\fs22 The history of Phoenicia is generally considered to have begun in the twelfth century BC, notwithstandi
ng the existence of much older settlements, since it was in this period that Phoenician cities began to take on their own characteristics and attain independence from the neighboring areas. It was between the twelfth and the eighth century BC that Phoeni
cia reached the height of its splendor: in this phase, which saw the supremacy of the cities of \b \cf4 \ATXht1145 Sidon\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 and \b \cf4 \ATXht1146 Tyre\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , international trade on a large scale was developed with the most impor
tant markets in the Near East and Aegean, and colonization of the coasts of the central and western Mediterranean commenced with the foundation of numerous colonies, of which Carthage was undoubtedly the most important. \par
This favorable period was br
ought to an end in the latter part of the eighth century BC when first Assyria and then Babylonia started to move into the Syro-Palestinian area. Economic and political revival did not come until the fifth century, when the Phoenician kings managed to ta
ke advantage of their good relations with the emperors of Persia. The history of Phoenicia concluded with the conquest of Tyre by \b \cf2 \ATXht1 Alexander the Great\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 in 333-2 BC. The process of Hellenization of the region, already begun
under Persian domination, destroyed all traces of Phoenician independence, against the background of a Mediterranean now completely permeated by Greek culture.\par
\par
COLONIZATION\par
\par
Ever since the beginning of the 1st millennium BC the Phoen
icians had sailed their ships to the most remote parts of the Mediterranean. They first reached Cyprus, where they founded the colony of Kition, and then headed into the Aegean, establishing good relations with the Greeks, and to Egypt. Moving further ou
t into the eastern Mediterranean, Phoenician sailors set off to explore more and more distant lands in search of new markets. In this way they reached the Italian peninsula and its larger islands, North Africa, and Spain, founding new cities from the end
of the ninth century BC onward. \par
At the northernmost tip of Sicily they established the settlements of \b \cf4 \ATXht1144 Moyta\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 (Mozia), Panormus (Palermo), and Solus; in Sardinia, Karalis (Cagliari), \b \cf4 \ATXht1143 Nora\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 , Bithia, Sulci, Mount Sirai, and Tharros; in North Africa, along with Carthage and Utica, a settlement was built on the small island of Rachgoun, while the colonies of Lixus and Mogador were founded in the Atlantic sector. In Spain, finally, Gad
es (Cadiz) was settled on the other side of the Straits of Gibraltar, while numerous centers arose on the coast of Andalusia, including Guadalhorce, Malaka (Malaga), Toscanos, Morro de Mezquitilla, and Chorreras.\par
\par
THE NAME\par
\par
The ancien
t inhabitants of the cities on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, corresponding to modern Lebanon, never called themselves½ Phoenicians.╗ This name was given to them by the Greeks, with whom they soon came into contact in the course of their voyages
. The most common explanation for the origin of the name is the one linking the people to the dye known as Tyrian purple (phoinix in Greek), since the dying of cloth, in this purple color, was one of the most typical activities of the Phoenician peoples.
The Phoenicians, however, described themselves as Canaanites, from the land of Canaan, the ancient name for the Syro-Palestinian region, or simply referred to their individual cities of origin.\par
