Phoenician Empire: Map & History
The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic-speaking people who inhabited city-states in Canaan along the Levantine coast of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily in present-day Lebanon.
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The Phoenicians were an ancient Semitic-speaking people who inhabited city-states in Canaan along the Levantine coast of the eastern Mediterranean, primarily in present-day Lebanon. Their maritime civilization expanded and contracted over time, with its cultural core stretching from Arwad to Mount Carmel. Through trade and colonization, the Phoenicians extended their influence across the Mediterranean, from Cyprus to the Maghreb and Iberian Peninsula, leaving behind thousands of inscriptions.
Modern Countries Once Part of Phoenician Empire
At its mapped extent, Phoenician Empire covered territory in 4 present-day countries. The period shown is when the mapped borders include that country, and the note says how much of it.
- Malta900–501 BCE · nearly all
- Lebanon1150–531 BCE · most
- Cyprus800–531 BCE · a large part
- Tunisia800–651 BCE · a small part
Largest Present-Day Cities in Its Territory
Each opens on the live map inside Phoenician Empire's borders of that time.
Derived by testing mapped cities against this polity's dated territorial polygons, so the list is indicative and follows the borders in the source dataset.
Phoenician Empire in Depth
History
Since little has survived of Phoenician records or literature, most of what is known about their origins and history comes from the accounts of other civilizations and inferences from their material culture excavated throughout the Mediterranean. The scholarly consensus is that the Phoenicians' period of greatest prominence was 1200 BC to the end of the Persian period (332 BC).
It is debated among historians and archaeologists whether Phoenicians were actually distinct from the broader group of Semitic-speaking peoples known as Canaanites.
Economy
The Phoenicians served as intermediaries between the disparate civilizations that spanned the Mediterranean and Near East, facilitating the exchange of goods and knowledge, culture, and religious traditions. Their expansive and enduring trade network is credited with laying the foundations of an economically and culturally cohesive Mediterranean, which would be continued by the Greeks and especially the Romans.
Phoenician ties with the Greeks ran deep. The earliest verified relationship appears to have begun with the Minoan civilization on Crete (1950–1450 BC), which together with the Mycenaean civilization (1600–1100 BC) is considered the progenitor of classical Greece.
Starting in the 8th century BC, the Phoenicians sold logs of cedar for significant sums, and wine to Egypt.
Society and culture
Because very little of the Phoenicians' writings have survived, much of what is known about their culture and society comes from accounts by contemporary civilizations or inferences from archaeological discoveries. According to the historian Philip C. Schmitz, beginning in the so-called Greek Dark Ages that followed the collapse of the Mycenaean civilization, the Greek word Phoinikoi came to be used for those people who inhabited the urban centers on the eastern Mediterranean coast. The populations of the Canaanite cities from coastal Syria and Lebanon to the northern coast of Palestine, including Beirut, Byblos, Sidon, Tripoli, and Tyre, could be deemed "Phoenician".
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Phoenicia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Phoenician Empire: Key Facts
| Capitals | Sidon, Tyre |
|---|---|
| Form of government | monarchy, city-state |
| Founded | 2500 BCE |
| Dissolved | 64 BCE |
Preceded by
- Canaan
Facts from Wikidata Q41642 (CC0).
Phoenician Empire Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Phoenician Empire appears, with the other states of the time.
Phoenician Empire Timeline
Key historical inflections from foundation to peak territorial expansion
Expansion to peak recorded area of 35,130 km² in 573 BCE.
Phoenician Empire: Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Phoenician Empire exist?
The Phoenician Empire is dated to 1150 BCE – 501 BCE, in the Bronze & Iron Age Civilizations era.
What was the capital of the Phoenician Empire?
The capital of the Phoenician Empire was None; dominant cities were Byblos, Sidon, and Tyre.
How large was the Phoenician Empire at its peak?
At its peak in 573 BC the Phoenician Empire covered about 35,130 km².
How did the map of the Phoenician Empire change over time?
The Phoenician Empire appears on 2 dated world maps in the atlas, from 1000 BCE to 750 BCE. Each shows its borders in that year next to the other states of the time.
Other Sovereign Realms
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Bronze Age Civilizations • Capital: Memphis
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pataliputra
Classical Antiquity • Capital: Pella, Babylon