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The Phoenicians were famous artists and Homer in the Odyssey praises their craft persons and artisans .<ref>Homer, Odyssey, iii, 67</ref>. They utilized traditional Canaanite styles and designs. Like many other urban cultures , they were receptive to new ideas and artistic styles, for example, they adopted the Egyptian-style of sarcophagi.  There is as such was no single , distinctive Phoenician artistic style, but they did develop developed new skills and transmitted the art of other peoples across the Levant. Artistic Creative works made in cities such as Sidon were exported all over the Mediterranean to Carthaginian outposts , and they influenced local artists. The Phoenicians played a very important vital role in the development of the First Jewish Temple, built by King Solomon, artisans sent by the King of Tyre helped in its construction. The cities of Phoenicia played a critical role in the artistic development of the Levant and beyond<ref> Moscati, p 14</ref>.

Perhaps the most important cultural innovation of the Phoenicians was the development of the alphabet around 1000 BC. It appears that the Canaanites had developed the first phonetic alphabet , and it was used by several peoples such as the Moabitesused it. Based on the evidence , it would appear that the Phoenicians contributed to the development of this alphabet , and it appears that they used it widely in their commercial enterprises.  They helped to popularize the use of the alphabet , and many cultures , including the Greeks and Hebrews , adopted it. Over time, many national languages used their writing system. This alphabet was one of the most important inventions in all of human history. It was different from hieroglyphs, used by many societies in the Levant as it was not based on signs, but on the sounds of speech that people made. The consonants were combined with vowels to form words and sentences and allowed individuals to engage in much more complex communications than previously.  This allowed system permitted bureaucrats and others to keep more effective records and made governments more efficient. Ordinary people, such as traders , could learn the alphabet and become literate, which revolutionized many aspects of life. The impact of this system for writing was to have a profound impact on the Greeks, they adopted it, as they emerged from their Dark Ages. Scholars believe that the Hebrew alphabet is a regional variant of the one used in Phoenicia. Today, the script developed and transmitted by the inhabitants of cities such as Sidon, Tyre and Byblos, forms the basis for most of the globe’s alphabets.<ref>Diringer, David, and H. Freeman. A History of the Alphabet (London, Unwin Brothers, 1977), p. 8, 89, 112</ref> ====Phoenicians: Early for of democracy?====As was the case with other urban and mercantile societies, Phoenicia developed sophisticated political systems. These city-states initially organized these governments around kings, the priesthood, and a council of elders. These increasingly became oligarchic over time. The Phoenicians were among the first to develop political institutions other than that of the monarchy in the Levant. Some claim that they introduced a limited form of democracy, centuries before the Greeks.  There is evidence that during religious festivities that citizens of cities such as Sidon would vote for candidates for the assembly. People transmitted these democratic practices to outposts, such as Carthage. We can have a better understanding of the nature of Punic institutions by studying the constitution of Carthage. It was an oligarchical republic where citizens could elect two presidents called Suffetes. It even had a popular assembly and trade unions.

====Phoenicians: first democrats?====As was the case with other urban and mercantile societies Phoenicia developed sophisticated The Phoenician’s political systems. The governments of these city-states system was initially organized around kings, the priesthood and a council of elders. These increasingly became oligarchic instrumental in nature over time. The Phoenicians were among the first to develop political institutions other than that development of monarchy governments in the LevantClassical period. There are those who claim that they introduced a limited form of democracy, centuries before the Greeks. There is evidence that during religious festivities that citizens The governments of cities such as Sidon would vote for candidates for the assembly. These democratic practices were transmitted to outposts such as Carthage. We can have a better understanding of the nature of Punic institutions by studying the constitution of Carthage. It was an oligarchical republic where citizens could elect two presidents called Suffetes. It even had a popular assembly and trade unions. The Phoenician’s political system is deemed to have been very influential in the development of governments in Tyre influenced the Classical period. There are those who claim that Greek city-states such as Athens were influenced by the governments of cities such as Sidon and Tyre. It is also possible that they also introduced democratic institutions and practices to the Etruscans who later transmitted them to the Romans .<ref>Stockwell, Stephen. "Before Athens: Early popular government in Phoenicia and Greek city-states." In The Secret History of Democracy, pp. 35-48. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2011</ref>.

The Phoenicians were renowned traders and sailors. They traded all over the Mediterranean and even in the Black Sea. They traded luxury goods and high-value products such as the famous purple dye, far and wide. Traders from Sidon and other cities voyaged great distances to obtain metals such as bronze and tin. These were sourced in the mysterious land of Taresh, which is believed to have been located in modern Spain.  The Phoenicians and the colonies helped to create a trade network that traversed the Mediterranean Sea and beyond. This network helped the region to recover from the collapse of civilizations associated with the Sea Peoples.  However, the Phoenicians were not just traders, ; they were also notorious pirates and slavers. Nonetheless, city-states such as Tyre made a crucial contribution to the development of international trade. What is more, the commercial networks of the Phoenicians allowed for the exchange and transmission of ideas.  Historians believe that they influenced other cultures, especially with regard to about religion. The Greek goddess Aphrodite was based on the cult of Astarte, which was widely practiced in Phoenicia .<ref>Sherratt, Susan, and Andrew Sherratt. "The growth of the Mediterranean economy in the early first millennium BC." World Archaeology 24, no. 3 (1993): 361-378</ref> ====Phoenicia role in the development of Carthage====[[File:Phoen 1.jpg |200px|thumb|left|Punic ruins]]By the 5th century BC, the small trading outpost of Carthage developed into a great city. It became the leading maritime and commercial power in the Western Mediterranean. It was under the control of Tyre until the Persians conquered Phoenicia. The Carthaginians freed from the influence of Phoenicia conquered the other Punic outposts and eventually dominated much of the North Africa coast and many of the Mediterranean islands.<ref>Astin, A. E., M. W. Frederiksen, R. M. Ogilvie, and F. W. Walbank, eds. The Cambridge ancient history. Cambridge University Press, 1984), p. 117</ref>  Carthage retained its Phoenician culture and institutions and influenced many societies in the region, down the centuries. They were the rivals of the Greeks in Sicily and elsewhere, and later they proved to be the greatest enemy of Rome. The Carthaginians fought three wars with Rome, known as the Punic Wars, and they were ultimately to determine the fate of the Mediterranean World for centuries.  If they had prevailed over Rome, the history of the Western World could have been much different. Despite their defeat and the eventual destruction of the city in 154 BC, Carthage left an enduring legacy. They introduced new agricultural methods and naval technologies into the region, which were adopted by Rome.  Moreover, the Carthaginians developed a rich civilization and economy on the North African littoral.<ref> Astin, p. 201</ref> After the Romans occupied Carthage after the Third Punic War, it became a crucial part of the Roman economy. Moreover, many Punic communities continued to prosper, such as that at Utica. Many remained proud of their Phoenician ancestry, such as one of the greatest of all Christian thinkers, St Augustine. Indeed, it was only with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire, that Punic culture and language, vanished, from the region.<ref>Astin, p. 213</ref> The Phoenicians through their colony at Carthage altered the course of history in North Africa.

Phoenicia is a civilization that is little appreciated today, unlike those far less famous than the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. This Phoenicia's place in history was erased because it and its colonies were subjugated conquered by other powers and its libraries and records nearly all destroyedafter Persia conquered the kingdom. This means that their Therefore, Phoenicia's contributions to ancient civilization and history has have often not been recognized.  Among their many achievements the Phoenicians pioneered new commercial networks and introduced urban living into many areas of the Mediterranean for the first time. The Phoenicians introduced the phonetic alphabet to many societies’ and this was to revolutionize societies. This innovation revolutionized many cultures in the Mediterranean and this changed the course history of the Worldworld history. The unique societies Phoenicia was also one of Phoenicia meant that they were among the first civilizations to develop democratic institutions and these . These were possibly emulated by the Ancient Greeks. Their colonization of the Mediterranean was important. The Phoenician trading post of Carthage eventually became an Empire that was pivotal in the history of the Classical World.

* Clifford, R. J. (1990). Phoenician religion. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 279(1), 55-64.* Millar, F. (1983). The Phoenician cities: a case-study of Hellenisation. The Cambridge Classical Journal, 29, 55-71.*Markoe, G. E. (1990). The emergence of Phoenician art. Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental research, 279(1), 13-26.*Oded, B. (1974). The Phoenician cities and the Assyrian Empire in the time of Tiglath-pileser III. Zeitschrift des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins (1953-), (H. 1), 38-49.