Sometime around 3,200 years ago, a new civilization became ascendant on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

This group wasn't like the empires that surrounded them.

They weren't focused so much on land, acquisition, and conquest, so much as they were focused on

commerce and trade. For centuries they ruled over commerce and trade in the

Mediterranean until they finally succumbed to their more powerful neighbors. Learn

more about the Phoenician civilization and what set them apart from other ancient

civilizations on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Book your ticket to happiness with Sun Express Airlines. The origins of the Phoenicians is somewhat shrouded in mystery.

The Phoenicians lived in the area which is known as Canaan, which is today the area

along the Mediterranean coast consisting of northern Israel, Lebanon, and the coast of Syria.

If you're familiar with the term Canaan, it probably comes from the Bible and the people known

as the Canaanites.

There is a great deal of debate as to if the Phoenicians were separate from or were the same as the Canaanites.

The term Phoenicia is actually a Greek term that was used to describe the people from the

area.

It could be that the Phoenicians are the equivalent to Canonites, or it could be that the Phoenicians are the equivalent to Canaanites or it could be that the Phoenicians

are a subset of a larger group of people who had the label of Canaanites.

The ancient Greek historian Herodotus claimed that they came from the Arabian Peninsula, but other modern

scholars say that they didn't migrate from anywhere.

What we do know is that they were definitely a Semitic people from the Levant and they lived close

to the sea. The first we hear about the Phoenicians

comes from the Egyptians in the 15th century BC. The Phoenicians traded with the

Egyptians and Phoenician goods were highly prized. The Phoenicians appear to have

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