicians ailed to the Western Hemisphere almost 2,000 years before Columbus. Wether they were blown off course or sailed there purposely to look for new trade market and goods is not know. The brave Phoenicians however sailed completely around the coast of Africa. This feat was not repeated by any civilization until centuries later.
Weaving
The Phoenicians were also famous for their woven clothe. Their fabrics particularly a beautiful purple-colored cloth were in demand all over the known world.
Purple dye
The Phoenicians discovered that they could get a purple dye by crushing the Murex shellfish. These shells were found along the coast of the Mediterraneans Sea but were rare. For this reason only the rich could afford clothing dyed purple. Most of the kings of the time claimed the privilege of wearing the color and thus it became known as "royal purple." Canaan means "Land of red-purple."
Religion
Phoenicians worshiped many of the same gods that most of the people of Canaan worshiped. Only the Hebrews of Canaan are known to have worshiped one God. Each Phoenicians city had its own god called Baal. The king was usually considered a descendant of this god making him a half-god. The goddess of love was called Ishtar or Astarte. Women often cut off their long hair and placed it on the altars as an offering to her. The most terrible god the Phoenicians worshiped was named Moloch. He supposedly demanded human sacrifices to parents offered their children to show their devotion. Trumpets and flutes played loudly to drown out the cries of the babies as they burned in the blazing fire in the gods's lap.
The written alhabet
For centuries the Phoenicians have been credited with developing the written alphabet. In recent years while working at the sit of Lachish and ancient Hebrew city archaeologist have discovered evidence which suggests the Hebrews were the source of the first written alphabet It was developed by Hebrew in the Sinai peninsula and therefore it is known as Sinian script. Historians are not certain however wether the Hebrew or the Phoenicians were the first to invent the alphabet The Phoenicians were responsible for spreading the written alphabet throughout the Mediterranean area through trade. Cuneiform and hieroglyphic methods of wring were too clumsy and time consuming in keeping trade records. The Phoenicians simplified the alphabet which was very useful. It was copied first by the Greeks who added vowels. Later i was adpetd by the Romans. The Romans passed in on to modern European languages. The English language today takes eighty percent of its vocabulary from either Greek or Roman sources.