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The Phoenicians were an ancient people who lived on the eastern coast of the Miditerranian Sea, where Lebanon is today.  They were excellecnt traders who provided the Cedars of Lebanon mentioned in the [[Bible]] which were used in King [[Solomon]]'s Temple.  The Phoenicians established many prosperous colonies including [[Tyre]], [[Sidon]], and [[Carthage]].  Carthage was so successful that it became powerful enough to compete with [[Rome]].  Perhaps most importantly, the Phoenicians invented a new alphabet of 22 letters which is the basis for all western alphabets.  The [[Assyrian Empire]] invaded the Phoenicians in the 500s BC, leading to their downfall.

The Phoenicians were an ancient people who lived on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of ancient Canaan, in parts of what today is Lebanon and Syria.  The term "Phoenician" comes from the Greek name for their people, <i>phoiniki</i>. Historians believe that they were ethnically identical to the Canaanites that lives to the south, and that the Phoenician language was one of the Canaanite langauges.  They were excellent maritime traders who provided the Cedars of Lebanon mentioned in the [[Bible]] which were used in King [[Solomon|Solomon's]] Temple.  The Phoenicians established many prosperous colonies including [[Tyre]], [[Sidon]], and [[Carthage]].  Perhaps most importantly, the Phoenicians invented a new alphabet of 22 letters which became the basis for all western alphabets.  The [[Persian Empire]], under [[Cyrus the Great]] conquered Phoenicia in 539 BC, leading to their downfall.