The Phoenicians were exceptional explorers, traveling all across the Mediterranean Sea, and are even credited as being among the first to travel west of the Mediterranean, reaching as far as the Strait of Gibraltar and even into the Atlantic Ocean.7.
In addition to being excellent sea-travellers, the Phoenicians also used their advanced ships in the creation of colonies. Due to their lack of military prowess and, more importantly, their proclivity for trade by sea, the Phoenicians set up many colonies along the shore of North Africa and Spain, as well as many defendable offshore islands.8 These colonies included Gades – which is considered the earliest Phoenician trading port in Spain, and dates back to 1100 B.C.E. –, Utica, a city located on the northern tip of Africa that dates to 1101 B.C.E,9 and Carthage, the most well known of the Phoenician colonies, and one that is often referred to as the 'new capital' in the west, that dates back to 814 B.C.E.10 Each of the Phoenician colonies was politically dependent on the motherland, meaning there were few instances for any one colony to emerge as a new power over their homeland.11.
One of Phoenicia's main colonies was Tyre, a small island found off the coast of modern day Lebanon.12 The city of Tyre was a longstanding economic contact of Assyria, a civilization that was well known throughout the ancient world for their war-like and violent society.13 With this agreement, Assyria would receive any trade items from Phoenicia, including, but not limited to, their warships, and in return, Phoenicia and Tyre in particular would get Assyria's protection from invading parties.14 .
Because of their many colonies located along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, the Phoenicians were considered the strongest sea traders of the ancient world.
