Ancient Civ’s Phoenecian Essay – Rough Draft Aulora Plommer Mr. M Harris May 22, 2014 The Phoenicians were a tranquil society that chose a lifestyle of peace and mutual wealth over war and conquest; a trait that was out of place in the violent and war-stricken ancient world, but undoubtedly lead to their ultimate success and prosperity. The Phoenicians were a unique and diverse culture that made many developments and advancements in the ancient world, particularly in the development of sea travel – creating ships that could travel farther and faster than any other ships of the time period – craftsmanship in the form of speciality dyes using advanced techniques as well as the creation of blown glass, and the advancements in the trade system by mainly exporting products that were created with an intended buyer in mind. Of the many advancements the Phoenicians made in the ancient world, the most well known and prolific was the development and enhancement of sea travel. Although they did not reach the height of their power at sea until after 1000 B.C.E., over five hundred years after the true beginning of the Phoenician empire circa 1550 B.C.E., it is obvious that the Phoenicians were the true power at sea in the ancient Mediterranean. They were best known for their cargo ships, which were spacious so as to carry more goods at a time, and by 600 B.C.E., the Phoenicians had advanced the classic cargo ship so it no longer had one, but two masts which supported a square sail that was intended to make the steering of the ship easier. Although largely a peaceful society, the Phoenicians were in the possession of long, narrow war ships that were powered by oarsmen called galleys. These galleys were often equipped w... ... middle of paper ... ...tions to trade. For example, the Phoenecians used sand from their beaches and advanced techniques that were the first of their kind to create blown glasswork that has been said to even rival the Egyptians in terms of its beauty and craftsmanship. In addition, the Phoenecians also realized they could extract purple dye, a colour that would eventually come to represent royalty and wealth, from the Murex, a sea snail found along their shores. They purple Phoenecian dye was so popular throughout the ancient world, the Phoenecians eventually drove the Murex to extinction and had to find other methods of creating their popular and well known clothes. Because of the cedar forests that surrounded their land, the Phoenecians were also excellent carvers, creating trinkets as well as day-to-day items, such as bowls, that would be put up for sale around the Mediterranean.
Hale, John. Lords of the Sea: Athenian Navy and the Birth of Democracy. New York: Viking, 2009.
For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as a cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counterpart The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and—importantly—man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men.
The description of the Axumite port of Adulis in the document “Periplus of The Erythraen Sea”, provides an idea of the influence and importance that Axum had on the rest of the World. This port allowed the Roman Empire to tap into many exotic product from India and the African interior that were not accessible in earlier times. The author describes the many exotic imports and exports that arrive, and
During the tenth century BCE, Phoenician cities became great centers of trade and a major commercial presence. Greeks in Sicily and southern Italy were enthusiastic users of coins, so the Carthaginians began to mint coins to better facilitate trade with them. Metals were still the major trade of Phoenicians in the Mediterranean, perhaps since the first known base of the Phoenicians was close to copper rich Cyprus, near Larnaka in the ninth century. This was an important period for the Italian lands which early Greek traders and settlers traveled through and also for their home nations that grew as centers of trade. As Euboian cities subsided to more minor roles, Corinth dominated trade traffic, sending large numbers of their fine vases westward and bringing back food and raw materials. The Phoenicians overseas became busier traders than the Phoenicians of the Levant. As well, the far west Euboians extended their trading by linking Syria, Rhodes, Ionia and Corinth to Pithekoussai. Pithekoussai citizens were traders, craftsmen and craftswomen. Because of trade, the character of the eastern Mediterranean was changed as Egyptians began their expeditions along the Red Sea trading in ivory and ebony. More trade networks were created by the eighth century bringing Eastern culture to Etruria and southern Spain. Communities of merchants extended trade between Greece and Italy. Fifth
In the Odyssey the people of Ithaca are accustomed to hospitality. In Odysseus’s lengthy journey home he learns to maintain modesty. Odysseus’s family never give up on him throughout his entire 20 year journey, and they kept Ithaca for him when he came back. The Greek values of hospitality, humility, and loyalty are conveyed in The Odyssey.
In Book eight of Homer’s Odyssey our hero Odysseus has come to the palace of King Alcinous and Queen Arete of the Phaeacians. This book can be read as a historical record, containing paragons and social rules. These rules and paragon are Homer’s and the archaic Greek’s view of a society in its most undisturbed form. Homer uses the Phaeacians to illustrate what behaviors are to be expected of a kingdom. By giving the listener/reader such a calm and well-organized realm Homer creates a stark juxtapose to all of the other oikos (homes) seen previously in the epic. Family, peace, respect, leadership, religion, sport, sailing, and much more are exampled in their quintessential form. All these aspects of Greek culture are held to high esteem and the Phaeacians are given all of these qualities by the gods.
Their civilization consists of what men made. In a sense, they give shape to their environment with the intention of having better conditions. " But once we reach our city, ringed by walls/ and strong high towers too, with a fine harbor either side..." (Homer, 176) The city of Phaeacians has walls, which is a sign of wealth and power as well as human effort to do it. They have also man made buildings, towers. Likewise, they make wine and bread that confirms their diligence in the system of civilization. They not only rely on the generosity of the nature but also work hard to have an improved environment.
The development of an empire is a change strongly emphasized in the Archeology as a radical departure from the Hellenic tradition, and consequently a major source of conflict among the Greeks. Prior to the adven...
Using their wooden ships, they raided, traded, explored and settled in Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands. They developed different kinds of ships to help them navigate the ocean, seas and even narrow, shallow rivers. One kind of ship was the “knarr.” The knarr was a short, sturdy cargo ship that was mainly used for long ocean voyages and hazardous trips. It mainly used sails, but also had oars in the event that there was no wind on the open water. Another ship was known as the “karve”. They were very similar to the knarr, but had shallower h...
easy or natural for Phoenicians decide to pursue the sea. The Phoenicians became likely the
Bowman, John. Exploration in the World of the Ancients. New York: Facts on File, 2005.
“The first advanced culture in Greece, and indeed in all of Europe, was created by a people referred to today as the Minoans. Their civilization flourished from about 2200 to 1450 B.C. on Crete, the large island located about one hundred miles southeast of the Gree...
Damrosch, David, and David Pike. The Longman Anthology of World Literature. The Ancient World. Volume A. Second Edition. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Pgs. .656-691. Print.
The rooms were used for everything from industry to meeting places and even sleeping quarters. The main function of these palatial buildings seemed to be economical. From clay tablets that have been accidentally preserved through fire historians know that the Mycenaean employed a ‘palace economy.’ The tablets, written in an ancient script called Linear B, are mostly records of good coming in and out of the palace. A palace economy was maintained by trading the surplus of goods produced by farmers and craftsmen with other cities around the eastern Mediterranean. Mycenaean pottery has been found in ancient sites in Palestine and Syria as well as Miletus, Rhodes and Egypt and it is a testament to the extent of trade that Mycenaean had with other cultures . It was essential that the trade routes be kept safe in order to maintain the flow of goods. By about 1300bce Mycenaean wares had been so standardized that regional differences were impossible to detect . This suggests that during the late Bronze Age, Mycenaean culture had become increasingly unified economically. The tablets found at Pylos suggest that Mycenaean must have used slaves to d...
To begin with, geography played an important role in the development of Greek civilization. The geography of Greece made it very unique and very powerful. It is a country surrounded by water and the sea which has always played an important role in its history. The ancient Greeks were active seafarers seeking opportunities for trade and founding new independent cities at coastal sites across the Mediterranean Sea. By the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., Greek colonies and settlements stretched all the way from western Asia Minor to southern Italy, Sicily, North Africa, and even to the coasts of southern France and Spain. These regions opened up further trade connections to the north which gave access to valuable raw materials, such as gold. Also, Greek city-states consisted of mountainous peninsula and many islands that isolated the Greeks from one another causing the development of the communities to be independent that they even fought each other to gain advantage. Later, the Greeks established colonies that spread civilizations throughout the Mediterranean world which made it more powerful and more significant.