However, these findings were not too impressive, so for many years to forget about the Phoenicia again. Only in 1923 the famous Egyptologist Pierre Monte continued excavations at Byblos, and opened four undisturbed royal tombs with gold and copper ornaments. It also revealed texts, is not recorded in Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the anonymous letter writing. Soon, linguists - similar to the later Hebrew, as well as some other kinds of writing - were able to decrypt it. Thus began the study of ancient Phoenicia.
Phoenician city-states existed in a narrow interval (of about two hundred kilometers ), the Lebanese and Syrian coasts - with a few interruptions nearly four centuries in a row, starting with the IV millennium BC. e. Naturally, their archaic names give an idea mainly about the natural environment. Tyre, for example - is ... However, there are also more recent etymology associated with the activities of the residents: the Bible comes from the Greek name of an Egyptian papyrus (he took out of here ), Berit (modern Beirut) - probably from the word ... Total archaeologists comprise a dozen settlements, large and very small, similar, rather, on the village.
They belonged to the famous inhabitants of the Western Semites (though historians are not quite sure this ethnogenesis: perhaps it was a rattlesnake, and a mixture of the Sumerians with the Elamites, inhabitants of the south- western part of the Iranian plateau ), and called themselves Canaanites, and their homeland - Canaan, ... This name is likely to be associated with the color of the local fabric, dyed purple seashells, iglyanok. However, the main subject of Canaanite exports were not for them, and the famous cedar of Lebanon, which in the Middle East trimmed palaces and temples.
The Greeks gave to their trading partners and competitors a different name - Phoenicians ( foynikes ), which means ... From him there, and the Latin ...
The ranges of the Lebanese mountains, not only protect coastal cities from invaders, but also separated them from each other. Perhaps that is why the history they have never created a full-fledged single state. Every city, large or small, was an independent, ruled by its own king and worshiped their gods. In general, the political history of Phoenicia, little is known - even though its inhabitants and created the first alphabet of the scrolls have not survived. In humid climates Levant papyrus on which they are written, stored for long. We have heard only a brief text on the stone slabs and doling out details of ancient writers. There is, however, is another important source - correspondence with the Phoenician rulers rulers of Egypt, preserved in the country due to a pharaoh's arid climate. These pieces of information in conjunction with the data sites and allowed to recover the fate of the ancient fishing villages, which are gradually overgrown walls, and provided themselves with signs of civilization. The first this evolution has undergone Byblos, which is already in the beginning of III millennium BC. e. Pharaohs equipped expeditions for wood. Even in times of Sneferu, who reigned in the middle of the III millennium BC. e. , To the shores of the Nile came from Lebanon, ... Cedar is used not only for construction, but also as a source of fragrant resin. She fumigated space and better safety soaked bandages of mummies.
Most historians link the radical revolution in shipbuilding in the Mediterranean with the advent of ... e. It was after this the Phoenicians began to build a new type of ships that can make long voyages and carry a big load. Excellent material for them was the cedar of Lebanon, and relations with other countries given the opportunity to borrow the Phoenician shipbuilders gadgets. They were not flat-bottomed boats, and the keel, as the ... The mast on the Egyptian model bore a direct sail on two reyah. Along the boards in a number of rowers arranged, and the stern were reinforced with two powerful paddles that were used to rotate the ship. In a roomy cargo hold loaded amphora or leather skins with corn, wine, oil. Sometimes for the safety of the hold filled with water. More valuable items placed on the deck, which is defended by wooden lattices. At the bow of the ship secured a huge vessel for drinking water. The length of the ship was 30 meters, the crew consisted of 20-30 people. After the tenth century BC. e. the Phoenicians were special military court. They were easier to trade, but longer and more - the rowers were located on two decks for greater speed. Above them towered the narrow ground, protected by shields, which warriors during the battle the enemy from firing arrows and throwing spears. But the main weapon was a formidable battering ram, covered with copper and raised above the water. Stern of the ship heaved up like a scorpion's tail. Large rotary paddles were placed not only on the stern, but also on the nose, allowing almost instantly make a turn. The ship could carry up to hundreds of people - soldiers, and the team of oarsmen, who were often slaves. Phoenician ships were the best in the Ancient East, including the fleet consisted of Assyria, Babylon, the Persian Empire. Go to the IV century much of the Lebanese cedar has been cut down, which led to the decline of shipbuilding. As a result, the Phoenicians were driven from the trade routes, the Greeks, whose ships have been more perfect.
The scheme of the Phoenician trireme:.
a. Rowers of the top row - tranity. All rowers had to work very smoothly: the distance between the ends of the oars was only 30 cm.
2. The mast and sail. When patrol voyage sails raised, and before the battle - let down.
3. Dual stern oar for steering the vessel.
4. Captain triremes - trierarh.
5. Small Sail ...
6. steering.
7. ...
8. ram.
9. Rowers of the middle row - zigity.
10. The rowers of the lower row - talamity.
Greco - Phoenician trireme, trireme, or (s. VI century BC. e. ), Created by the Corinthians, and later became a major warship Mediterranean during the Punic Wars ( 264-146 years BC. e. ). The main ... Characteristics of ship: displacement - up to 230 m, length: - 38-45 m, width of shell - 3-4 m, length of oars - 4.25-4.5 m, draft -0,9 -1, 2 m.
Through trade with Egypt, Phoenicia residents have access to the latest achievements of ancient power. Their rulers have accumulated considerable wealth, which, of course, attracted the covetous eyes of neighbors. Around 2300 BC. e. country captured allied Semitic peoples brought with them the words ... They then settled and the neighboring Palestine, where they became accustomed to engage in agriculture, and in Phoenicia, in contrast, are accustomed to city life, and merged with the former population. As a result, due to the ... In the II millennium BC. e. in Byblos and other cities have started to make a lot of craft items - gold and silver figurines, ceramics, and glass. The technology of its production was ... They first learned to make glass jewelry, dishes and even a mirror.
Many of these small masterpieces imitated Egyptian models, and performed with an explicit calculation of the export. Not surprisingly, the Phoenician goods filled the entire ancient world - they can be found from Britain to India. (By the way, delicious fruits dates, too, are related to the Phoenicians. As the name of their historic homeland, the word is passed from the Greeks to Russian. But in the other languages of the confirmed dates different name, derived from the Arabic ... For example, the English - «date». ).
The reason for this expansion was the one commodity most valuable acquisition of the Canaanites, directly related to trade. The ... e. They adopted the art of building high-speed keel vessels that can go as sailing and rowing on the. As a result, the Lebanese sailors were true masters of mediterranean waters and, incidentally, have changed the balance of power in most of Phoenicia. Cedar Byblos is now conceded the primacy of Sidon, grown rich on trade glass ( it is more expensive wood, and carry him for a flight can be more ). And still later burst forth Tyre, who specialized in the production of purple fabrics. Purple of Tyre was valued at a premium, owing to the great difficulty of its production - to produce one pound of bright red, not bleknuschey the years of paint needed tens of thousands of shells.
Destiny Card Hadashta.
Carthage, founded by refugees from Tyre in 825 BC. e. From year to year richer because control sea routes. Carthaginian ships guarding the strait between Tunisia and Sicily, and went throughout the Mediterranean and even into the Atlantic, bringing out valuable goods. Gradually, the Carthaginians conquered the Phoenician colonies in Spain and North Africa, captured the island of Sardinia and Corsica. Conquered people paid tribute to the city and supplied the slaves who worked in the fields and craft workshops. The City Council ran a noble merchant families, elected for a two- year ... Sometimes one of the families seized power, but then overthrew his rivals and restored oligarchy. The chief god of Carthage was Eshmun healer, but no less formidable enjoyed the honor of the Baal Hammon - ... His wife was considered the goddess of tinnitus, the sacrifice of a pair of citizens brought the captives, and the most important cases - their own children. By the V century BC. e. the city's population reached 100,000 people. Because of crowding is necessary to build multi-storey houses, and later the Romans borrowed from the experience.
In its expansion, Carthage faced with the Greeks, and the founding of the colony on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The fight went on with varying success, until on the side of the Greeks did not speak the growing Rome. In the First Punic War ( 264-241 years BC. e. ), The Carthaginians were defeated and lost Sicily and Sardinia. At sea, they were still strong, but on land their army, composed of mercenaries, it is easy to take flight. In 241 BC. e. mercenaries revolted in the Carthage, joining with local residents - Libyans.
The city has saved the commander Hamilcar Barca, who created a new army of the Carthaginians and conquered Spain, turning it into a base for the struggle against Rome. In 218 BC. e. Hamilcar 's son Hannibal invaded with a large army into Italy, destroying the Roman legions in several battles. The Battle of Cannae (216 BC Year. e. ) Has become a textbook example of encirclement and destruction of enemy forces - it has killed 30,000 Romans. But Hannibal was not strong enough for the taking of Rome, and he was forced to leave Italy. By creating a powerful fleet, the Romans landed in Africa and in 202 BC. e. defeated the Carthaginians at Zama. Under the peace treaty of Carthage lost all their possessions, and reduced the army. He also pledged to give the enemies of Hannibal, but the invincible commander had to flee the country. Carthage gradually fell into disrepair, but continued to terrify the Romans. In 149 BC. e. they declared the city a new war and three years later they took it by storm. Almost all of the Carthaginians were killed, buildings destroyed and buried in the ruins of the salt as a sign of eternal damnation. Later, there existed a Roman city destroyed by barbarians in the VI century. Today, archaeologists excavated Carthage turned into a museum which is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of tourists.
Carthage must be built....
However, for the prosperity has come ( in the XIV century BC. e. ) A period of. From east to Phoenicia hit nomadic Amorites, and the south - the ancient Hebrews ( Habiru ), which are fire and sword have been to Palestine, expelling the Canaanites. Egypt, weakened by internal turmoil, which caused a religious revolution of Akhenaten, was unable to help their allies. In vain ruler Rib-Addi of Byblos appealed to the princes of Pharaoh: ... Soon, however, the country for some time back into the orbit of Egyptian politics, but now she is constantly threatened by new and new conquerors - the Hittites, ... This could not affect the deterioration of morals of citizens. At the beginning of XI century BC. e. Unamon official from Thebes described his misadventures in the land of Phoenician king of Byblos Chequer - Baal not only refused to give him a cedar tree, but the guest was trying to sell into slavery.
Overcrowding and the constant threat of invasion forced the Phoenicians removed from their homes and seek a better life overseas. Very helpful here had the appearance of another new type of ship that can make long voyages. By the ninth century BC. e. in Spain, Italy, North Africa, there were about 300 permanent Phoenician colonies. The most famous of these was Carthage - by Phoenician Kart- Hadasht, ... It was founded by a certain Princess Elissa, appearing in the ... She fled from Tyre in 825 BC. e. after a palace coup, and his men sailed to Tunis, asked the local Libyan leader to give her as much land as will take the bull skin. He readily agreed, and then the clever Canaanites cut the skin into thin strips, enclosing them very substantial portion.
After the death of the legendary Dido of Carthage was an oligarchic republic, which could undermine the power of the Romans only in the III century BC. e. It was, rather than - other Phoenician colonies (in contrast, incidentally, from the Greek ), as a rule, remain subordinate to their Levantine metropolitan. However, this did not prevent the fame to the whole ancient world in such cities as Gades ( modern Cadiz ), Sicilian Panormos (Palermo), Utica in Tunisia. In addition, the Phoenicians settled Alale (Corsica ), Malta and other islands in the Mediterranean Sea.
It is clear that because of piracy for successful voyages were required not only peaceful but also military ships. Yielding to the size of the military courts of other nations, Phoenician surpassed them in terms of maneuverability and so long did not know defeats in naval battles. And it is quite possible to their teams with impunity rob and kidnap people in all the range. Thus, according to Herodotus, they captured the king 's daughter Io argosskogo, beloved of Zeus. When it is with other girls stared at the strange fabric spread out on the deck, Phoenician traders pushed it into the hold and quickly cast off. No doubt there were many such cases. Even in the earliest era of classical Greece in Homer there are unflattering nicknames applied to the Canaanites - ... And in the first century AD, is Cicero still calls them the genus fallacissimus ( naikovarneyshim people ). Notorious was stable, but most of the Phoenicians, apparently, is still fairly traded. Otherwise, what would cause the peoples of the Mediterranean on their own to conduct business with them even after the collapse of the unchallenged naval power of Tyre and Sidon - for many centuries?.
Canaan and the ...
Around 1250 BC. e. on the eastern Mediterranean collapsed unknown aliens, called ... In the light of their ships, they invaded the coast, plundering and burning everything in its path. Under their pressure fell Ugarit rich and powerful Hittite power, and Egypt could hardly stand, straining every nerve. Around the same time the world learned about the Phoenician sailors, and historians often tempted to associate them with the ... However, among these inscriptions in the ancient Phoenician pirate tribes do not. But mention shardana ( Sardinians ), Turshu ( Etruscans ), akayvasha ( Greek Achaeans ), Dunoon ( danaytsy ) Pulastya ( Philistines ), and other. Obviously, they all lived in Greece and Asia Minor, while overpopulation and invasion of enemies forced them to budge. Some of them - for example, the same Achaeans - limited to predatory raids, others were moved as a whole, spreading to new areas. At the same time the Philistines, and checkers settled in Palestine and Syria, in the immediate vicinity of the Phoenicians. Probably, they have taught the inhabitants of Canaan to build ships of a new type of keel, allowing them to achieve great success in navigation and commerce. However, ethnic kinship between them was not. ...
other banks.
First, buyers and sellers exchange goods ... Then came the use of price equivalents - ingots of silver, gold or copper. And after visiting Lydia in the VII century BC. e. first coins of the Phoenician city, apparently, very soon adopted the custom of their coinage, although the oldest extant Sidon money applies only to the IV century BC. e. They were called ...
Gradually changed the character of the Phoenician trade, the Phoenicians were not only selling domestically produced goods. Thus, they resold the copper from Cyprus, silver from Spain, tin from beyond the British Isles. Even merchants from India - probably through an intermediary - brought ivory. In search of new markets and re-supply, they rushed boldly into the unknown. In the VI century BC. e. Carthaginian Hanno with a flotilla of 60 ships sailed along the west coast of Africa up to the Guinea, noting along the way hippos, ... His compatriot Gimilkon, in turn, made a trip to the north of Europe, until the ... He left the news of a strange body of water where there is perpetual darkness and algae inhibit the movement of ships - you have to assume that we are talking about the Sargasso Sea, and if so, then the Phoenicians could easily go in America. In the New World really has repeatedly found a Phoenician inscription, but they turned out to be fakes every time fans of sensations. In general, the question of specific routes Canaanites is unclear. Much of this confusion is because their charts are considered confidential documents of national importance.
Between Solomon and Nebuchadnezzar.
In the tenth century BC. e. primacy in Phoenicia finally passed to Tyre. The ruler of this city Hiram entered into an alliance with the Jewish king Solomon, and helped him to build a palace and a magnificent temple in Jerusalem. The Phoenicians not only sent to their new masters to a friend, but also supplied materials - pine logs, copper, gold, and in return they took the grain and cattle, which they have always lacked. In addition, King Solomon allowed them to trade with the legendary land of Ophir, which was either in Africa, whether in South Arabia. The first expedition that left - geber Etzion ( Aqaba ), brought back 420 talents of gold, that is more than a ton. At the same port the Phoenicians and the Israelites have created a ... During this period, between two great nations of antiquity have dynastic ties. Among the wives of Solomon, were loving and Phoenician, and one of his successors Ahab married Jezebel, the daughter of Tyre priest. This strong lady decried the Bible for cruelty, as well as for the fact that she tried to introduce into Israel the cult of their god Baal. ...
Both countries have cooperated closely to the VII century BC. e. When the Levantine coastal cities, along with Israel and Judah were victims of the new conquerors - Assyrians. As early as 877 BC. e. their king Ashshurnasirpal II with a great army came to Phoenicia and forced its inhabitants to pay him tribute in gold, ivory, and, of course, cedar. Every year, this ... After one of them in 680 BC. e. a new master invaders, Esarhaddon, and destroyed the ancient Sidon and brought away all its inhabitants into captivity. Bryusov told Russian poetry since his boastful inscription: ... / / Sidon, I overthrew and rocks thrown into the sea ... But after a few years the port has revived. Assyrian kings in desperate need of Phoenician ships for maritime expeditions and delivery of goods, such as copper and iron, from which they forged weapons. But Canaan was overlaid with heavy taxes and pledged to regularly send to Nineveh the most skilled craftsmen and architects.
However, it did not last long. By the year 610 BC. e. Assyria was destroyed, and Phoenicia had to confront a new invader - Babylonian Nebuchadnezzar II. He was twice besieged Tyre, but was unable to take the city. Terrible Warrior had to accept the independence of Tyre, and even give it considerable benefits to merchants. But time was lost - lost in time ...
The Legend of Hiram.
At the heart of the mysterious Masonic rituals is the legend of Hiram - Abif Phoenicians from the city of Tyre, whose king Solomon in Jerusalem, invited for the construction of the temple. Hiram is considered a descendant of Cain, who was born without a father, and endowed with an amazing talent of the architect. Once three apprentices with whom Hiram refused to share tricks of the trade, attacked him and beat to death a ruler, compass and square. Since these items are considered symbols of Freemasonry, and the ritual murder of Hiram and the search for his body is reproduced in the initiation ceremony. According to legend, the architect of dedicated students gave over his corpse oath to keep secrets, and founded the Master of the Order of Freemasons ( the word itself means ... In memory of his teacher, they called themselves ... In fact mentioned in the Bible, Hiram Abif, was not an architect, a foundry, the creator of the amazing brass ornaments of Solomon's Temple. In the book of Chronicles says that he ... Perhaps he was a relative of the then king of Tyre, also named Hiram. The story of his murder - the legend that was born together with the European Freemasonry in the XVII-XVIII centuries. However, it reflects a historical fact - part of Phoenician craftsmen in the construction of the famous temple of Solomon.
The heirs of Babylonian bankers.
We had to find a new sphere of activity in which the Phoenicians had not yet had a rival. She was the mediation - currency exchange and credit. Tyre and Sidon became the most important financial centers of the ancient world - largely thanks to the patronage of the Persian kings, who then took possession of Babylon. In 525 BC. e. Cambyses by the Phoenician navy seized Egypt and the Canaanites, in gratitude declared ... Persian administration will protect the merchants from the Levant in any part of the royal estates. Those paying the correct service - helped Darius and Xerxes in their famous trips to Greece (as always, provide the court). At the same time kill two birds with one stone - cajoled patrons and weaken its main competitors on the seas.
Going into the... of the Persian Empire, Phoenicia, moreover, was able to learn more about the traditions of banking which arose in Babylon in II millennium BC. e. Assyrian and Babylonian bankers were initially conventional moneylenders, who lend a fixed term with interest. Then they moved on to more complex transactions - loans given to individual merchants, commercial operations, and given the contributions received and carried out non-cash payments between different cities (for this purpose leather stamped receipts of a financial institution ).
The same practice adopted Phoenicians - checks, however, did not reach us, but their descriptions are found in ancient writings. And if the Babylonian and Assyrian businessmen served mostly fellow tribesmen, the Phoenicians - the first time brought the ... Their services are used by almost all the negotiators of the Eastern Mediterranean, the kings, the people's collection of Greek city-states. At the turn of the VI and V centuries BC. e. Tyre and Sidon were playing the same role as ...
Initially, letters were.
To simplify the treatment of goods by the Phoenicians, probably invented the alphabet, whose name comes from his first letter - ... However, the invention is held before the Persian period - roughly in the middle of the II millennium BC. e. Gradually supplanted other text alphabet system, as it was not suitable as an example to them, despite the fact that among 22 of his characters was no place for a vowel, which only later figured denoted by special symbols or replace the similar -sounding consonants.
Whatever it was, the value of the alphabet can not be overemphasized - the replacement of hundreds of characters two dozen letters a lot easier assimilation of letters. In parallel, the Phoenicians spread through the Mediterranean convenient material for writing - Papyrus. It is no accident in the Greek book was called ...
The Phoenician alphabet is laid the foundation for the vast majority of literate people of the world. On the one hand, it occurred to the Jewish, Aramaic and Arabic literature, and not obzavedshiesya vowels and designed according to ancient custom, from right to left. On the other - it is already in the IX century BC. e. learned Greeks, who changed the course of reading and added vowels, as this strongly ... From the Greek alphabet have occurred, in turn, Latin, Slavic, Georgian and Armenian. All of them owe their existence to some unknown priest, or merchant of Sidon, Byblos, or. Who knows - perhaps without it, the students of Moscow and Yerevan are still memorized letters, instead of hundreds of complex characters.
Requirements of the trade forced the Phoenicians to acquire scientific knowledge. Mariners require the ability to find the way to the stars, which included knowledge of astronomy. Merchant had to have an idea on how to produce goods which he bought about different crafts to navigate the terrain, know the customs and desirable - the languages of other nations. For this reason, merchants have sought to give their children a broad education, teaching them math, reading and writing, as well as the art of war. Geographer Strabo wrote that the Phoenicians were ... Because each of these branches of knowledge necessary to the merchant and korablevladeltsu ...
Probably, in the Phoenician cities, there are many schools, but did not reach us any information about them, nor the works of local writers and scholars. We know the name of the sage Sanhunyatona Berita ( Beirut ) that ... In 1836, the German pastor Friedrich Wagenfeld issued allegedly found them to work this Sanhunyatona, but it turned out to be fake. Scientists must be content with fragments of work, have reached us in the retelling of the Greek author Philo Biblskogo.
Were known as a historian and philosopher Isocrates Moss, who seemed to have guessed long before Democritus the existence of atoms. In the Hellenistic era of famous natives of Phoenicia - philosopher Zeno of Citium in Cyprus ( not to be confused with Zeno of Elea, author of the famous paradoxes, aporias ) and the poet Antipater Sidon, who wrote in Greek. Finally, in the book of Josephus ' The antiquity of the Jewish people ... The rest of the rich literature of Phoenicia died. Proceedings of the historians and writers of Carthage, from which the names do not have even been burned by the Romans after the capture of the city in 146 BC. e.
Adonis and Astarte.
The most famous of Phoenician mythology tells the story of the shepherd Adonis, whose name means ... It was so beautiful that he fell in love with the goddess Astarte ( Aphrodite in the Greek version ). Out of jealousy of her husband, the god of war Reshef, a young man afflicted wild boar, which mortally wounded him in the hunt. From the blood of Adonis grew roses and tears of mourning his Aphrodite - anemones. Love Goddess was so great that she made a handsome young immortal, allowing it to once a year, in spring, returning to the ground. This legend transmit Greek authors, adding that Adonis was worshiped throughout the Middle East. At his image reflected figure dying and reviving god of fertility, like Akkadian Tammuz, Osiris, the Egyptian, Phrygian Attis. In Tyre, he was known under the name Melkarta in Sidon - Eshmuna. The writer Lucian wrote that the Bible every spring were noisy celebrations in honor of Adonis. On the first day of their residents wept and torn clothes as a sign of mourning for the dead god. The next day all were glad of his resurrection, danced and drank wine, and the wives and daughters of the townspeople believed his pious duty to be given to the first comer. In memory of Adonis Phoenicians brought the custom to grow herbs in pots all, becoming thus the founders of the flower room. The same Lucian reports that the river flowing through the Bible, in the spring was stained red, and Phoenicians believed in it the blood of Adonis. Already at that time, scientists guessed that the real reason for this phenomenon - the reddish soil washed away into the river during flood.
Mednoruky Moloch.
Very little is known about Phoenician religion. Part of the blame for themselves the inhabitants of Canaan, who out of fear of the gods did not want to pronounce the sacred name. They were replaced by respectful nicknames E (actually, the ... Later in the same way the name taboo of Jehovah and the Jews, replaces the word of Yahweh ...
In the few myths and archaeological finds can be concluded that in each there was a Phoenician city, as mentioned above, its own pantheon, which included typically chief god, his wife, the goddess of fertility, and their son. True, there were also other triad - for example, in Tyre in the VII century BC. e. ... Heavenly ... But the sea, the benefactor and protector of the people of the trade, was in need of constant attention and reverence. God of fertility - the famous Melkarta were regarded as the main patron of Tyre, although sometimes this role is passed to the ... Both competed for the love of God a beautiful grove - the only goddess, worshiped all the Phoenicians. She embodied the life and love, even though her actions are often unpredictable and treacherous. In Byblos, her husband saw a handsome young Adonis, in Sidon - god healer Eshmuna.
Phoenician temples were a fenced area inside the building - ... So called, and the sacred stones, which were embodied in a higher power. These stones were placed in a ... Often, when churches were the trees and springs, also revered sacrosanct. And sometimes the Canaanites treated without any temples, sacrificing in gardens or on the tops of the mountains. Slaughtered for the glory of the gods of large and small animals, birds slaughtered, ... Then it all burned on a stone altar, singing hymns and burning incense.
But the most valuable people are the victim of. Under the towers and gates of newly built cities buried babies. After the military victories of slaughtered captives. And when trouble comes, do not spare even his own children. In the passage from Sanhunyatona says: ... Diodorus of Sicily, on the other hand, left a message on a copper statue of the deity, which is doomed from the hands of a child fell into the fire. This statue was called Moloch - that is, in Canaanite, simply ... In fact, there was no Moloch, and the victim was devoted to the supreme patron of the city. Why is it, of course, was not easy.
Dreams of independence.
During the period of Persian rule Phoenician city for the first time united in the Union. It happened in the IV century BC. e. When the inhabitants of Tyre, Sidon and Arvada chosen as its center the old village, describing it as Tripoli (Greek, ... There was going to board the Phoenician society - a sort of parliament of 300. By the time the cities are still formally ruled by kings, but in fact the power was transferred to the richest merchants and bankers. Sometimes, they overthrew the monarch and the formal powers of the judges passed him, Suffet, elected for one year.
In the vast Persian empire Phoenicians almost the first time in its history tasted the benefits of peace and the rule of law, were able to enjoy good access to roads and e-mail. And in the end the inevitable happened - they forgot about the past deprivations, ... For example, when he commanded for Tyre and Sidon to prepare the fleet for a campaign against Carthage, they resolutely refused to act against neighbors.
Further - more, in the Phoenician minds conceived the idea of independence. In 350 BC. e. They rose in revolt under the leadership of some of Tennessee, but the forces were unequal. Seven years later the king Artaxerxes III utterly destroyed Sidon, destroying 40,000 of its inhabitants. And then came last a conqueror - Alexander of Macedon, who in 332 BC. e. subjected to no less than the destruction of Tyre. The island city resisted the invincible commander for seven months. Then the king ordered him to pour from the mainland by a dam, thus turning it into a peninsula. In the end, the wall collapsed under the blows of the Greek rams and catapults kernels. Nearly 10,000 tirtsev killed in battle or were crucified on crosses the winner, and the remaining inhabitants were enslaved. And though after this massacre revived the city did, he did not return a previous value.
After Alexander's death, Phoenicia was the ... Superiority of the trade routes in the meantime completely taken over by the Greeks, and even in the harbors of Lebanon, Greek replaced Canaanite. The last remnants of self Tyre and Sidon had lost under the Romans. In place of the ...
In 218, the revenge be done short - was a young Syrian Emperor Heliogabalus ( Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Bassian ), declared the supreme deity Baal in Rome. But four years later he was killed, and soon forgot Baal was relieved not only in Rome but also in the Levant, which adopted the doctrine of Christ. And with the advent of Islam Phoenician culture finally ceased to exist. But, as we have seen, its great achievements of humanity is not lost.
In. Arlihman ' Around the World. Ukraine '№ 12 (2795) 2006 g.
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