SEAFARING TRADERS EXTEND BOUNDARIES

Ch. 3.3

The Minoans Dominated trade in the Mediterranean Sea from 2000-

1400 B.C.-Wide-ranging trade based civilization Lived on Crete, Map

Best pottery of the time. Traded pottery with neighboring cultures, This spreads culture around the area. Ideas/beliefs influence future Greeks Cultural “Stepping Stone” in the Mediterranean

Ended about 1200 B.C. Natural disasters, earthquakes ,volcanoes, may

have wiped out the cities or at least weakened them enough for attacks from Greek invaders.

Minoans Knossos, the Minoan capital city. An advanced and thriving culture. Probably peaceful -Minoan cities no fortifications Wall paintings show them as athletic, graceful. Art depict women’s role in religious ceremonies.

The Phoenicians 1100 B.C., Crete falls Now the Phoenicians dominate trade. Located in present day Lebanon. Map Great shipbuilders and seafarers. Important cities: Sidon, Tyre, Berytus, Byblos and Carthage Famous for purple dye, made from a rotting murex snail.

It took 60,000 snails to make 1 pound of dye! Phoenicians need system for recording transactions

Developed phonetic alphabet

The Phoenician Alphabet The Phoenicians

developed a writing system that used symbols to represent sounds. The Phoenician system was

phonetic—that is, one sign was used for one sound.

In fact, the word alphabet comes directly from the first two letters of the Phoenician alphabet: aleph and beth.

The Greeks adopted the Phoenician Alphabet, adapting it into the Greek Alphabet we know today, which is the basis for the English Alphabet.

The Long Reach of Ancient Trade

• How could long distance trade affect these ancient civilizations?• How does trade affect our civilization today?