Minoans and Phoenicians

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Minoans and Phoenicians
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The Importance of Trade

• As was the case with Buddhism, trade between
  regions was important in the transfer of ideas
  from the Near East (Middle East) to area on the
  edges of Europe (in the Mediterranean Sea)
• This trade will have a profound effect on Europe
  in the short term and the lager world in the long
  term

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The Minoans

• The dominant sea faring people of the 2nd century
  B.C.E. were the Minoans from the island of Crete
  the Minoans used what they were able to produce
  and became an important stepping stone for the
  eventual migration toward Greece
• The Minoans are named for King Minos (who kept
  the Minotaur in a labyrinth)

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• Minoans create beautiful artwork which tells
  modern historians what their civilization was
  probably like they enjoyed beautiful things and
  the outdoors)
• Minoan culture will never be fully understood
  because it came to a sudden end
• Historians debate what caused the civilization's
  demise, but it seems to be tied to a natural
  disaster may have been an earthquake or tsunami
  associated with Santorini Island

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Rise of the Phoenicians

• As the Minoans disappear, the Phoenicians take
  their place as the pre-eminent trading force in
  the Mediterranean Sea
• Phoenicia never really unites into a nation but
  does include several wealthy city-states
• Phoenicians were master ship builders and are
  said to have traveled to Britain and around the
  coast of Africa nearly 2,500 years before anyone
  else

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• Phoenicia founded many colonies along the coast
  of the Mediterranean (Carthage) which lead the
  Phoenicians to be one of the richest
  civilizations of the ancient world
• Phoenicians were also some of the best builders
  of the ancient world they are reported to have
  built the Temple of Solomon for the Hebrew people

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The Alphabet

• Because the Phoenicians were so involved in
  trading one of their most important legacies was
  the creation of an alphabet (letters were needed
  to form communication to keep transactions
  straight)
• Phoenicia ends as the mighty Assyrian empire
  begins to blossom around the 800s B.C.E.

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Assignment

• To understand just how significant trade is,
  think about how trade has effected your life
• List some of the products, holidays, music, and
  literature that have been included in your life,
  and explain the influence they have had on your
  everyday life