Phoenician

From their home on the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Levant, the Phoenicians quickly established themselves as an early maritime power. The city of Byblos? is believed to have originally been the principle city of the Phoenician empire. However, this was attacked by successive waves of invaders and by around 1000 BC, Tyre had become the principle city.

Phoenician trading ships sailed the Mediterranean, venturing into the Atlantic as far as Britain, where the tin mines of what is now Cornwall provided important trading material. The Phoenicians were also noted for their trade in the purple dye derived from cuttlefish ink.

Phoenician colonisation in the Iberian peninsula and their contacts with the Celtic tribes there later proved vital in the [Punic wars]? against Rome (see Hannibal, Carthage).

The Phoenicians are also known as the Canaanites?.

The cultural influence of the Phoenicians on other groups around the Mediterranean was considerable. The Greek alphabet was an adaptation of the [Phoenician alphabet]?.

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The History of Phoenicia by George Rawlinson is available under Project Gutenberg at: http://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=2331