The Phoenicians did not limit themselves to providing non-consumable luxury goods. They were also quite good at filling in gaps in the inventory of other civilizations, particularly adjacent Egypt. Following the Bronze Age Collapse, the Egyptians struggled to reestablish their presence in the ancient world, a position exacerbated by years of turbulent royal leadership. Wine, in particular, was a luxury that the Egyptians lacked.
Grapevines could not grow in Egypt, but the Phoenicians had plenty of coastal area to cultivate enormous vineyards capable of producing rich wine. Barrels were typically brought to South Lebanon and Sarepta, where the wine was preserved in handcrafted pots before being sold to Egypt for Nubian gold. Historians have a wealth of evidence about these transactions because to vividly described shipwrecks discovered in 1997 about thirty miles west of Ascalon, now known as Ashkelon. According to all sources, the Egyptians were among the major consumers of imported wine and supplied much of the gold used to make Phoenician jewelry for men and women.
At the same time, the Phoenicians realized that the Egyptians lacked lumber because their territory was mostly desert and flood plains along the Nile River. So sailors and merchants began bringing gigantic cedar logs from Lebanon’s mountains to Egypt, where they were swapped for additional gold, linen, papyrus, and even cowhide. A well-documented trade occurred between 1075 and 1060 BCE. An Egyptian envoy named Wen-Amon arrived in Phoenicia and purchased seven massive cedar logs for “4 crocks and 1 kak-men of gold; 5 silver jugs; 10 garments of royal linen; 10 kherd of good linen from Upper Egypt; 500 rolls of finished papyrus; 500 cows’ hides; 500 ropes; 20 bags of lentils, and 30 baskets of fish.”
Wen-Amon returned the products to Egypt via boat and was regarded to have gotten a fantastic deal for his seven logs, which could be turned around and sold for even more money back home. However, the journey to become the most powerful merchants in the Mediterranean would take time. Archaeological evidence suggests that the early Phoenician economy was mainly based on agriculture and animal husbandry prior to their rise to prominence as traders. The early Phoenicians gained this knowledge from their predecessors in the Levant, allowing them to employ the Mediterranean Sea’s moderate environment to grow huge staple harvests of wheat and barley. These consumables could be utilized to feed a large and often dispersed population, but the surpluses were also valuable trading products that might be sent to partners in Egypt or further east.
The Phoenicians’ thriving agricultural economies relied on profitable crops like wheat, but they would ultimately diversify thanks to technological advances such as irrigation systems and long-lasting plows carried by oxen rather than human strength. By 1200 BCE, artifacts show that agriculture had enabled Phoenicia to grow so affluent that individuals of the population could pursue other interests, resulting in thriving marine economies on the Mediterranean coast. These economies would eventually lead to settlements and colonies throughout the Mediterranean, as Phoenician nautical strength enabled the civilization to outsail its rivals and occupy advantageous positions.
The sea became an essential component of the Phoenician economy, with two principal trading items arising from its saline depths: A variety of edible fish and snails are required to manufacture the unusual purple dye. The shipbuilding sector expanded and became an essential component of the economy, which was aided by the water. To obtain the timber required for shipbuilding, the Phoenicians logged adjacent woods for enormous cedar trees and transported the trunks to the coast for shaping. Whenever possible, the Phoenicians avoided purchasing timber from foreign cultures.
Unfortunately, as in most cases involving the Phoenicians, archaeologists and historians face a paucity of concrete evidence of commercial habits and practices. The majority of what is known about trading partners and goods comes from the records of friendly civilizations, whose tablets detail what the Phoenicians carried with them, who they liked to do business with, and what prices their items would command in local and foreign marketplaces. One advantage of these tablets is that they provide great economic information because merchants rarely lied about their transactions; nonetheless, they lack a Phoenician perspective on trade.
Historians believe that the Phoenicians used soft power, or the political might of their commerce and culture, to influence neighboring civilizations while avoiding warfare if feasible.
While their navy was powerful, Phoenicia avoided conflict since their society was primarily concerned with acquiring riches in order to prosper. By the 12th century BCE, the Phoenicians had established a diversified economy that combined agricultural, industrial, and commercial sectors with great success.
Agriculture and trade were the most important of the three sectors. Aside from being well-known for their trade and luxury items, the Phoenicians produced an astounding volume of wine, which was prized throughout the Mediterranean for its superior flavor and quality. If sommeliers existed in ancient times, they would have recognized a Phoenician cabernet from a mile away.
To discuss their economy, themes should be divided based on whether they were largely agricultural or commercial. Although there had some industry, it was mostly concentrated on shipbuilding.