Phoenician merchants from coastal cities such as Tyre and Sidon built a network of trading posts and colonies across the Mediterranean, carrying cedar wood, purple dye, glass, and metalwork to markets from the Levant to Iberia. Their ships pursued tin, silver, and other metals, and their alphabet-based writing system was adopted and adapted by Greek traders, becoming a foundation for later Mediterranean scripts. Colonies such as Carthage in North Africa extended this network westward. Phoenician seafaring and commercial practices influenced the trading culture of the broader ancient Mediterranean for centuries.
Relevance to Trade History
Phoenician trade routes and their alphabet laid commercial and cultural groundwork that later Greek and Roman Mediterranean trade built upon.
Read the full story in our article Phoenician Maritime Trade.
Source: British Museum — Phoenicians collection and research. See our Sources & Methodology page for how we select and verify references.