• The Phoenicians 1000 BC

Based on their great port-cities of Tyre and Sidon, the Phoenicians now dominate the seagoing trade of the Mediterranean. They are even pioneering trade routes along the Atlantic coast of Europe, as far north as Britain. Nearer to home, Phoenician colonists now rule the island of Cyprus, and shortly they will establish the great city of Carthage, on the North African coast.

In the course of their commercial activities, Phoenician traders introduce the use of the alphabet to other Mediterranean peoples, notable the Greeks. This will, over the coming centuries, make literacy possible to a wider section of society, and greatly aid intellectual endeavour.

Related Timelines:
Timeline of Middle East History

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