The Phoenicians have been called the “carriers of civilization,” referring to their long history as seafarers establishing commercial colonies throughout the Mediterranean region and fostering a vast trade network that included turning silk imports from China into the prized purple fabrics which gave name to their civilization. Of all the Phoenician cities located north of Palestine in the ancient world, Tyre experienced the greatest success, equated with the dyes that would give meaning to “Tyrian Purple,” the color of royalty.
The Commercial Success of Ancient Tyre
Herodotus dates the founding of Tyre to 2759 BC and in his writings about the city comments on the Temple of Hercules, built 2300 years before his time, according to H. Porter. Hercules was an important figure in Phoenician commercial success. It was Hercules, according to legend, who discovered the purple substance when his dog bit into a mollusk, releasing the liquid. Tyrian purple is actually derived from two different species of shellfish, creating the deep purple-red dye when combined. The Greeks called it “phoinix,” meaning “purple-red,” and hence the name Phoenician.
Although purple was not the only dye produced at Tyre, it was the most valued. According to Philippa Scott, Phoenician purple dyes have been found in Minoan frescoes, and the Roman Emperor Nero decreed that anyone wearing purple except himself would be executed. “The term ‘born in purple’ to this day has the connotation of high royal birth because during the Byzantine period empresses bore their royal offspring in special chambers draped in the opulence of purple cloth.” [1]
Although known for its dyes and textiles, Tyre also traded lumber, silver, copper, and tin. The “Mistress of the Mediterranean” sent its ships to every civilization on the Mediterranean and even beyond the “Pillars of Hercules.” In Southern Spain a colony at Cadiz also produced purple dye. Ships from Tyre reached Britain and circumnavigated Africa. According to Michael Grant, the Phoenicians were the first ancient people to sail at night, use the stars for navigation, and sail in winter (the dye-producing shellfish could only be harvested in autumn and winter).
Other Influences of Tyre on the Ancient World
Predating the colonizing efforts of the Greeks, colonies identifying with Tyre and other Phoenician cities developed along the Mediterranean, the most important of which was Carthage in North Africa. Founded in 814 BC (860 according to Josephus), the Carthaginians would become the masters of the western Mediterranean until the Punic Wars with Rome obliterated the city. The chief god of Carthage, Cronus, was an incarnation of the Phoenician Baal. This same ancient god featured prominently in Israel when Baal was introduced by Jezebel, a Phoenician married to King Ahab.
Also associated with Tyre is the development and spread of the Semitic alphabet, adapted by the Minoans and later the Greeks. The Phoenician “syllabary,” featuring consonants and vowels, may have been “related to their needs to record trade,” according the Snell.
Decline of Tyre
Surviving for thousands of years under numerous empires including the Assyrians, Egyptians, and the Persians, Tyre was destroyed by Alexander the Great during his quest to defeat the Persians. Although the city recovered, it never regained its former influence and glory. During the Roman period, Tyre continued as a maritime commercial city and produced the precious dyes, textiles, and delicate fabrics wealthy Romans shopped for. Although the ancient secrets associated with the dyeing methods were lost, “as the first renowned maritime leaders, the Phoenicians contributed inestimable benefits to civilization.” [2]
Sources
[1] & [2] “Tyrian Purple,” Saudi Aramco World, Vol. 11, Number 7, August/September 1960, pp 20-21.
Michael Grant, The Ancient Mediterranean (History Book Club in association with Plume, a member of Penguin Putnam, 2002).
H. Porter, “”Tyre,” The International Standard Bible Encylopeadia Vol. V, James Orr, General Ed., (Wm. B. Eeerdmans Pub. Co. 1939) pp 3030-3032.
Philippa Scott, “Millennia of Morex,” Saundi Aramco World Vol. 57, Number 4, July/August 2006, pp 30-37.
Daniel C. Snell, Life in the Ancient Near East (Yale University Press, 1997).
