15,697
edits
Changes
→Carthage
Historians believe that they influenced other cultures, especially about religion. The Greek goddess Aphrodite was based on the cult of Astarte, which was widely practiced in Phoenicia.<ref>Sherratt, Susan, and Andrew Sherratt. "The growth of the Mediterranean economy in the early first millennium BC." World Archaeology 24, no. 3 (1993): 361-378</ref>
====Phoenicia role in the development of Carthage====[[File: Phoen 1.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Punic ruins]]By the 5th century BC, the small trading outpost had of Carthage developed into a powerful great city. It was became the leading maritime and commercial power in the Western Mediterranean. It was under the control of Tyre until it was conquered by the Persiansconquered Phoenicia. The Carthaginians freed from the influence of Phoenicia conquered the other Punic outposts and eventually dominated much of the North Africa coast and many of the Mediterranean islands .<ref>Astin, A. E., M. W. Frederiksen, R. M. Ogilvie, and F. W. Walbank, eds. The Cambridge ancient history. Cambridge University Press, 1984), p. 117</ref>. Carthage retained its Phoenician culture and institutions and influenced many societies in the region, down the centuries. They were the rivals of the Greeks in Sicily and elsewhere , and later they proved to be the greatest enemy of Rome. The Carthaginians fought three wars with Rome, known as the Punic Wars , and they were ultimately to determine the fate of the Mediterranean World for centuries. If they had prevailed over Rome, the history of the Western World could have been much different. Despite their defeat and the eventual destruction of the city in 154 BC, it Carthage left an enduring legacy. They introduced new agricultural methods and naval technologies into the region, which were adopted by Rome. Moreover, they the Carthaginians developed a rich civilization and economy on the North African littoral .<ref> Astin, p. 201</ref>. This area After the Romans occupied Carthage after the Third Punic War was occupied by the Romans and , it became a crucial for their part of the Roman economy. Moreover, many Punic communities continued to prosper, such as that at Utica. Many remained proud of their Phoenician ancestry, such as one of the greatest of all Christian thinkers, St Augustine. Indeed, it was only with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, that Punic culture and language, vanished, from the region .<ref>Astin, p. 213</ref>. The Phoenicians through their colony at Carthage alter altered the course of history in North Africa.
====Conclusion====
Phoenicia is a civilization that is little appreciated today, unlike those of Greece and Rome. This was because it and its colonies were subjugated by other powers and its libraries and records nearly all destroyed. This means that their contributions to ancient civilization and history has often not been recognized. Among their many achievements the Phoenicians pioneered new commercial networks and introduced urban living into many areas of the Mediterranean for the first time. The Phoenicians introduced the phonetic alphabet to many societies’ and this was to revolutionize many cultures and this changed the history of the World. The unique societies of Phoenicia meant that they were among the first to develop democratic institutions and these were possibly emulated by the Ancient Greeks. Their colonization of the Mediterranean was important. The Phoenician trading post of Carthage eventually became an Empire that was pivotal in the history of the Classical World.
