The History of Zidon or Zidonia has likewise been touched upon briefly in the articles on PHCENICIA and TYRE. Although allotted to Asher (Josh. xix. 28), it yet never seems to have been really conquered by the Israelites. On the contrary, it would appear as if the Zidonians had, for a time at least, ruled over them. But very soon after that period its splendour and power began to pale before Tyre, which existed already at the time of Joshua, but as a dependency from Zidon. After the memorable ' defeat which the Zidonians suffered in the war with the king of Askalon (13th century B. c.), reported by Justin, when the Zidonians are said to have retired to their ships and to have founded [? re founded] Tyre,' Zidon almost disappears from history for a time,—so utterly enfeebled and insig nificant had it become through the sudden and brilliant rise of its own daughter and rival, to whom all the noblest and most skilful of her children had fled. Its fate was almost the same as was that of Tyre herself when Dido-Elissa had founded Car thage, and drew all the most important elements from the old city to the New Town'—which, it must not be forgotten, had originally been a Zidonian settlement under the name of Kakkabe.
Although Zidon had retained her own kings, yet, at the time of David and Solomon, Tyre is found manning its fleets with Zidonian sailors, and Hiram furnishes Zidonian workmen for the building of Solo mon's temple. Gradually the kings of Tyre even assumed the title of king of Zidon.' And, although the foundation of Carthage, and the consequent weakening of Tyre, allowed Zidon to breathe some what more freely, yet, a very short time after that event, the same internal political dissensions and party-struggles caused a similar emigration as that which had taken place in Tyre, or which had peopled Tyre itself with Zidonians. This emigra tiomfounded Aradus, and thus gave rise to the con federation of the three states of Tyre, Zidon, and Aradus, the supreme council (or Synedrium) of which had its seat at Tripolis. Yet this confedera tion did not last long. When Shalmanassar (707 701 }lc.) marched against Phcenicia, Zidon, out of her ancient rancour against her successful rival, joined, together with other cities, the conqueror, assisting him with sixty vessels manned with Soo rowers. Nothing is heard of Zidon for a century afterwards ; but Tyre having emerged victoriously from the contest with Shalmanassar, it is to be pre sumed that it ruled its treacherous confederate with a heavy hand. When Chaldeans, Egyptians, Scythic hordes, overfiooded the whole country during the 7th and part of the 6th century B.C., the power of both Tyre and Zidon was finally broken so com pletely that, notwithstanding their kings and their fleets, they almost without resistance fell into the hands of Persia under Cyrus and Cambyses (526 u.c.) As tributary provinces, they had now to aid their conquerors with their ships, both against the Greeks and the Egyptians. Yet no sooner had the Achm menidian rulers restored peace, than these Phoeni cian cities began to gather wealth and strength anew, and in the year 351 Zidon dared Artaxerxes Ochus in open rebellion. Goaded to despair by the insolence of the Persian satraps and generals who had taken up their abode in their city, the inhabitants resolved to shake off the galling yoke, and persuaded their Phcenician kinsmen to join them in their resistance. Nectanebo, the king of
Egypt, sent them 3000 Greek soldiers, who, together with their armed men and ships, bade fair to carry the day. After committing a few excesses in the royal palace itself, and taking some of their insolent visitors captive, they marched against the royal troops sent from Babylon to quell the rebellion, and, under the Zidonian general Tennes, routed them. Whereupon the king himself appeared be fore the city, and Tennes treacherously handed it over to the besieging enemy. The Zidonians having burnt their ships, and seeing all further resistance impossible, shut themselves up in their houses, with their wives and children, and fired the whole place. No less than 4o,000 people are said to have perished in the flames, together with the most colossal wealth. The king, indeed, sold the ruins, on account of the vast amount of molten gold and silver found beneath them, for many talents. Rebuilt again, it became a provincial town without importance, and gladly opened its gates to Alex ander the Great—happy to get rid of the Persian yoke at any price. Under his Syrian successors it again rose in population and importance ; so much so that Antiochus III. preferred to pass it by without attacking it (216 u.c.) At the time of Cmsar it appears to have possessed a kind of autonomy. In the middle of the 1st century A.D. it is again called Opulenta Sidon . . . maritimarum urbium maxima ' (Pomp. Mela, 1. 12) ; a circumstance due chiefly to its exceptionably favourable harbour or harbours—one for summer and one for winter. Greek coins style her Navapxls, Roman coins Co Ionia Augusta, and Metropolis. In the N. T. we find it mentioned in Matthew (xv. 21) and Mark (vii, 24, 3 1). Paul finds there also a Christian friend (Acts xxvii. 3). The first bishop of Zidon mentioned is Theodorus, who appeared at the Nicean council. Eusebius and Jerome call it Urbs Phcenices insignis,' while Antoninus Martyr (600l finds it in decay, and. calls its inhabitants wickel people.' From that time forth, however, little is heard of it until the time of the Crusades. Still called Sidona in the Itineraries, we meet it again as Saida in Edrisi ; and, by a further corruption of this name, as Sageta or Sagitta in later writers. Edrisi speaks of it as an important place, the four districts of which mount up to the Lebanon, and within the precincts of whose territory no less than 600 villages were situated. There can be no doubt about the importance of Saida at the time of the Crusades. Although its surrounding districts yielded welcome plunder in cattle and other provi sions to the invading army of the Crusaders, yet they dared not attack the city itself at first in io99. Eight years later mighty preparations for a siege were made, but the inhabitants bought it off at a high price. The place was taken, neverthe less, in rt Tr, after a six weeks' defence. From that time forth it remained in the hands of the Christians for seventy-six years, when, after the battle of Hattin, Sultan Saladin seized it and de stroyed its fortifications. Ten years later it again fell into the hands of the pilgrims (1197), who are said to have used the cedar-planks taken from its houses for stabling and fuel.