Phoenician (Civ3)/Civilopedia

Phoenicia, located in what is now Lebanon, was perhaps the first human civilization whose primary focus was trade. Phoenician trading ships plied the Mediterranean as early as 2500 BC, and Phoenician trading outposts often blossomed into great cities and even empires (Carthage, for example, was originally a Phoenician settlement). Since theirs was a small and (relatively) peaceful civilization, Phoenicia often relied on its neighbors for protection, or on its wealth to buy off prospective conquerors. Egypt protected Phoenician lands for almost 700 years, but when Egypt went into a period of decline Phoenicia came under the influence of the Hittites and then the Assyrians.
The Phoenician city of Byblos was a major center of learning and culture in ancient Mesopotamia -- scribes and scholars gathered there from all over the known world (indeed, the first Christian texts were copied at Byblos -- hence the name "Bible"). Another result was the Phoenician alphabet, which formed the basis for the alphabet the Greeks and later the Romans used. Phoenician trade also bred a large population of artisans and artists, who started to create their own trade goods using dyes and imported materials, as well as improving others'.
A distinctively Phoenician cultural identity survived occupation and military domination by a succession of great powers including Persia, Macedonia, and Rome, until well past 0 AD, despite the Romans' utter destruction of Phoenician civilization in the western Mediterranean (although Carthage, which was still a Phoenician society, had nonetheless developed its own unique identity). When Rome fell, the decentralized nature of the Phoenician trade empire combined with the collapse of its greatest protector led to a great period of uncertainty. That ended with the meteoric rise of Islam in the 7th century AD and the rapid conquest of all remaining Phoenician lands by the Arab Muslims.