The Phoenicians

1
The Phoenicians

• In this lesson, students will identify
  characteristics of Phoenician civilization.
• Students will be able to define and/or identify
  the following terms
• Phoenicians
• Alphabet
• Cultural Diffusion

2
Phoenicia was located in Southwest Asia.
3
Phoenicians

• The Phoenicians were a Semitic-speaking people.
• They settled in small city-states in present-day
  Lebanon.
• There were few natural resources in their land.
  So, they turned to the seas.

4
The Phoenicians were seafaring traders. They
sailed the Mediterranean sea.
5
Phoenician Traders

• By 900 B.C., the Phoenicians dominated
  Mediterranean trade.
• The Phoenicians were able to build a civilization
  without relying on agriculture.
• Income generated by trade allowed the Phoenicians
  to build permanent settlements.

6
These are Phoenician coins. Phoenician money
was minted by individual cities.
7
The Worlds First Alphabet

• The Phoenicians invented the worlds first
  alphabet.
• Each of the twenty-two Phoenician alphabet
  symbols represented a different sound.
• The Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet. From
  the Phoenician and Greek alphabets come our
  alphabet.

8
An alphabet based on symbols representing sounds
is easier to learn than the use of characters.
9
Phoenician Colonies

• The Phoenicians established trading colonies
  throughout the Mediterranean region.
• A colony is a region controlled by a distant
  country.
• Carthage was a famous Phoenician trading colony
  in North Africa.

10
Carthage was a Phoenician colony located in North
Africa.
11
Phoenician Purple

• The Phoenicians made their own purple dye.
• The Phoenicians had a monopoly on the market for
  purple.
• The Phoenicians crushed shellfish to make their
  purple dye.

12
The Phoenicians established many colonies.
13
Travel and trade encouraged cultural diffusion.
14
Questions for Reflection

• Who were the Phoenicians?
• Why did the Phoenicians turn to the seas?
• What was Carthage?
• Name the most significant Phoenician contribution
  to world history.
• Why was Phoenicia known for its purple?
• How did Phoenicias location benefit it?
• Why do we remember Phoenicia?