page_title: Phoenicia
section_title: Phoenician ships
hierarchical_section_title: Phoenicia / Economy / Phoenician ships
caption_attribution_description: English: Phoenician ship Carved on the face of a sarcophagus. 2nd century AD.
context_page_description: Phoenicia was an ancient Semitic-speaking thalassocratic civilization that originated in the Levant region of the eastern Mediterranean, specifically modern Lebanon. It was concentrated along the coast of Lebanon and included some coastal areas of Syria and northern Palestine reaching as far north as Arwad and as far south as Acre and possibly Gaza. At its height between 1100 and 200 BC, Phoenician civilization spread across the Mediterranean, from Cyprus to the Iberian Peninsula.
  The term Phoenicia is an exonym originating from ancient Greek that most likely described Tyrian purple, a major export of Canaanite port towns; it did not correspond precisely to Phoenician culture or society as it would have been understood natively. Scholars thus debate whether the Phoenicians were actually a distinct civilization from the Canaanites and other residents of the Levant.
  The Phoenicians came to prominence following the collapse of most major cultures during the Late Bronze Age. They were renowned in antiquity as adept merchants, expert seafarers, and intrepid explorers.
context_section_description: The Phoenicians were among the earliest and most influential shipbuilders and mariners. Naval historian Richard Woodman described them as "the first true seafarers, founding the art of pilotage, cabotage, and navigation" and the inventors of "the first true ship, built of planks, capable of carrying a deadweight cargo and being sailed and steered." The Greeks and Egyptians considered Phoenician warships and sailors to be the most superior in antiquity.
  As early as 1200 BC, the Phoenicians built large merchant ships. During the Bronze Age, they developed the keel, the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a ship, which was a significant advancement over the more common dugout vessels, which were limited in size, durability, maneuverability. Pegged mortise-and-tenon joints were developed to make Phoenician ships sturdier, and proved effective enough to serve as a standard template across the Mediterranean until late into the Roman Empire. Other key ship components, such as the brailed rig sail, which allowed for greater maneuverability, and the crow's nest, which provided a vital lookout point, most likely originated in the Levant. 
  The Phoenicians were possibly the first to introduce the bireme, around 700 BC, which was a large galley with two tiers of oars staggered on either side allowing for significantly greater propulsion. An Assyrian account describes Phoenicians evading capture with these ships. The Phoenicians are also credited with inventing the trireme, which added an additional bank of oars and thus far greater speed. Phoenicians triremes were regarded as the most advanced and powerful vessels in the ancient Mediterranean world, and were eventually adopted by the Greeks.  
  The Phoenicians developed several other maritime inventions. The amphora, a type of container used for both dry and liquid goods, was an ancient Phoenician invention that became a standardized measurement of volume for close to two thousand years. The remnants of self-cleaning artificial harbors have been discovered in Sidon, Tyre, Atlit, and Acre. The Phoenicians relied on celestial navigation, and most likely discovered Polaris (the North Star), which enabled nighttime sailing and shorter open-sea routes; the Greeks subsequently called Polaris the "Phoenician Star". The wind rose, a precursor to the compass rose, was apparently of Phoenician or Levantine origin. The first example of admiralty law also appears in the Levant. The Phoenicians continued to contribute to cartography into the Iron Age. The Carthaginians became a major power in the western Mediterranean due largely to their ability to quickly produce ships through an innovative use of serial production.
  The Greeks had two names for Phoenician ships: Galloi (tubs) and hippoi (horses). The names are readily explained by depictions of Phoenician ships in the palaces of Assyrian kings from the seventh and eighth centuries BC, which were tub shaped (galloi) and had horse heads on both ends. (hippoi). It is possible that the hippoi come from Phoenician connections with the Greek god Poseidon, equated with the Semitic-Levantine god Yam. 
  In Oeconomicus, Greek historian and philosopher Xenophon, through the Greek character Ischomachus, speaks admirably of Phoenician ships: "I think that the best and most perfect arrangement of things that I ever saw was when I went to look at the great Phoenician sailing-vessel; for I saw the largest amount of naval tackling separately disposed in the smallest stowage possible." Ischomachus continues to describe the construction and organization of the Phoenician vessel in great detail, emphasizing its sophistication and craftsmanship, as well as the skill of its crew. The durability of Phoenician vessels is attributed to their regular maintenance and methodical construction. 
  In 2014, a roughly 50-foot Phoenician trading ship was found near Gozo island in Malta. Dated 700 BC, it is one of the oldest wrecks found in the Mediterranean and the oldest in the central Mediterranean. Fifty amphorae, used to contain wine and oil, were scattered nearby. 
caption: Phoenician ship carved on the face of a sarcophagus (second century AD).
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