121 
must have been in the hands either of the Arabians or 
Phoenicians ; and, according to the testimony of authors, 
appears to have been participated in by both. But it is 
not improbable that the Indians of Sinde may also have 
been among the early navigators, particularly as India not 
only afforded timber for the construction of ships ; but its 
most ancient laws indicate an increased rate of interest for 
commercial adventures at sea. 
The Phoenicians, however, are known to history as the 
great navigators of antiquity; who spread their colonies 
along the coasts of the Mediterranean, and carried their 
trade even to the shores of England and the north of 
Europe. Sidon is one of the most ancient cities of which 
we have any record, and it is supposed may have been 
founded as early as 2740 B.C. Sidon and Tyre were 
leagued together in the time of Moses. Their most brilliant 
period was from the time of David to that of Cyrus, or 
from 1000 to 550 B.C. The Phoenicians, though they had 
an establishment at Memphis, do not seem to have traded 
directly by sea with Egypt until the time of Amasis, when 
the ports were opened to strangers. But they were such 
skilful seamen, that they were employed in the reign of 
Necho in circumnavigating Africa. They were not freely 
admitted to the Red Sea, for the ports there were in the 
hands of the Edomites. But when the limits of Judea 
were extended thus far by King David ; the Hebrews 
engaged in a maritime commerce with the Phoenicians; 
and their ships proceeded with those of Hiram, King 
of Tyre, from Elath and Eziongaber, at the head of 
the eastern gulf of the Red Sea, to Ophir and Tarshish. 
As this participation in the Indian trade of the Red 
Sea, could not be continued after the Edomites had recon- 
quered Elath and Eziongaber ; the Phoenicians might be 
supposed to have enjoyed its advantages by sea for a com- 
paratively short time. But Heeren has clearly shown, that 
