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What were the main exports of the Phoenicians?
Because of their wide range of travel, they often took an idea from one culture and improved upon it, or brought materials to parts of the world where they had previously been unavailable. Their most important exports were cedar wood, glass, and Tyrian cloth.
Which cities were Phoenician trading centers?
Their major cities were Tyre, Sidon, Byblos, and Arwad. All were fiercely independent, rival cities and, unlike the neighboring inland states, the Phoenicians represented a confederation of maritime traders rather than a defined country.
Why did the Phoenicians want colonies?
Seeking resources for their metalworking industry and luxury goods for their land and sea trade networks, Phoenician merchant venturers founded assorted coastal and inland colonies.
What did the people of Phoenicia export?
(return to main page) The exports of Phoenicia as a whole included particularly cedar and pine wood, fine linen from Tyre, Byblos, and Berytos, cloths dyed with the famous Tyrian purple (made from the snail Murex), embroideries from Sidon, metalwork and glass, glazed faience, wine, salt, and dried fish.
Where did the Phoenicians get their wood from?
Mesopotamia and Egypt were the most notable customers, the former receiving their trunks via caravan up to the Euphrates River while ships carried the wood to the African coast. The trade is recorded in reliefs of Sargon II and an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar.
Why did the Phoenicians establish permanent trading posts?
Trade and the search for valuable commodities necessitated the establishment of permanent trading posts and, as the Phoenician ships generally sailed close to the coast and only in daytime, regular way-stations too. These outposts became more firmly established in order to control the trade in specific commodities available at that specific site.
What kind of ship did the Phoenicians have?
They have a keel, not ill shaped, a rounded hull, bulwarks, a beak, and a high seat for the steersman. The oars, apparently, must have been passed through interstices in the bulwark.