Phoenician Tyre: The Rise, Reach, and Fall of a Maritime Power
Dig.
57,100 views
Tyre was one of the most important cities in Phoenicia, a maritime powerhouse that dominated eastern Mediterranean trade for centuries. Founded on an island off the Levantine coast, Tyre grew into a center of commerce, colonization, and cultic worship. It was home to the god Melqart, the Greek Herakles, and the mother city of Carthage. We trace Tyre’s history through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and its interactions with empires like Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. From alliances with Israel, and the rise of great kings like Hiram and Ittobaal, to the city’s resistance against Alexander the Great and his famed Siege of Tyre, Tyre’s story is one of resilience, adaptation, and far-reaching influence. We explore how this small island city shaped the ancient world while navigating imperial dominance and maintaining its identity. Archaeology, ancient texts, and a little bit of historical reconstruction come together to track the rise, reach, and fall of Phoenician Tyre.
#Tyre #Phoenicia #Phoencian #IronAge #Alexanderthegreat #Carthage #Melqart #mediterraneanhistory
Join the channel to get access to perks:
@dig.archaeology
Some Sources:
Bierling, Marilyn R. The Phoenicians in Spain : An Archaeological Review of the Eighth-Sixth Centuries B.C.E. : A Collection of Articles Translated from Spanish. Winona Lake, Indiana, Eisenbrauns, 2002.
Cooksey, Christopher. “Tyrian Purple: 6,6’-Dibromoindigo and Related Compounds.” Molecules, vol. 6, no. 9, 31 Aug. 2001, pp. 736–769, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6236399/, https://doi.org/10.3390/60900736.
Cross, Frank B. “An Interpretation of the Nora Stone.” Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research, vol. 208, no. 208, 1 Dec. 1972, pp. 13–19, https://doi.org/10.2307/1356374.
Doak, Brian R. The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Elayi, Josette. The History of Phoenicia. Atlanta Lockwood Press, 2018.
Frame, Grant. The Royal Inscriptions of Sargon II, King of Assyria (721-705 BC). University Park, PA, Penn State University Press, 2021.
Gitin, Seymour Sy. The Phoenicians in Spain. Penn State Press, 30 June 2002.
Hayim Tadmor, et al. Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser v (726-722 BC), Kings of Assyria. Winona Lake Eisenbrauns [Ann Arbor, Michigan] [Proquest, 2014.J.
Brian Peckham. Phoenicia. Penn State Press, 23 Oct. 2014.
Killebrew, Ann E, and Margreet Steiner. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant : C. 8000-332 BCE. Oxford University Press -11-01, 2013.
López-RuizCarolina. Phoenicians and the Making of the Mediterranean. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 2021.
Marriner, Nick, et al. “Ancient Tyre and Its Harbours: 5000 Years of Human-Environment Interactions.” Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 35, no. 5, May 2008, pp. 1281–1310, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2007.09....
Nabulsi, Rachel. Death and Burial in Iron Age Israel, Aram, and Phoenicia. Gorgias Press, 2017.
Novotny, Jamie, et al. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668-631 Bc), Assur-Etel-IlāNi (630-627 Bc), and Sîn-Sarra-Iskun (626-612 Bc), Kings of Assyria. Eisenbrauns, 2023.
Radner, K. “The Stele of Sargon II of Assyria at Kition: A Focus for an Emerging Cypriot Identity?” Harrassowitz EBooks, 1 Jan. 2010.
Reese, David S. “Palaikastro Shells and Bronze Age Purple-Dye Production in the Mediterranean Basin.” The Annual of the British School at Athens, vol. 82, no. 82, Nov. 1987, pp. 201–206, https://doi.org/10.1017/s006824540002....
Sader, Hélène. The History and Archaeology of Phoenicia. SBL Press, 23 Nov. 2019.
Stieglitz, Robert R. “The Minoan Origin of Tyrian Purple.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 57, no. 1, Mar. 1994, pp. 46–54, https://doi.org/10.2307/3210395.
Yamada, Shigeo. “Correspondence of Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II from Calah/Nimrud. By Mikko Luukko.” Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 137, no. 4, 16 Dec. 2021, https://doi.org/10.7817/jameroriesoci....
00:00 Tyre
00:39 The foundation of Tyre
02:18 Phoenicia: Etymology and Geography
05:14 Tyrian Purple
07:53 The Early Iron Age
17:33 Under Assyria
24:51 From Persia to Alexander
35:59 Tyre's Legacy
20 Comments
Thank you for this deep dive into tyre. It is a fascinating city with an oversized impact in the ancient world
It happens about 3-4 times and only for a second or so. Doesn‘t really bother me and does not take away from the video, just wanted you to be aware.
Example at 17:39 and 34:02
(Could also be caused by my tv, if I am the only one seeing this, just disregard this message)
God be with you out there, everybody. ✝️ :)
Phoenician Tyre: The Rise, Reach, and Fall of a Maritime Power
Dig.
57,100 views
Tyre was one of the most important cities in Phoenicia, a maritime powerhouse that dominated eastern Mediterranean trade for centuries. Founded on an island off the Levantine coast, Tyre grew into a center of commerce, colonization, and cultic worship. It was home to the god Melqart, the Greek Herakles, and the mother city of Carthage. We trace Tyre’s history through the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and its interactions with empires like Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. From alliances with Israel, and the rise of great kings like Hiram and Ittobaal, to the city’s resistance against Alexander the Great and his famed Siege of Tyre, Tyre’s story is one of resilience, adaptation, and far-reaching influence. We explore how this small island city shaped the ancient world while navigating imperial dominance and maintaining its identity. Archaeology, ancient texts, and a little bit of historical reconstruction come together to track the rise, reach, and fall of Phoenician Tyre.
#Tyre #Phoenicia #Phoencian #IronAge #Alexanderthegreat #Carthage #Melqart #mediterraneanhistory
Join the channel to get access to perks:
@dig.archaeology
Some Sources:
Bierling, Marilyn R. The Phoenicians in Spain : An Archaeological Review of the Eighth-Sixth Centuries B.C.E. : A Collection of Articles Translated from Spanish. Winona Lake, Indiana, Eisenbrauns, 2002.
Cooksey, Christopher. “Tyrian Purple: 6,6’-Dibromoindigo and Related Compounds.” Molecules, vol. 6, no. 9, 31 Aug. 2001, pp. 736–769, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6236399/, https://doi.org/10.3390/60900736.
Cross, Frank B. “An Interpretation of the Nora Stone.” Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research, vol. 208, no. 208, 1 Dec. 1972, pp. 13–19, https://doi.org/10.2307/1356374.
Doak, Brian R. The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Elayi, Josette. The History of Phoenicia. Atlanta Lockwood Press, 2018.
Frame, Grant. The Royal Inscriptions of Sargon II, King of Assyria (721-705 BC). University Park, PA, Penn State University Press, 2021.
Gitin, Seymour Sy. The Phoenicians in Spain. Penn State Press, 30 June 2002.
Hayim Tadmor, et al. Royal Inscriptions of Tiglath-Pileser III (744-727 BC) and Shalmaneser v (726-722 BC), Kings of Assyria. Winona Lake Eisenbrauns [Ann Arbor, Michigan] [Proquest, 2014.J.
Brian Peckham. Phoenicia. Penn State Press, 23 Oct. 2014.
Killebrew, Ann E, and Margreet Steiner. The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant : C. 8000-332 BCE. Oxford University Press -11-01, 2013.
López-RuizCarolina. Phoenicians and the Making of the Mediterranean. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Press, 2021.
Marriner, Nick, et al. “Ancient Tyre and Its Harbours: 5000 Years of Human-Environment Interactions.” Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 35, no. 5, May 2008, pp. 1281–1310, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2007.09....
Nabulsi, Rachel. Death and Burial in Iron Age Israel, Aram, and Phoenicia. Gorgias Press, 2017.
Novotny, Jamie, et al. The Royal Inscriptions of Ashurbanipal (668-631 Bc), Assur-Etel-IlāNi (630-627 Bc), and Sîn-Sarra-Iskun (626-612 Bc), Kings of Assyria. Eisenbrauns, 2023.
Radner, K. “The Stele of Sargon II of Assyria at Kition: A Focus for an Emerging Cypriot Identity?” Harrassowitz EBooks, 1 Jan. 2010.
Reese, David S. “Palaikastro Shells and Bronze Age Purple-Dye Production in the Mediterranean Basin.” The Annual of the British School at Athens, vol. 82, no. 82, Nov. 1987, pp. 201–206, https://doi.org/10.1017/s006824540002....
Sader, Hélène. The History and Archaeology of Phoenicia. SBL Press, 23 Nov. 2019.
Stieglitz, Robert R. “The Minoan Origin of Tyrian Purple.” The Biblical Archaeologist, vol. 57, no. 1, Mar. 1994, pp. 46–54, https://doi.org/10.2307/3210395.
Yamada, Shigeo. “Correspondence of Tiglath-Pileser III and Sargon II from Calah/Nimrud. By Mikko Luukko.” Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 137, no. 4, 16 Dec. 2021, https://doi.org/10.7817/jameroriesoci....
00:00 Tyre
00:39 The foundation of Tyre
02:18 Phoenicia: Etymology and Geography
05:14 Tyrian Purple
07:53 The Early Iron Age
17:33 Under Assyria
24:51 From Persia to Alexander
35:59 Tyre's Legacy