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Χρονικόν
EL · Ελληνικά

Chronicle II of IX

Phoenicia: Traders of the Sea

The Ancient Levant

Tyre and Sidon, the alphabet, the purple dye, and the founding of Carthage.

Span
1100 – 332 BC
Entries
10
The sarcophagus of Ahiram of Byblos, bearing an early Phoenician alphabetic inscription
Frontispiece · The sarcophagus of Ahiram of Byblos, bearing an early Phoenician alphabetic inscriptionVia Wikimedia Commons
  1. 1100 BC

    Rise of PhoeniciaPolitical

    The Phoenician cities rise

    As the Bronze Age powers fall, the Canaanite ports of Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos emerge as independent trading cities.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  2. 1050 BC

    Rise of PhoeniciaCultural

    The Phoenician alphabet

    The Phoenicians refine the alphabet to twenty-two letters and carry it across the sea to the Greeks.

    The sarcophagus of Ahiram of Byblos, bearing an early Phoenician alphabetic inscription
    The sarcophagus of Ahiram of Byblos, bearing an early Phoenician alphabetic inscription · Via Wikimedia Commons
    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  3. 1000 BC

    Age of TradeCultural

    Purple, glass, and the sea

    Phoenician workshops produce the famous purple dye and fine glass, and their ships trade across the Mediterranean.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  4. 970 BC

    Age of TradePolitical

    Hiram of Tyre and Solomon

    King Hiram of Tyre allies with Solomon of Israel, sending cedar and craftsmen to build the Temple in Jerusalem.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  5. 900 BC

    Age of ColoniesCultural

    The westward colonies

    Phoenician traders plant colonies from Cyprus to Spain, reaching the Atlantic in search of silver and tin.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  6. 814 BC

    Age of ColoniesPolitical

    The founding of Carthage

    Colonists from Tyre, led by tradition's Queen Dido, found Carthage on the coast of North Africa.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  7. 730 BC

    Under AssyriaMilitary

    Under the Assyrian yoke

    The Neo-Assyrian Empire subdues the Phoenician cities, taking tribute while leaving their trade to flourish.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3
  8. 585 BC

    Under BabylonMilitary

    The long siege of Tyre

    Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon besieges the island city of Tyre for thirteen years without taking it by storm.

    Meanwhile, elsewhere · 3

  9. 2 more entries, to 332 BC