Phoenicia

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Phoenician ship at Sidon port

The rise and fall of the Phoenician civilization

Map of the Mediterranean region showing ancient Phoenicia along the eastern coast, its colonies across North Africa, Spain, and islands such as Cyprus, Sardinia, and Sicily, as well as major Phoenician cities. Red arrows trace Phoenician trade routes connecting settlements from the Levant to the western Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Areas of Phoenician settlement are shaded in green.

Sarcophagus of Ahiram

Phoenician necklace

Basalt relief stele of King Kilamuwa from Sam'al, Turkey, showing a robed figure beside lines of Phoenician script and an ornate symbol above the text.

Phoenician ship

Map of the Mediterranean region highlighting locations of Phoenician colonization, with major ancient settlements and colonies labeled along the coasts of present-day Spain, North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Levant. The map also shows surrounding regions and bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Atlantic Ocean.

At a Glance

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Phoenicia summary

Phoenicia: Media

historical region, Asia

Videos

The rise and fall of the Phoenician civilization

The rise and fall of the Phoenician civilization

Overview of the Phoenicians.

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Images

Phoenician ship at Sidon port

Phoenician ship at Sidon port

Depiction of a Phoenician ship at the Mediterranean port of Sidon (now in Lebanon).

North Wind Picture Archives

Map of the Mediterranean region showing ancient Phoenicia along the eastern coast, its colonies across North Africa, Spain, and islands such as Cyprus, Sardinia, and Sicily, as well as major Phoenician cities. Red arrows trace Phoenician trade routes connecting settlements from the Levant to the western Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. Areas of Phoenician settlement are shaded in green.

Phoenician settlements and trade routes

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Sarcophagus of Ahiram

Sarcophagus of Ahiram

Carved limestone sarcophagus of Ahiram, a king of Byblos, bearing a Phoenician inscription,...

Courtesy of the National Museum of Lebanon, Beirut

Phoenician necklace

Phoenician necklace

Phoenician necklace made from glass beads, 3rd–1st century bce.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cesnola Collection, purchased by subscription, 1874-76, (74.51.316), www.metmuseum.org

Basalt relief stele of King Kilamuwa from Sam'al, Turkey, showing a robed figure beside lines of Phoenician script and an ornate symbol above the text.

Phoenician writing

A basalt relief stela of King Kilamuwa from the 9th century bce...

© Radiokafka/Dreamstime.com

Phoenician ship

Phoenician ship

Model of a Phoenician ship, 13th century bce;...

Courtesy of the Museum of The Philadelphia Civic Center

Map of the Mediterranean region highlighting locations of Phoenician colonization, with major ancient settlements and colonies labeled along the coasts of present-day Spain, North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Levant. The map also shows surrounding regions and bodies of water, including the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and Atlantic Ocean.

Phoenician colonization in the Mediterranean

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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