Originally desert nomand, the Phoenicians ( the Canaanites of the Bible) lived in the land of Canaan. About 1200 B.C. they began to be called Phoenicians, named from the Greek word phoinos, or red, because of a wonderful reddish-purple dye they puduced. The Phoenicians were merchants and traders and made extensive use of the sea to transport goods to and from their land. Due to their advanced ships, they were known as the greaters seafarers of the ancient world.
The Phoenician Alphabet was their most important contribution to civilization. This, the firs known alphabet, became the basis of our own 26 letter alphabet. However, their alphabet had 30 consonants and no vowels.
The Phoenician founded colonies at Sardinia, Utica, and Carthage. Chartage would emerge as a powerful trading empire whose conflicts with Rome would result in the Punic Wars.
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