53 



PHOENICIA. 



mny also have belonged to it ; on which account, 

 Ptolemy extended the southern limits to the Chorseus. 

 This district, containing not more than 4238 square 

 miles, was sandy, and was divided by the woody 

 ridges of Lebanon, and Anti-Libanus. It contained, 

 in its most flourishing times, a great number of con- 

 siderable cities, but never formed a single state. 

 The oldest city was called Sidon, now Saida, which 

 was distinguished for its manufactures, especially of 

 glass. Tyre, a colony of Sidon, was principally dis- 

 tinguished for its purple. This city received the 

 name of old Tyre when the later celebrated Tyre 

 \vas built on a neighbouring island, which Alexan- 

 der, during his siege of the city, converted into a 

 peninsula. Byblus (now Gebele, or Esbele) was 

 celebrated for the worship of Adonis. Aco, after- 

 wards Ptolemais, is now Acre ; Berytus was after- 

 wards distinguished for a law-school. These, and 

 other cities, were at first colonies, dependent on the 

 metropolis ; but they became independent, and, in 

 their flourishing period (B. C. 1000600), formed 

 a confederacy, at the head of which was Tyre. The 

 original inhabitants of Phoenicia were probably no- 

 mads, who roamed about the shores of the Arabian 

 and Persian gulfs ; thence they went to Palestine, 

 from which, they retired into the country of their 

 subsequent residence, long before the arrival of the 

 Israelites, in consequence of the attacks of some 

 powerful tribe. The maritime position of their new 

 country, and its abundance of wood, led them to 

 fishing and ship-building. Favoured by circum- 

 stances, the Phoenicians became a seafaring people, 

 engaged sometimes in piracy, and sometimes in 

 commerce. The imperfect accounts still existing 

 prove that this was the case very early. Sidon is 

 called by Moses the first born son of Canaan. The 

 colonies which emigrated about the year 1500, in the 

 time of Agenor, to Asia Minor, Crete, Lybia, and 

 Greece, diffused various kinds of knowledge. Cad- 

 mus, his son, introduced into Greece the first notions 

 of civil society and of writing. At the time of the 

 settlement of the Jews in Palestine, about 1440, 

 Sidon is called the great city. Homer mentions it 

 as distinguished above all cities for its manufactures. 

 As early as the twelfth century before Christ, the 

 inhabitants of Sidon founded colonies in Africa. 

 Utica was founded about 1170 B. C., and in Solo- 

 mon's time, voyages to Tarshish, on the south-west 

 coast of Spain, were common, from which we may 

 have an idea of the extent of the Phoenician trade 

 and commerce. Safe and neighbouring harbours 

 must, therefore, have been of importance to the Sid- 

 onians. On this account they built houses around 

 a natural harbour, and erected a castle (Zor) on a 

 rock. Numbers gradually settled here, and if, with 

 Josephus and Trogus Pompeius, we believe that 

 Tyre was built about 1184, then we must suppose 

 that at this time it received a large colony, which 

 converted the fortress into a city. In a short time, 

 the little town grew so important, that, from 1000 to 

 about 600 B. C. it was the head of the Phoenician 

 confederacy, as Sidon had previously been. They 

 had not power to carry on foreign wars, and they 

 had no occasion for defence ; they sought to extend 

 their dominion by the peaceful colonization of unin- 

 habited countries, and by alliances. We hear first 

 of the Tyrians being engaged in wars on account 

 of the attacks of the Asiatic conquerors, who were 

 allured by their riches ; these they carried on with 

 mercenary troops. About the year 1000, Hiram, 

 son of Abibal, concluded treaties of commerce and 

 friendship with David and Solomon. Ithobal, king 

 of Tyre and Sidon, about 900 B. C ., was the father 

 of Jezabel. He built several cities in Phoenicia, and 

 peopled Auza, in Africa. To his son, Budozor, suc- 



ceeded Mutgo (Muttinus or Mutgemis), father of 

 Pygmalion, Barca, Dido and Anna. Dido, on ac- 

 count of a dispute with Pygmalion (B. C. 888), fled 

 with Barca and Anna, and founded Carthage, (q. v., 

 and Dido.) The neighbouring island Cyprus must 

 have been then under the dominion of the Tyrians, for 

 Pygmalion here built Carpasia. Tyre must have 

 subsequently maintained its superiority over the 

 Phoenician cities, and probably abused it, for we find 

 that the Cytheans of Cyprus revolted under the con- 

 duct of Elulreus (about B. C. 700), and called the 

 Assyrians to their aid. Elulacus, however, again 

 submitted, and Salmanassar concluded peace. On 

 this, Sidon, and many other Tyrian cities, revolted 

 and submitted to Salmanassar, whom they supplied 

 with ships. But the hostile fleet of sixty vessels 

 was destroyed by a Tyrian squadron containing only 

 twelve, and the Assyrians were obliged after five, 

 years to raise the siege of Tyre. Thus Tyre remain- 

 ed 100 years superior to the Israelites. In the mean 

 time, Sidon appears to have again risen, and to have 

 become independent of Tyre. The alliance with 

 Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar proved fatal to 

 them. Sidon was destroyed ; Tyre was taken, after 

 a thirteen years' siege, and never recovered its form- 

 er greatness. Most of the inhabitants fled with 

 their treasures to the insular Tyre, which now be- 

 came the centre of the commerce of the world. Ito- 

 bal, who perished in this siege, was succeeded by 

 Baal, who was probably a vassal of Babylon. 

 During the seven years after his death, suffetes were 

 chosen by the people. The government was after- 

 wards again administered by kings subject to the Ba- 

 bylonian sovereignty. In the time of Cyrus, (B. C. 

 555), Tyre, and probably all Phoenicia, fell under the 

 Persian yoke. The kings of Tyre and Sidon, Ma- 

 penus and Tetramnestus, are mentioned as the most 

 experienced seamen in the fleet of Xerxes, at the 

 battle of Salamis, about B. C. 481. Sidon was at 

 this time the richest city of Phoenicia, and was at the 

 head of the insurrection against Artaxerxes, Mnemon 

 and Ochus. Tennes, king of Sidon, assisted by the 

 Greeks and Mentor, defeated (B. C. 361) the Per- 

 sians ; but Ochus appearing with a formidable force, 

 and the city, though strongly fortified, having fallen 

 into his hands, by the treachery of Tennes, the Si- 

 donians, in despair (B. C. 350), burned themselves 

 and their property. Other Sidouians, who were ab- 

 sent at this time, rebuilt the city, on their return. 

 When Alexander entered Phoenicia, after the battle 

 of Issus, the Sidonians (B. C. 333) submitted with- 

 out a struggle, and received for a king, instead of 

 Strato, Abdolonymus, of the blood royal, but then a 

 gardener. After a siege of seven months, the aid of 

 the Carthaginians not having arrived, Tyre at length 

 fell by treachery, and was reduced to ashes ; part of 

 the inhabitants were put to death, and part sold for 

 slaves. Alexander rebuilt the city, but it never at- 

 tained its former importance. It afterwards fell un- 

 der the dominion of the Seleucidffi, as did Sidon 

 under that of the Macedonians. About 65 B. C., the 

 Romans took possession of it. From that time Phoe- 

 nicia shared the fate of Syria. Tyre was an impor- 

 tant rendezvous for the crusaders (1099). The Sul- 

 tan of Egypt, who took it in 1223, was soon driven 

 out by the Franks, as were, also, the Tartars in 

 1263, who had made themselves masters of it under 

 Houlaku, together with the rest of Syria. It was 

 finally subdued, in 1292, by the Egyptian sultan, 

 since which it has shared the fate of the ruling coun- 

 try. The Phoenicians are more important when con- 

 sidered in reference to their commerce, navigation 

 and manufactures, than in respect of the events of 

 their history. Compelled by the unfruitfulness of 

 their soil, they early betook themselves to the sea as 



