This ancient civilization is almost forgotten today because it has left very few traces on earth. But it radically changed the course of history, determined the development of culture and science for several centuries in advance. The appearance of the alphabet in Phenicia is considered the main achievement of a small, but very powerful at the time, sea power. But first things first.
Map location
As many people know, an alphabetical letter appeared in Phenicia. But here is where this country was located, not everyone knows. Ancient civilization occupied a small strip of land along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Its land was cut off from the rest of the territories by the Lebanese mountains, which almost came close to the water. If we compare the Phoenician state with other civilizations of the ancient world - Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Greece or Rome, then it seems to be a real midget. But its inhabitants called at all the ports of the Mediterranean region. Her ships carried important goods, and the merchants themselves beat them as welcome guests in many royal palaces. The appearance of the letter in Phenicia was not accidental. Indeed, an effective and simple system was needed for accounting.
Phoenicians - who are they?
Today it is known for certain that they invented the alphabetical letter in Phenicia. When it appeared, it was also a fairly studied question. But historians do not know who the inhabitants of the maritime state were. Their ancestors lived in these lands already in the third millennium BC. True, they did not have a state like this; there were separate cities in which life was in full swing. They called themselves by the name of the settlement (Tyrians, Sidonians), and they also said that the land of Canaan was their home. The Semitic language, close to modern Arabic, the ancient languages of the Assyrians, Akkadians, Egyptians, was their native language .
According to many ancient authors, the Phoenicians came from islands in the Persian Gulf. Probably, they left their ancestral home at the end of the fourth millennium BC. By this time, archaeologists attribute the first traces of their civilization on the Mediterranean coast.
The name of the country
The alphabetical letter in Phenicia appeared in the distant years, at the dawn of the development of human civilization. It was their alphabet, which contained only twenty-two letters, that became the prototype of the writing systems of the ancient world. Interestingly, there are several versions of the origin of the name of the state. The first - the most common, claims that Phenicia is translated from Greek as "Country of Purple." After all, it was here that rare paint was extracted for expensive fabrics. But you can translate the name also as "Country of the Phoenix", a fabulous creature that is able to be reborn from the ashes. The phoenix appeared from the east, where the Phoenicians lived. The third version is the most probable. According to her, the name of the state comes from the Egyptian word meaning ship builder.
How did the Phoenicians live?
The alphabetical letter in Phenicia appeared in the fifteenth to thirteenth century BC. Until that time, people lived on fertile and fertile land. Although it was not enough, it allowed growing dates, olives, grapes, and raising cows and sheep. There was no need to artificially irrigate the soil, since rains generously watered it. The sea gave fish and other underwater inhabitants. It is not surprising that already in the middle of the III millennium BC. e. small villages grew into cities. The largest of them were Byblos, Arvad, Tyr, Ugarit, Sidon, Lagish. Almost all of them were surrounded by massive walls, and in the central part there were temples and houses of rulers. Ordinary Phoenicians huddled in small huts made of clay or brick. The streets were equipped with drainage ditches.
The alphabetical letter in Phenicia (century 13-15 BC. E.) appeared much later. But even then, the townspeople felt a lack of space. Because of this, they first poured artificial dams, expanding the islands, and built multi-storey buildings. Carthage was also very closely built up - the most famous and largest colony, which was able to compete with Rome for a long time. The walls were skillfully painted with ornaments of geometric shapes and ribbons of different colors. The presence of a long corridor and patio was characteristic. Of the household items, the Phoenicians had low tables and chairs, large chests, flat beds.
Overseas merchants
The appearance of the alphabetical letter in Phenicia is caused by the lively trade of merchants with the whole world. But what did the inhabitants of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean have? The cities of the conquerors of the seas were very rich, archaeologists have found much evidence of this. The source of the Phoenician treasures was trade: the paths from Asia Minor, from the north and south converged in this place. The fruits of the earth were barely enough for food, but there was more than enough wood. And this material was very popular in desert Egypt. The Bible supplied the market with cedar, oak and cypress, which were widely used in shipbuilding. Sarcophagi for the Egyptian nobility and pharaohs were made of valuable wood.
They traded wine, olive oil, and, of course, purple fabrics. From a special kind of mollusks, paint was extracted that dyed wool and linen in a noble purple hue. Only very rich people could afford these fabrics. The production was so massive that there was a lack of locally-made fabrics. Therefore, merchants brought cheap goods (unpainted) to Phenicia, and already here they cultivated and transformed it. Products of local artisans made of silver, bronze, glass were also in demand. And there was mediation between the west and the east.
Ancient Writings: Versions of Origin
So, the alphabetical letter in Phenicia. When it appeared, we already mentioned. But scientists converge to the hypothesis that there was an even more ancient alphabet, which served as the basis for the Phoenicians. They call it Western-Semitic or Protosinay, but so far this system has not been decrypted.
The first inscriptions made by the Phoenician system of writing are dated to the thirteenth century BC, shortly before the start of the Trojan War. According to researchers, the inhabitants of Phenicia made thematic notes on various sciences, and they were engaged in philosophy, literature, and history. Unfortunately, most of their works were lost, and only small passages and quotes in the entries of ancient authors have survived to this day.
There are also suggestions that the alphabetical letter in Phenicia (approximate date of occurrence) came from Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Jews could bring them to Canaan after returning from captivity from the land of the pharaohs. Perhaps they were that part of the population that was not captured, but remained at home. Who knows?
System features
As mentioned above, the appearance of the alphabet in Phenicia was caused by the needs of society. Now let's talk about the system itself and its features. The Phoenicians used a consonant principle, that is, only consonant sounds were recorded on paper. The vowels were not recorded, but thought out by the reader, leaving the context. They wrote from left to right.
In their development, the writing of the ancient Phoenicians went through three stages of development:
- The first or Phoenician lasted from the moment the alphabet was born (the second half of the second millennium BC) until the conquest of the country by Alexander the Great.
- The Punian period begins with the founding of Carthage (9th century BC) and ends with the destruction of the city by the Romans.
- Novopuniysky, which lasted until the fifth century AD.
Gradually, the alphabet moves from the epigraphic style to italic. At the same time, the letters lengthened and narrowed, acquiring the final form.
Achievements of the Phoenicians
The appearance of the alphabet in Phenicia is not all the achievements of the local population. The fact that the sailors from this state were the first to circumnavigate Africa is considered proven. Swimming took more than three years. First, travelers went to the Red Sea, circled the Black Continent and entered Gibraltar. And they also established trade between west and east, laid the foundations of maritime craft. And this is a lot for that time.