The Phoenicians started as coastal traders, then became widely traveled merchant shippers who controlled the trade of the Mediterranean. They exchanged cloth, cedar logs, glass trinkets, and perfume for gold and other metals.
The Phoenicians also created an alphabet that spread, making it easier for people of different nations communicate. The Canaanite system had 22 symbols/ letters from which any numbers of words could be formed. They colonized the Western Mediterranean and left their influence there. They contributed a lot to Greek culture and, indirectly, to Roman culture.
The Hebrews or Israelites were a small group among the peoples of the ancient Middle East. Their religion had a great influence on the world’s civilization. Their religion is called Judaism, which still exists today. Some Hebrews were nomadic (wandering herders) and some were traveling merchants. Hebrew artisans made goods from gold, copper, and ivory. They sold their goods by traveling on donkeys, going up the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates. They exchanged their good for