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Travels of the Phoenician sailors
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JOURNEYS OF THE PHOENICIAN SAILORS
The most famous journey was made by the Phoenician navigators during the time of the mighty and conceited Egyptian pharaoh Necho (reigned from 610 to 592 BC).
He called to himself the best and most experienced sailors of Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon, and instructed them to sail around Africa. If they never turn back, having the shore all the time on their right hand, they will find themselves again in Egypt, the pharaoh promised them great rewards. If they became timid and turned the steering wheel, he threatened them with cruel punishments.
Phoenician cities
Three Phoenician ships, well-equipped, filled with food necessary for long-distance navigation, with the best rowers left the city of Sais. They moved along the Nile branches, then along a wide canal dug back in the days of Queen Hatshepsut and now - 900 years later - cleared and deepened by order of Necho, they entered the green waters of the Arabian Gulf (the so-called Red Sea).
At first, the path went along deserted rocky shores inhabited by wild troglodytes (cave dwellers), but on the fortieth day the hospitable shores of Punt appeared. Swarthy, half-naked Puntians ran to the shore and took the Phoenician sailors to their village, located on the swampy shore on stilts. Phoenicians, after a hearty offered by hospitable hosts, laid out their goods: amber , golden cups, purple cloths, and sharp iron daggers, hitherto unknown to the Puntians. In exchange, the natives offered them tame monkeys, greyhound hunting dogs, and long-horned bulls. But the Phoenicians asked for small balls of dry myrrh, the fragrant resin of a tree that grows only in Punta and neighboring Arabia. They knew that Egyptian priests would generously pay them for these balls. The gods of Egypt love the fragrant smoke swirling from the braziers, on which fragrant myrrh is heated and melts.
Sea routes of the Phoenicians
Moving on, the Phoenicians sailed along the coast, inhabited by black, snub-nosed, thick-lipped people. They walked almost completely naked. Only a narrow belt fitted the waist, and leopard tails and large shells hung from it. Black people were distrustful of strangers and did not allow them to land. Stretching their bows, they threatened with sharp arrows or hurled stones that raised columns of spray around the ships. However, once the Phoenicians managed to get off on a completely empty coast. On the sandbar lay heaps of dazzling white elephant tusks, and next to them were several leopard skins. There was not a soul to be seen around. The oldest of the Phoenician merchants explained the matter: locals want to trade their booty for our goods, but they are afraid of us. We must take their offerings and put our gifts in return. We'll have to come back here sometime. If we act honestly, then the inhabitants will trust us and always bring ivory to this place.”
The young merchants obeyed the old man and, loading 120 of the best fangs onto the ships, laid out piles of cheap colorful beads, Egyptian faience vessels and small bronze hatchets in return.
The first galley - a multi-tiered rowing boat
Swimming continued. Every day the air got hotter and hotter. The heat became unbearable. The Phoenicians threw off their woolen cloaks and remained in light linen shirts, but this did not help either. On the thirteenth month of the voyage, a miracle happened. The sun at noon deviated not to the south, as it was supposed to, but to the north. Even the old people had never seen anything like it and, sighing, they said: “God Baal is angry and goes north. He will hide from us completely in the Underworld and the whole world will plunge into darkness. But the days passed, and nothing terrible happened. Sailors got used to a strange phenomenon (the Phoenicians reached the southern hemisphere, and the equator was in the north). One thing upset them: in their homeland, no one would believe them when they told that they had seen the sun at noon on the north side.
Stocks soon ran out. I had to make a long landing, shoot wild and sow some barley and wheat on the marshy shore. Under the hot southern rays, the grains quickly sprouted, and after three months it was already possible to harvest a plentiful harvest.
The Libyan country seemed endless. For the second year the Phoenicians sailed, but there was no end in sight to the journey. But now the happy day has come. The coast began to turn to the west, and the sailors realized that this was the southern outskirts of Libya. Soon they were already sailing north and realized that they were approaching, albeit slowly, towards the house, skirting Libya from the side of the sunset. At noon, the daylight again began to deviate to the south, and the sailors breathed freely. The hardest part was already over.
Here the ships entered the deep bay. In the depths one could see a small island full of some wild people covered with thick fur. The guide, who had been more than once in distant southern countries, called them gorillas. Several Phoenicians - experienced hunters - with spears in their hands chased the monsters, but they ran away, clinging to the rocks and defending themselves with stones. Managed to capture only three hairy and muscular . They could not speak and only mumbled angrily, biting and scratching. It was not possible to bring them to the shore. I had to kill them and tear off their skins. The Phoenician sailors argued for a long time whether they were people or animals. And they still couldn't solve it.
Soon the attention of the Phoenicians was attracted by a new phenomenon. Appeared in the distance high mountain, from the top of which a column of flame beat. Fiery streams poured out into the sea, and whole clouds of ash were carried by the wind in all directions and reached the ships. “This is the chariot of the gods,” said the guide, prayerfully hands and uttering in an undertone incantations - woe to the one who approaches her.
Here appeared new island. The sailors disembarked to stock up on fresh water from the stream. Some went deep into the dense forest. Huge branched trees were buried in greenery. Their trunks were varied and fragrant. The stream flowed into salt Lake, in the middle of which was another island. The travelers did not meet a single person during the day, only the chirping of countless birds and the roar of lions broke the silence. But the black southern night came, and suddenly thousands of lights blazed in the middle of the forest and sounds were heard , cymbals and tympanums and wild guttural cries. The travelers fled to the shore in fear, and the soothsayers told them to leave the island.
Sailing past the mouth of an unknown river full of crocodiles and hippos, the Phoenicians saw a coastal village in the distance. Huts made of tree trunks were covered with palm leaves. The inhabitants, who poured out on the shore, spoke in a familiar language, welcoming the arriving guests.
Carthage
They were colonists from Carthage, a large Phoenician city located on the northern coast of Libya.
Having stayed with their compatriots for 10 days, the sailors set off again and, having passed between the two pointed pillars of Melkart, entered the familiar Upper Sea. The further path was no longer dangerous. The sailors rested for a long time in noisy Carthage, visiting friends and acquaintances, selling ivory, ebony, golden sand and animal skins on the market - everything that they managed to get along the way.
Sales on the market, everything that the Phoenicians got on the way
A month later, the Phoenician sailors were already sailing to the coast of Egypt. Their journey continued for three years, Pharaoh Necho did not think to see them alive and, rewarding them with generous gifts, noticed that not a single traveler had yet climbed so far, and many centuries would pass until there were other such daredevils to decide to go around huge Libya and return through the pillars of Melqart.
>>History: Phoenicia - the land of seafarers
Phoenicia - the land of seafarers
1. Conquerors of the sea.
Approximately four thousand years ago, east coast Mediterranean settled tribes, which the ancient Greeks called the Phoenicians, and their country Phoenicia. It is assumed that Phoenicia means purple. The Phoenicians extracted from sea mollusks bright paint- purple, which was used for dyeing fabrics. Purple was considered the color of kings.
The Phoenicians were known as the best seafarers of the Ancient World. They knew how to build strong ships that were not afraid of storms and storms. In the holds of these ships were chained rowing slaves. Phoenician ships sailed all over the Mediterranean Sea, even went out into the Atlantic Ocean, reaching the northern lands of Europe and the western coast of Africa. They were the first in the world to make about 600 BC. e. sea voyage around Africa. The Phoenicians used the art of navigation not only for good purposes. Among them were sea robbers, pirates who robbed other people's ships.
2. Merchants and city builders.
Phoenician merchants led a lively and very profitable trade throughout the Mediterranean. Together with the merchants, the Phoenician cities also grew rich. The Phoenicians borrowed even the rulers of other states. The Phoenicians were creditors respected in ancient world. At the same time, they did not hesitate to acquire wealth by any means. Rumor called the Phoenicians greedy and cunning, able to deceive people.
The Phoenicians were not only fearless seafarers, successful traders, but also excellent city builders. Their cities Ugarit, Tire, Sidon, Byblos were located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in places convenient for the mooring of ships. These were port cities with well-equipped harbors and powerful fortifications. Magnificent palaces were erected in them.
Skilled artisans lived in the Phoenician cities. They knew how to produce and dye fabrics. Purple-dyed fabrics were especially highly valued. Jewelers made elegant jewelry from gold, silver and precious stones, which were willingly bought by the local rich and strangers. Carvers created expressive figurines and ivory products.
Phoenician craftsmen invented transparent glass by melting it in special furnaces from a mixture of white sand and soda. Incense vessels and vases were blown out of this glass. Glass mass was used to create the famous Phoenician masks. Such masks covered the faces of the dead during burial.
The city of Byblos maintained trade relations with Egypt. In this city, the Greeks bought Egyptian material for writing - papyrus (in Greek, byblos). Hence the name of the holy book of Christians Bible, meaning "books", as well as the word "library".
In places convenient for life, where their ships reached, the Phoenicians founded colonies. A colony is a settlement based on someone else's territory. The most famous colony of the Phoenicians was Carthage, founded in northern Africa in the 9th-8th centuries BC. e. people from the city of Tyre. Gradually, Carthage became richest city, which became the center of a powerful state. Not only other Phoenician colonial cities obeyed him, but also some peoples living in Africa and Spain.
At the beginning of the 13th-12th century BC. e. the "peoples of the sea" began to attack the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They seized the lands south of the Phoenician cities. These were the Philistines.
From the name of these peoples came the name of the country they conquered - Palestine. Phoenicia had a complex relationship with Palestine. There were wars and reconciliations between them, negotiations and trade were conducted.
3. Gods of the Phoenicians.
The Phoenicians worshiped the god Baal. His name means "master, lord". He was considered the god of thunder and lightning, storms, war, but also the patron of the state. The Phoenicians made human sacrifices to their gods: they threw babies into the open mouth of a huge idol, in which fire burned.
The main goddess of the Phoenicians, Astarte, was similar to the ancient Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Astarte is the goddess of love, fertility and war.
During the excavations of the Phoenician city of Motsia, a ritual cemetery was discovered, where hundreds of clay vessels with the charred remains of sacrificed babies were buried. Small steles were erected over the graves with images of the Phoenician gods, to whom these sacrifices were made.
4. Phoenician alphabet.
Initially, the people of Phoenicia adopted the cuneiform script from the peoples of Mesopotamia, adapting it to their language. But for keeping trade records and calculations, the cunning Phoenicians eventually simplified cuneiform to the utmost. There were 22 consonant sounds in the Phoenician language. So they came up with 22 letter signs. The Phoenicians did not designate vowels in writing. The lines were not written from left to right, as we are, but from right to left.
The Phoenicians arranged the letters in a certain order. Got an alphabet. The first letter of the alphabet was the letter aleph, or a; the second is "bet", or "b". "Aleph" originally meant "bull's head", and "beta" - "house". The ancient Greeks borrowed the alphabet from the Phoenicians, who also introduced letters that denoted vowel sounds. The Romans adopted the alphabet from the Greeks. The Slavic and then the Russian alphabet was built on the basis of the Greek alphabet. Thus, having learned to read and write, we find ourselves in direct connection with the ancient Phoenicians.
To the Phoenicians, we may owe the name of our continent - Europe. That was the name, according to the myth of the ancient Greeks, the daughter of the Phoenician king. One day, young Europe was playing on the seashore. God Zeus, admiring her beauty, took the form of a white bull and bowed to the girl, offering her a ride. Europa climbed onto the back of an affectionate animal, but suddenly the bull rushed into the sea and swam swiftly from the shore. He sailed to the island of Crete, where Europe became the wife of Zeus and bore him three sons. The name of Europe began to be called part of the Western Mediterranean, and then the entire continent. The abduction of Europa has become one of my favorite stories artists .
IN AND. Ukolova, L.P. Marinovich, History, Grade 5
Submitted by readers from Internet sites
If you have corrections or suggestions for this lesson,
About 4000 years ago in the Mediterranean, namely its eastern part, tribes first appeared, which in Ancient Greece gave a special name - the Phoenicians. They went down in history primarily as the most famous sailors of the past.
It is known that the name of the country - Phoenicia - literally sounds like a beautiful adjective - "purple". And this analogy arose for a reason: the tribes mined a bright dye for fabrics - purple - which was fixed as the color of kings. But there is also a second meaning - "Fenehu", which means shipbuilders. It is also justified: the Phoenicians were able to create ships so strong that they were not afraid of even the strongest sea storms and storms. Swimming was provided by rowing slaves arranged in two rows. Having laid the foundations of shipbuilding, these brave people were considered the inventors of the first galleys - multi-tiered rowing boats.
The Threat of Extinction and Carthage
The Phoenician colonies occupied almost the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea, their possessions also included part of the Atlantic coast and North Africa. Many trading cities were founded there, in particular, Carthage who had the advantage geographical position and became the largest trading center with other countries, as well as the protection of the Phoenician colonies during the intensified struggle with the Greeks and Tartessians.
Travels of famous sailors
The tribes, known as talented merchants, smart creditors and resourceful city builders, also gained fame as the best navigators known not only to Ancient Phenicia, but to the whole world. They sailed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, off the northern lands of Europe and the western African coasts, were the first to travel around the entire African continent, which lasted 2.5 years. This truly grandiose enterprise took place on behalf of the Egyptian king in the 7th century BC, a millennium before Vasco da Gama, proved that the sea surrounds Africa on all sides, excluding the junction with Asia.
There was also a report about the sun, which was on the right, and not on the left, because. travelers were in the other hemisphere of the Earth, which almost for the first time gave reason to assume a unique form of the planet - a ball, although at that time it was difficult to believe in it. There were also rare and then inaccessible expeditions south across the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, this is even mentioned in the Bible. In addition, these sailors were the first to see the shores of modern Great Britain and brought tin and Baltic amber there.
Around 500 BC e. the Phoenician fleet sailed west through the Strait of Gibraltar and, after establishing several small colonies on the Moroccan coast, moved a little south, reaching the Gulf of Guinea. Travels of the Phoenician sailors expanded ancient geographical knowledge, despite the fact that the Phoenicians kept many discoveries a secret - and history confirms this: until the 15th century, almost no one dared to swim along the western part of the African mainland.
Other achievements of the Phoenicians: some interesting facts
It's safe to say that no other people made so many discoveries in antiquity. And, despite the fact that not in all cases it is the Phoenicians who are the authors of inventions, it was they who introduced them into life, thereby changing the course of civilization:
- created an alphabet who began a triumphant journey around the world, supplanting virtually all other forms of writing; it is interesting that all the letters of the alphabet, the number of which numbered more than two dozen, were consonants;
- the first in the world thought of saving fish from spoilage with salt, supplying products to the most distant countries; by the way, it was salt, which at that time was valued without exaggeration worth its weight in gold, that the Phoenicians owe their outstanding wealth;
- began to extract paint from shellfish, which has become a symbol royal luxury, and this achievement happened randomly: the shell was accidentally gnawed by a dog;
- again the first in the world began to produce glass in furnaces from ordinary sand and soda; masks were made from the resulting glass, which covered the faces of the then dead;
- brought grapes and olives to North Africa, which then ended up in Spain, where they are still grown, they bought papyrus from the Egyptians and invented fighting vehicles.
Thus, the heritage of this civilization had a huge impact on the further development of mankind.
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Phoenician navigators and their travels
Culture of Ancient Phoenicia
The culture and science of the ancient Phoenicians were also developed at a very high level: they had their own alphabet, which was eventually adopted by the Greeks. The peak of the heyday of the Phoenician civilization dates back to about 1 thousand BC. AD
In ancient Phoenicia, there were no good fertile lands, the constant rains, due to the climate of the Mediterranean, also did not allow the Phoenicians to engage in agriculture. The only way out for the inhabitants of the country was to engage in navigation, which significantly expanded trade relations with other peoples, and the abundance of forests allowed them to build ships on their own.
Navigation and trade relations
The Phoenicians built very durable ships that were not afraid of either storms or storms. It was the Phoenicians who first modeled and built ships with a keel, equipped with sheathing on the sides of the vessel - this significantly increased their speed.
Also, their ships were equipped with special compartments for the transport of cargo, which were located above the deck. Due to the strength of their ships, the Phoenicians had the opportunity to go to the Atlantic Ocean, which at that time was not available to many sailors in the Mediterranean.
The maritime strategy of the Phoenicians was striking in its thoughtfulness: they built special bays along the coast so that in the event of a storm, ships could remain safe. With the help of navigation, the ancient Phoenicians were able to establish their colonies in places where their ships could reach.
One of the most famous cities, colonized by Phoenician navigators, was Carthage, which eventually became the center to which all Phoenician colonial cities obeyed. Naturally, the title of the best navigators at that time was identical to the title of the best merchants.
What did the Phoenicians trade?
The Phoenicians sold in other countries what their country was rich in: first of all, red fabrics (the Phoenicians learned to extract red paint from shellfish thrown ashore by a storm), transparent glass produced by Phoenician artisans, Lebanese cedar wood, grape wine and olive oil. butter.
The Phoenician navigators did not return home empty-handed either: in Egypt they bought grain and papyrus sheets, in Spain - silver and copper.
Also, the main goods of the Phoenicians were slaves, which they bought in other countries and sold at home in order for them to build new ships. Also, shackled slaves were used by Phoenician sailors for rowing.
Sometimes the seafarers of Phoenicia did not hesitate to rob: as soon as an opportunity was provided, they captured other people's ships and robbed small port cities.
Forced out of the sea by the Greeks
However, as a result of internal strife and a significant shortage of material for the construction of new ships, the Phoenicians were forced out of the trade and maritime business by the Greeks, who also learned how to build durable and more advanced ships.
But despite this, the Phoenicians managed to make a real revolution in the shipbuilding business of that time. They laid the main foundations of shipbuilding, which were used until the 19th century, when sailing ships began to displace the first steamboats.
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Phoenicia is a narrow strip of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bounded in the east by the Lebanese Range.
O Phoenicians first told by Homer. From the end of the 2nd to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, the Phoenicians were engaged in maritime trade, at the same time they founded settlements throughout the Mediterranean (the most significant of them was Carthage). Like all seafarers of antiquity, they never voluntarily moved away from the coast beyond its visibility, never sailed in winter and at night.
When the Phoenician society became slave-owning, it increasingly began to need an influx of new slaves, and this further strengthened the desire to sail to overseas countries.
So, no later than 15 centuries BC The Phoenicians began to visit Crete. Moving from there to the west, they marked the beginning of the opening of the Central Mediterranean Basin. From the islands Aegean Sea The Phoenicians crossed to the southern shores of the Balkan Peninsula, crossed the Strait of Otranto and rounded Apulia and Calambria. Simultaneously with the Cretans, or somewhat later, they discovered the island of Sicily, and then discovered and colonized Malta in the 8th century BC. Having crossed the Strait of Tunis, they moved west and traced almost 2000 km of the coastline of the North West Africa, opening the Atlas mountain country to the Strait of Gibraltar. Coming to the strait, the Phoenicians for the first time got a correct idea of the length of the Great Sunset Sea (3700 km).
Simultaneously with the penetration to the west, the Phoenicians began to explore the African coast and in eastbound. They opened the bays of Hammamet, Little Sirte with the islands of Kerkenna and Djerba and Greater Sirte.
Phoenician sailors
They opened the entire western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, entered the mouths of such rivers as the Guadiana, Tagus, Douro, Minho. There is a possibility that the Phoenicians got acquainted with the shores of the Bay of Biscay up to the Brittany Peninsula.
The Phoenicians built ships for expeditions organized by their neighbors, who owned the shores of the Red Sea and Persian Gulf and entered their service.
AT 600 BC Egyptian pharaoh Necho ordered a group of Phoenician merchants to go to sailing around africa. About this voyage, 150 years later, the historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt, told, and with such details that he himself considered incredible. But it is these details that confirm the authenticity of the event. So, Herodotus, who had no modern idea of the globe and the solar system, that part of the story seemed implausible, which said that when the Phoenicians went around Africa from the south, moving from east to west, they had the sun on the right side, that is, in the north. For us, it is clear that it is this circumstance that confirms that the Phoenicians really crossed the equator, sailed through the waters of the Southern Hemisphere and circled Africa from the south. They went around Africa for three years, which is quite plausible, given the capabilities of the shipping technology of that time, as well as the fact that they stopped for 2-3 months every year to sow and harvest grain.
Around 850 BC, the Phoenicians founded Carthage - the greatest shopping center that time. In 500 BC, Carthage, having arisen as a Phoenician colony, already began to look for colonies. To this end, the Carthaginians organized a large sea expedition led by the Carthaginian admiral Hanno. He led a flotilla of 60 ships with 30,000 colonists.
Along the way, Hannon founded cities and in each of them left a part of people and ships.
This journey of the Carthaginians was reflected in the “Periplus” (description of the voyage) of the naval commander Hanno, from which we learned that, having passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, they followed the Atlantic coast of Africa for two days, founding cities along the way. They rounded Cape Zeleny and soon entered the mouth of the Gambia River. A few days later, the travelers reached the bay, which they called the Western Horn (probably Bissagos Bay), then the South Horn (now Sherborough Bay in Sierra Leone) and finally landed on the coast of present-day Liberia.
Thus, Gannon reached Equatorial Africa. As far as is known, he was the first of the inhabitants of the Mediterranean to visit West Africa and describe it.
The results of his outstanding voyage were used only to a minimal extent: the Carthaginian merchants went through it to Kerna and organized the “Golden Road” (gold trade) with the deep regions of West Africa.
The Carthaginians are also credited with discovering Azores, but there are no indications in literary monuments that they visited these islands. But in 1749, the Swede Johan Podolin reported on the discovery of a treasure trove of ancient coins on the island of Kovru, among which were Carthaginian ones.
Simultaneously with Hanno, another navigator of Carthage - Himilcon- made a great voyage along the western coast of Europe and, apparently, reached the southwestern tip of England (the Isles of Scilli).
Thus, Phoenicians and Carthaginians were the first peoples of antiquity who swam in the open sea and ocean without a compass. There is no doubt that their voyages should have enriched the Phoenicians with many information regarding the physical properties of the ocean, but nothing from their area of \u200b\u200bknowledge has come down to us. Apparently they were of the opinion that the Atlantic and Indian oceans form one continuous water surface.
Phoenician military and merchant ships. Assyrian relief from the palace of Sennacherib in Nineveh. 8th-7th centuries BC.
Relying on their colonies, the Phoenician and Carthaginian navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean.
During the heyday of Phoenician and Carthaginian navigation, the sea becomes a means of communication between the three continents of the Mediterranean and distant countries outside Gibraltar.
The Phoenicians were the first of the peoples of the Mediterranean to reach the shores of present-day England and here they received tin.
Through the exchange they got on the coast Atlantic Ocean amber, which was brought here by land from the Baltic, was so valued at that time.
Carthaginian sailors, entering the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, which they call the “pillars of Melkart” (the supreme god of Tyre), also repeatedly sailed along the western coast of Africa.
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A description of one of these sea expeditions of the brave Carthaginian navigators has come down to us in a Greek translation.
This is the so-called voyage of Hanno, dating from about the 6th or 5th century. BC
Phoenicia - the land of seafarers
Although the description of the expedition of the Carthaginian sailor looks like an entertaining adventure novel, nevertheless, all of its information, according to authoritative researchers, is true.
It is possible to trace the path of the expedition step by step, comparing the data about this journey with what we know about geography west coast Africa.
Along with expeditions to the northwest and southwest, the Phoenician cities also sent sea expeditions to the south, with the help of the Egyptians, and sometimes Israel and Judea.
Here the Phoenician ships probably reached the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea.
The Bible tells about one of these sea voyages when it tells about an expedition to the gold-rich country of Opyr, organized by Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon, king of Israel.
But the most grandiose undertaking should be considered that sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC e.
Within three years, they circled Africa and returned through the "pillars of Melqart", having accomplished this outstanding feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.
Message-report "Journey of the Phoenician sailors" or "Swimming of the Phoenicians" Grade 5
The Phoenicians are the best navigators of the Ancient World, tireless merchants and explorers. Most of all geographical discoveries committed in the ancient world belong to the Phoenicians. Phoenician navigators founded many colonial cities in Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar. Although Phoenicia itself was located precisely in Asia Minor, on the territory of modern Lebanon. The Phoenicians furrowed the entire Mediterranean Sea up and down.
I introduced myself as a Phoenician navigator. I live a thousand years before our era, that is, three thousand years ago. We have been sailing for nine months already, we have already reached the coast of Spain. Mine hometown Tire, the capital of our Phenicia, I will see only in a year.
The ship on which I am sailing as a sailor is large - you will not find equal ships of this kind in any country. It is equipped with a deck, a ram on the bow, built from the strongest Lebanese cedar. The tail of the ship is carved from wood in the shape of a scorpion's tail! We are sailing.
If we had rowed, we would not have reached Spain even in a year.
We are 29 people in the team. On the ship, we brought goods for sale from afar: sheep wool from the Bedouins, copper dishes from our homeland. Here we will need to load ourselves with tin, which is being transported from distant cold islands, from the north. And then forward, on the way back. At home, we will sell the goods very profitably.
Here, in Spain, another new colony of my countrymen will be founded.
Phoenicia in the 1st millennium BC
Sea travel of the Phoenicians
Enriched at the expense of their colonies, the Phoenician, Carthaginian navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean Sea. During this heyday of Phoenician and Carthaginian navigation, the sea route became a means of communication between the three continents of the Mediterranean and more distant countries that were outside Gibraltar.
The Phoenicians were the first of the peoples of the Mediterranean to reach the shores of present-day England and here they received tin, which was very valuable at that time. By exchange, they also received on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the amber that was so valued at that time, delivered here by land from the Baltic.
Carthaginian sailors, entering the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, which they called the “pillars of Melkart” (the supreme god of Tyr), also repeatedly sailed along the western coast of Africa.
The description of one of these sea expeditions of the brave Carthaginian navigators is also known to us in Greek translation. This journey, which is called the journey of Hanno, dates from about the 6th or 5th century. BC. Although the expedition of the Carthaginian sailor is described as an entertaining adventure novel, nevertheless, all of his information, according to authoritative historians, is true. It is possible to trace the path of the expedition step by step on the map, comparing the data about this journey with what we know about the geography of the western coast of Africa.
Using the help of the Egyptians, and sometimes Israel and Judea, the Phoenician cities sent sea expeditions not only to the northwest and southwest, but also to the then less accessible south.
In this case, the Phoenician ships through the Red Sea probably even reached the Indian Ocean.
One of these sea voyages is well written in the Bible, which tells of an expedition to the gold-rich country of Ophir, organized by Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon, king of Israel.
But the most grandiose enterprise must be considered the sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC. Within three years they circled Africa and returned through the "pillars of Melqart", having accomplished this outstanding feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.
World history" Volume 1.
ed. Yu.P. Frantseva, State Publishing House of Political Literature, 1953.
Phoenicia is a very interesting state, which was one of the first to prove the importance of international trade. Occupying only a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanese mountains, without rich land resources, arable fields and pastures, the Phoenicians managed to become one of the most influential states in the region through trade. Not being able to properly engage in agriculture and cattle breeding, the Phoenicians grew grapes and olives on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains. Wine was made from grapes, and fragrant oil was made from olives. The Lebanese mountains were also rich in timber, which served as material for the creation of a mighty merchant and military fleet.
The Phoenicians began to trade with neighboring countries wine, oil, construction timber, glassware, and purple-dyed textiles. Developing sea trade routes, the Phoenicians sailed farther and farther along the northern and south coast Mediterranean Sea. On their way on the coast, they founded small settlements that served as trading posts and transshipment bases for the ships of the Phoenicians. So the Phoenicians founded colonies on the Mediterranean islands - Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia and the Balearic Islands. The Phoenicians colonized the northern coast of Africa and South coast modern Spain. In those days, ships usually sailed not on the high seas, but along coastline. The location of the colonies allowed the Phoenicians to control all maritime trade.
Enriched at the expense of their colonies, the Phoenician navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean Sea. They came up with the design of a ship with a keel, which made it more stable, maneuverable and fast in sea navigation. The speed and capacity of their ships gave them an advantage in attacking small settlements and stealing captives into slavery. Often, the Phoenicians did not even have to attack anyone, as they cunningly lured small children onto their ships, promising to give them beautiful gifts, and then immediately set sail. For one child, one could get a bull or a silver jug. The slave trade brought huge profits. In search of new goods and slaves, the Phoenicians sailed farther and farther from their home.
The Phoenicians were the first of the peoples of the Mediterranean to reach the shores of present-day England and here they received tin, which was very valuable at that time. By exchange, they also received on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the amber that was so valued at that time, delivered here by land from the Baltic. The Phoenicians reached the western coast of Africa and even made, probably a successful attempt to circumnavigate the African continent. The most grandiose enterprise should be considered the sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC. Within three years they circled Africa and returned through the Strait of Gibraltar, accomplishing this remarkable feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.
During this heyday of Phoenician navigation, the sea route became a means of communication between Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as countries that were outside Gibraltar. The control of international maritime trade made Phoenicia probably the very first maritime trading power.
Phoenicia was located on east coast Mediterranean Sea (now it is the territory of Lebanon). Phenicia was a set of separate cities with their surrounding lands, and they were ruled by kings. Such cities are called policies - city-states. Among the Phoenician city-states, Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon stood out. The Phoenician cities never united into a single state.
The Phoenicians have always tried to keep their discoveries secret. At the turn of the 6th century BC, another Phoenician navigator, Gannon, sailed along the coast of West Africa and probably reached Cameroon. An account of this voyage ("pericles") was put on public display in the main temple of Carthage.
Subsequently, the coast of the Central, Eastern and South Africa for almost one and a half thousand years, it turned into one huge white spot for European sailors. Until the 15th century, no one dared to sail along the western coast of Africa towards the equator in a route long familiar to the Phoenicians.
