contributions of the phoenicians

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Contributions of the Phoenicians It was very important for many early civilizations to expand their boundaries and trade routes on land to build a mighty and prestigious empire. Of the few that were able to do this, none were able to take their people to the ocean and beyond quite like the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were the first example of an accomplished society in the fields of trade and commerce. They spread their culture, which included an alphabet system soon to be adopted by the new western world, and goods on land and especially by sea with their exceptional skills in the field of maritime trade. The Phoenician’s homeland of Phoenicia was a thin strip of land stretching along the Syrian coast; it was only 160 miles long and about 20 miles wide.# In order to expand they had no other choice but to turn towards the sea. This allowed them to excel in the arts of shipbuilding and navigation. The brave Phoenicians would often sail up and down the Mediterranean Sea. They were the founders of many colonies, the greatest being the city of Carthage, which would later go on to defeat the mighty Roman Empire. They sailed as far east as the British Isles and to Spain where they founded the mineral-rich city of Cádiz on the southern coast, and as far south as South Africa.# The advantage of sailing lead the Phoenicians to travel to other lands. Once there, they would encourage trade among the natives. When trading became dominant, the Phoenicians were attracted to the Spanish coast for southern Spain’s mineral wealth which they would trade with other civilizations.# Phoenician trade was mostly run by families that owned ships or manufacturing plants. They would set up a system of representatives spread throughout the Mediterranean region to sell or trade their products. Two main cities of the Phoenician people were Tyre and Byblos which are now located
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