The Phoenician narrative starts when they were beginning to set themselves apart from their cousins and ancestors, the Canaanites. At this time, the indigenous populations of the Levant began to move toward the big coastal towns that provided chances for culture, regular job, security, and riches. Among the biggest were Tyre and Byblos, which developed into two of the most prosperous Phoenician city-states. People who lived in these cities made a name for themselves by acting as middlemen in commerce between Egypt and the surrounding Syrian nations, contributing to the development of the Phoenicians’ trading heritage.

It can be challenging to determine, nevertheless, just when Canaanites began to adopt Phoenician culture. Is there somebody who is both a Phoenician and a Canaanite? Is it possible to be Canaanite and Phoenician at the same time? The precise response is kind of. Living in the Near East, partaking in a novel interpretation of language and religion, and having Canaanite ancestry were all necessary for being a Phoenician. It would be rare for a Phoenician to be anything other than a Canaanite, although someone may be both.

The Canaanites lived in their own golden age prior to approximately 1230 BCE, a period of flourishing trade, culture, and society. This was brought to a complete stop during the Bronze Age Collapse when the region was abandoned and the city of Ugarit was completely destroyed by an unexplained force. The mysterious Sea Peoples arrived from the west and began destroying everybody who stood in the way of complete conquest, while the Israelites living nearby attacked and attempted to grab agricultural fields. The Philistines advanced and annexed the Canaanite cities in the south.

The Phoenician narrative starts when they were beginning to set themselves apart
The Near East saw an increase in unfavorable environmental conditions, such as a protracted drought, which added gasoline to the fire. Many people fled towns in search of fresh water and wild vegetation as a result of the subsequent famine. The Canaanites became increasingly nomadic as the capital city’s political system collapsed. When the dust settled, a new force known as Phoenicia formed from the Canaanite survivors and became an independent province on the coast.

The resulting chaos demanded a complete reorganization of society.The Near Eastern society abruptly disintegrated just as they were beginning to set themselves apart from their forebears, the Canaanites. The exact causes of the Bronze Age Collapse are still up for question, but some theories include environmental problems like hunger, droughts, excessive resource use, and the appearance of a mystery power known as the Sea Peoples. These Sea Peoples seem to have been a maritime group who arrived on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean and went to work murdering and slaying other peoples, as they are mentioned in many writings in various contexts.

An account of Assyrian King Tiglath-Pileser I’s campaign against the Phoenicians, which took place between 1114 and 1076 BCE, is the earliest written source to address the Phoenicians of the Iron Age. Tiglath-Pileser I ordered ground-based military sieges on Byblos and Sidon because he coveted the rich cedar forests under Phoenicians’ authority. The monarch documents his methods for obtaining tribute from these cities’ rulers. At this period, Tyre was still in existence, but it was thought to be too little to record.

The next primary source concerning the Phoenicians was written by Wen-Amon, a high-ranking Egyptian official employed at the Amon-Ra temple in Thebes. He notes that Byblos and Sidon were regarded as two of the most remarkable coastal cities and powers of the era as he travels along the coast to obtain cedar wood for the building of a new sacred boat. Tyre is mentioned, but it was once more regarded as unimportant to the Mediterranean world’s power structure. Given that Wen-Amon’s story dates from between 1075 and 1060 BCE, it is possible that Tiglath-Pileser I’s sieges were not as successful as he had claimed.

What was especially significant was that Byblos and Sidon were in such a strong position that the Phoenicians were able to negotiate rather than pay tribute when Wen-Amon arrived and demanded cedar wood. Zakar-Baal, the prince of Byblos, informed the official that Egypt would not be receiving the wood unless they paid first. It was remarkable that Byblos, which had once been ruled by the Egyptian empire, could demand money before receiving products. This illustrates how the Phoenicians were gaining influence while Egyptian power was decreasing.

It is challenging to piece together the precise history of the 11th century BCE that followed since general histories of civilizations like Egypt have more ambiguous references and fewer first-hand reports and inscriptions. At this era, religious writings such as the biblical scriptures of Joshua, Judges, and Samuel begin to refer to someone who might be Phoenician as “Sidonian.” The urban center of Sidon benefited by being situated close to fertile agricultural area, albeit there are a few possible explanations for this. Tyre was stranded on an island, after all.

It turned out that Sidon’s ascent to dominance altered the entire Phoenician political system. Sidon had no interest in siding with Egypt, the Phoenicians’ default trading partner when they first formed. Rather, Sidon focused on the neighboring Syrian power, which was expanding and proving to be a more dependable and closer economic partner. This was bad news for Tyre, which depended on Egyptian purchases of items like cedar wood to maintain its commercial prosperity and ability to feed its populace.