who were the phoenicians?

Answer 1

The Phoenicians were the main part of the "Canaanite" culture -- people who spoke a Semitic language very closely related to the Hebrew of Ancient Israel.

Their homeland ("Phoenicia") centered around the port cities of TYRE and Sidon, on the Mediterranean coast of what is now known as Lebanon. In the first millennium BC, they become very wealthy through their international trade, their ships traveling all around the Mediterranean.

Their main EXPORTS were
a) "cedars of Lebanon" -- great trees for building (including for building their SHIPS, and Solomon's Temple)

b) their expensive "purple" dyes (various shades of deep blue to red, crimson, etc), made from murex shells off their coast... and esp. desired by the wealthy (including royalty, which is how 'wearing purple' became associated with royalty).

c) the Semitic ALPHABET - not their own invention, but in use throughout Syria-Palestine (invented ca. 2000 B.C. probably near the edge of Egypt by Semitic workers), it was through Phoenician trade that it was picked up and modified by the Greeks and Etruscans (through the latter to the Romans)

They eventually established COLONIES along the coast of North Africa, the most important being at "Carthage" (the name, in the "Punic" language [Punic, of course, comes from Phoenician], means "New City", that is 'New Tyre'), which eventually became wealthy and powerful enough to challenge Rome (-> the Punic Wars, which Rome eventually won). Their Semitic roots (note, the rulers of Carthage were NOT black Africans, though the local peoples and colonists did mix) explains names like "Hanibal" (you might recognize the last part is from "Ba`al" -- a Phoenician and Hebrew word meaning "master", a title used for their main deity; the whole name means "Ba'al is gracious").

One of the most well-known Phoenicians in popular thought is Queen Jezebel -- the daughter of a King of Tyre who married King Ahab of Israel, and whose nemesis was the prophet Elijah. Her name was Phoenician for "Where is the Prince?" (Prince --Zebel or Zebul, compare the Hebrew tribal name "Zebulon"-- was another title used for the main god of Tyre, the storm god), a cry of worship ('invocation' used to call on the god to act)

Answer 2

In terms of DNA, archaeology, language, and religion, there is little to set the Phoenicians apart as markedly different from other local cultures of Canaan, because they were Canaanites themselves.

"The question of the Phoenicians' origin persists." ... "In some cases, the debate is characterized by modern cultural agendas."

"Origins" in "Phoenicia", Wikipedia, Retrieved on 2007-04-09 :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicians#Origins

Answer 3

? think of lebaneses are combination of various cultures, easily Phoenician have been stablished there for long term as in addition they have been stablished in Spain (Port of Cadiz working example), yet like each and every of the Mediterranean sourrounded international places there have been various cultures that have been exceeded with the help of that lands and Lebanon is one in all this international places the place beside Phoenicians Roman, Greeks, Arabs have been living, so as Aussy stated, Lebaneses are a mix of various cultures, and that's why we are able to declare that Lebanon has a diversitiy of heritages and richness of their lifestyle. ?n fact in case you notice a lebanese you could think of he's Greek or Arab or Turk (from Turkey who are additionally a mixed people).

Answer 4

A group of Canaanites from the Levant who established an extensive trading network up to around England and actually circumnavigated Africa.

Answer 5

The ancestors of the Carthagians.
They were known as the Sea Peoples to the Egyptians and the Canaanites to the Jews.

Answer 6

A Celtic colony in Africa which challenged Ancient Rome as a maritime trading competitor.

Answer 7

People from Phoenicia

Answer 8

Brygians, who are part of the Macedonian entity, too.