The Late Bronze Age

750 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Phoenician trading empire

Trade and Phoenician Development in the Late Bronze Age

Little is known about the Phoenician way of life other than the fact that they were a society founded on trade with other, larger nations. These people made use of their natural resources to establish trade with such nations as Egypt and Assyria. The geographical locations of the Phoenician city-states were also advantageous to their role as a trading state. Located on the east coast of the Mediterranean, where Israel lies today, the Phoenicians were able to trade with virtually all of the Mediterranean nations. Little else is known about their actual culture, other than what is written about them in other nation’s texts. In a text from the seventh century, the rules of trade are established, and appear to have been independent of any local rulers, traders acted on their own accord. Phoenicia became one of the greatest trading states in all of history, due to the fact that they possessed a large amount of valuable materials, a good location for trade, and an unsurpassed knowledge of the sea. It is through these advantages that Phoenicia was able to become such an influential state.
Phoenicia was located in what is now present-day Israel, a very valuable plot of land even today. This was an undeniable resource for the Phoenicians, and without it there success as a trading nation would have been severely deterred. Being located on the Mediterranean, the Phoenicians had equal access to both Egypt and Assyria, the two most influential nations in the region. In the text, it is clearly stated that should a trader be stranded in another nation they should be returned to their home, but their ‘booty’ is free for the taking (Kuhrt, 407). This fact made trade easier, due to the idea that fear of capture was greatly reduced by the trade rules. Clearly, if Phoenicia had not been located where it was, their influence on trade would have been dramatically decreased. By making use of their location the Phoenicians capitalized on trade, and their wealth of resources contributed greatly to their role.
Phoenicia was rich in natural resources such as timber and metal. “Because of the demands made on them . . . the coastal cities appear to have concentrated their energy and resources on the production of luxury commodities such as ivory inlaid furniture for royal consumption” (Kuhrt, 407). This fact produced a wealth of skilled craftsmen, who are still famous today for their creations.

Show More
Related

  • Knossos and Mycenae of the Bronze Age

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the name suggests the Bronze Age is a period of human culture, in which civilizations heavily used copper and bronze for various aspects of life and trading. The beginning of the Bronze Age is estimated to date before 3000 BCE in parts of Med. Europe, Middle East and China. Knossos and Mycenae are both archeological sites, and date back to the Bronze Age. Knossos was the capital of the ancient Minoan civilization; located on the island of Crete. Mycenae was a massive fortified palace, located between two hills on the plain of the Peloponnese, Greece.

    Read More

  • The Odyssey: How Bronze Affected Greek History

    1033 Words  | 3 Pages

    According to Don Talpalriu with Softpedia, copper and bronze weapons were found 500 miles from Athens in 2008. In the Odyssey, Telemachus provides evidence on page 55 that there were five main sources of elements to be found in Greece:

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Silk Road And Mediterranean Trade Networks

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    The most notable was the cultural diffusion and expansion that these trade networks facilitated. The Mediterranean Sea trade network reached its peak under Alexander of Macedonia. “Alexander the Great,” as he is most often called was a large supporter of Hellenic culture and the spreading of such. He modeled much of his ruling on Greek culture, language and architecture. Alexander utilized the Mediterranean Sea as a passage to further spread his love of Greek culture. This is evidenced in the building of the Library of Alexandria, in Egypt, a crucial spot in Mediterranean Sea trade. This phenomenon of utilizing trade networks to further expand culture can also be seen in the Silk Road. Beginning in Eastern China, the Silk Road stretched all the way to Eastern Mediterranean Europe. During the classical era, Islam and Buddhism were taking form in Eastern China and India. As they developed, so did the Silk Road. While the Silk Road transferred luxury goods, such as spices and jewels, many Muslim and Buddhist scholars and missionaries traveled the Silk Road to expand and discuss theological ideas with scholars and students they met on the way. Therefore, Buddhism and Islam saw a spread due to the Silk Road. This can all be examined to further the argument that both the Silk Road and the Mediterranean furthered and assisted in the spread of culture for Alexander the Great and religion for Buddhist and Muslim

    Read More

  • Collapse of Bronze Age Greece

    1969 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Bronze Age in Greece was a period of time in which their civilization flourished. They were a main power at the time and seemed to have everything they wanted in the palm of their hands. Many other civilizations have a period of time also known as the Bronze Age, however, the bronze age of Greece is widely known to be the most prolific and dominant in history. The Greece Bronze Age is estimated to have lasted from between 8th to 6th century BC to about 146BC. Nobody knows for sure the exact time period in which it began and ended. However, these are the dates that are most widely known to be accurate. No other civilization has been able to remain a dominant world power longer than this time period, which is why this is such an incredible period of history.

    Read More

  • Jewelry In Mesopotamia, Greece

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jewelry has been worn by people in almost every civilization around the globe in every century. These accessories can often tell a lot about a civilization. One can especially compare the jewelry of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to get an accurate idea of the time period and how people's customs evolved within that area and that time. Jewelry in ancient times were very similar in that they were often made of identical materials, showed status of the people living within a society and the sophistication of the civilization itself; however, the way the jewelry was produced and complexity of the design changed with time.

    Read More

  • The Minoan Civilization: The Collapse Of The Minoans Civilizations

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    With the Minoans civilization there is still great debate on how this civilization collapsed to was it due to the cause of the rise of the Mycenaeans or by the Thera Eruption or even to an extent neither caused the Minoans civilization to collapse as it remains a mystery to this day. As to many historians and archaeologists, they try to make a statement it was one of these events that lead to their collapse while others doubt these events were not the cause of their collapse as it was other things.

    Read More

  • Nordic Stone Age

    1976 Words  | 4 Pages

    From around the time during the Lower Paleolithic Era, which was about 1.8 million years ago, into the Upper Paleolithic Era, or 20,000 years ago, Europe was sparsely populated by Homo Erectus and Homo Neanderthalensis. The ancient ancestors of modern humans. They were a hunter-gather types of people that were eventually replaced by Homo Sapiens Sapiens, modern humans.

    Read More

  • Essay On Sparta

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    In approximately 650 B.C., Sparta was formed in the Peloponnese peninsula in Laconia by several smaller city-states that joined together. Located near the fertile farmlands of the Eurotas River, the Peloponnese peninsula was an ideal area to establish a new civilization. Sparta, meaning “to sow,” was appropriately named because of its positioning in one of the only fertile valleys in Greece. After conquering its western neighbor Messenia, Sparta gained even more fertile land as well as the Taygetus mountain ranges. These mountains provided essential raw materials including timber and wildlife. As a result of the Taygetus range, Sparta was somewhat isolated from the rest of Greece. This is provides insight into why Spartan livelihood differed so greatly compared to other Greek city-states.

    Read More

  • Greek Culture During The Archaic Age Of Ancient Greece

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the Archaic Age of Ancient Greece, circa 776-500 B.C.E., the population growth in Ancient Greece called a need for more food supplies, and this demand was met by trade, establishing colonies, and by warfare to seize more land (Making Europe 71). According to Kidner, the Archaic Age “brought a revival of culture, the economy, and political significance to Greece” (71). As Greece began to overpopulate, methods for dealing with the overpopulation had to be found, once of these methods was to import food, which caused an expansion of Greek commerce and production of trade goods (Making Europe 71). Another solution to the overpopulation of Greece was to find new land somewhere else, and during the colonization that lasted from 750-550 B.C.E., Greeks colonized coastal cities because they wanted access to trade routes across the sea (Making Europe 71). The revival of Greek trade also brought Near Eastern culture into Greece, including new styles or art. According to Kidner, “Greek sculpture assumed a very Egyptian look, and Greek pottery depicted many eastern designs…and Greek potters and sculptors soon used designs from their own myths and legents”

    Read More

  • Different Levels of Civilization in the Odyssey

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    Their civilization consists of what men made. In a sense, they give shape to their environment with the intention of having better conditions. " But once we reach our city, ringed by walls/ and strong high towers too, with a fine harbor either side..." (Homer, 176) The city of Phaeacians has walls, which is a sign of wealth and power as well as human effort to do it. They have also man made buildings, towers. Likewise, they make wine and bread that confirms their diligence in the system of civilization. They not only rely on the generosity of the nature but also work hard to have an improved environment.

    Read More

  • Olmec Vs Aztec Culture Essay

    520 Words  | 2 Pages

    The king's power relied on tax revenues from import and export duties that include goods such as ivory, slaves, crystal, brass, copper, frankincense, myrrh. He established farming settlements and trading centers off the African coast to take advantage of the ivory trade from Persia and India. Askum dominated the Red Sea trade, the period in which Greek controlled Egypt. Eventually he edged out Meroe for domination over the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean trade. The factors that influenced the relationship between the Egypt and the different Nubian kingdoms are that it was based on farming, livestock raising, and trading of gold. The decentralized kingdom of Meroe became organized by having provinces up and downstream that were ruled by their own town chiefs. The source of power for the kings of Meroe was also to control trade. Some things that contributed to the rise of the Aksum was that was agriculturally rich, it was located close to the coast and close to ports in the red sea. The development of commercial and agricultural was influenced by the rivalry between the Romans and Sasanid empires. Their interest in domination helped Yemen gain its own province, they lost it when Sasanid invaded the land, and after the Aksums trade in the Red Sea declined

    Read More

  • Greek Architecture

    2000 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The first advanced culture in Greece, and indeed in all of Europe, was created by a people referred to today as the Minoans. Their civilization flourished from about 2200 to 1450 B.C. on Crete, the large island located about one hundred miles southeast of the Gree...

    Read More

  • Essay On Assyrian Civilization

    922 Words  | 2 Pages

    They became the prime Mediterranean merchant traders. They were shipbuilders, navigators, and colonizers. Cadiz and Carthage were established trading ports that they utilized. They were incredible craftsmen and built furniture, jewelry, metal and glassware. Their most famous export was purple colored woolen cloth. The purple color was extracted from shellfish from the coast. Purple symbolized royalty, which is why kings and queens were dressed in it. The Phoenicians mathematicians developed navigational techniques to sail without land in sight. They started their own 22 letter language to keep records of trade. They had a great economy and many intelligent individuals. The only downfall to the Phoenician government is their autonomous independence. They could have been a spectacular empire, but they never joined forces to become one.

    Read More

  • The Upper Paleolithic

    728 Words  | 2 Pages

    The upper paleolithic era brought us many social and cultural innovations. From the development of art, to the continued development of useful tools and weapons, the people existing in this time were the true forbears of modern human civilization. The advances made in self-awareness are extremely apparent as well, with significant new trends in social networks and personal adornment leading to what would be the foundation of society as we know it. These things combined make the upper paleolithic one of the most important periods of human development.

    Read More

  • Ancient Greek Civilization

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    To begin with, geography played an important role in the development of Greek civilization. The geography of Greece made it very unique and very powerful. It is a country surrounded by water and the sea which has always played an important role in its history. The ancient Greeks were active seafarers seeking opportunities for trade and founding new independent cities at coastal sites across the Mediterranean Sea. By the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., Greek colonies and settlements stretched all the way from western Asia Minor to southern Italy, Sicily, North Africa, and even to the coasts of southern France and Spain. These regions opened up further trade connections to the north which gave access to valuable raw materials, such as gold. Also, Greek city-states consisted of mountainous peninsula and many islands that isolated the Greeks from one another causing the development of the communities to be independent that they even fought each other to gain advantage. Later, the Greeks established colonies that spread civilizations throughout the Mediterranean world which made it more powerful and more significant.

    Read More

More about The Late Bronze Age

Open Document