As far as ancient civilizations go, it can be extremely hard to find answers no matter how interesting the subject is. Although, there is fairly substantial information when it comes to the people of Phoenicia. They are even mentioned in old books such as the bible.

The Phoenician came from an ancient civilization known as Phoenicia. To some, the Phoenicians were called “Carthagians” or “Kena’ani” (which translates as “_____1_____” in the Hebrew language). In the Greek language, Phoenicia apparently translates as either “red” or “_____2_____” after the dye colors that the civilization itself had famously conjured up. In biblical terms, the holy book references the Phoenicians and nicknames them “the _____3_____ of the sea”. You can specifically find this under Ezekiel 26:16 if you want to check yourself.

The civilization started as early as 1500 BC. The people lived under a monarchy which was run by the families of rich and powerful merchants. Phoenicia had their own unique religion that was closely connected to the theme of _____4_____. They worshipped the God and Goddess, El and Astarte.

The Phoenicians fought wars as a way of protecting their independence but they eventually succumbed to the enemy. Conflict also came from political differences with neighboring nations. The age of Phoenicia came to a conclusion around 146 BC. This ending was instigated by the Assyrians who conquered them in battle. It was also aided by _____5_____ the Great and the Persian army who _____6_____ the remaining cities of Phoenicia.

The Phoenician civilization was said to be based in the Mediterranean with trading posts and settlements established all over. More specifically, this community covered several different countries including Israel, Syria, Turkey, Beirut, Palestine, and Lebanon. The Phoenicians had supposed to have colonized this large area, although, it’s still a mystery where they originally came from. The best guess from historians tends to be somewhere close to the _____7_____.

In addition, Phoenicia apparently spread over 20,000 square kilometers. Their capital city was named _____8_____, but Phoenicia contained other city-states including Sidon, Arwad, Berot, and Tyre.

The Phoenician people had the reputation of being master sailors, shipbuilders, woodworkers, navigators, craftsmen, governors, farmers, and traders. Correspondingly, this civilization was said to have invented a few things like caulking, the battering ram, and the keel on a boat.

They created colorful dyes by using the secretions of ______9_____ found near water. Having dominion in sea travel meant that the Phoenicians were able to do a lot of exploring. It is speculated that they probably beat ______10_____ Columbus (along with a few others) when it came to discovering the American continent. Additionally, the mathematician and philosopher _____11_____ had roots in Phoenicia.

Phoenicia was known for a few different commodities such as perfume, cloth, fish, dyes, gold, animal hide, linen, timber, copper, wine, salt, ivory, embroidery, grain, silver, and shaped glass ornaments. When it came to the wood, the Phoenicians specialized in selling pine and cedar to their trading partners. They had some of the quickest ships in the world at the time which was very useful for maritime trading. Furthermore, these people _____12_____ with other surrounding countries for goods they didn’t yet possess.

The Phoenician civilization created its own alphabet which isn’t that dissimilar to the alphabet we know now. This formed a basis for language which helped with trading and bartering. Their alphabet consisted of _____13_____ letters and worked by having each letter represent a basic sound allowing the learner to pick up on the principles fairly easily. Before this, many believe the Phoenicians would have relied on the _____14_____ system of writing which was called “cuneiform”.

As well as words, the Phoenicians created a numbering system known as “_____15_____ numerals” (which I’m sure you must have heard of). This was needed and used as a unit of measurement for trading.

What the Phoenicians accomplished in their time is impressive given the limited technology and other issues of the era. They even came up with certain goods and inventions that we take for granted today.