PH'ENI'CE (incorrectly called Phoenicia), even in its most flourish ing state, was a very small country. It extended along the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, from the town of Aradus and the river Elentherns, on the north, to Mount Carmel, or Dora, on the south. (Ptolem., v. 15 ; Pliny, 'Mist. Nat.,' v. 13, 17 ; Joseph., 'Apices,' ii. 9.) It was bounded E. by the mountains Libanus and Autilibanus, from which numerous streams descended, which rendered the land exceed ingly fertile. (Ammianus itlarcelL, xiv. 8.) This short line of coast was covered with numerous towns. which were more or less celebrated for their arts and manufactures. The most southerly town of import ance was Acco, called by the Greeks Accts subsequently Ptolemais, and now StsJean-d'Acre, which the Israelites did not conquer, though it was included in the division of the Holy Land made by Joshua. [ACRE.] North of Acco was TYRE, the principal of the Phoenician cities ; and north of Tyre, SIDON. Between Tyre and Sidon was Sarepta (Sas. phand), which is mentioned iu the history of Elijah (1 Kings, xvi. 9) under the name of Zerephath. About 84 miles N. from Sidon was Berytus, a very ancient town with a harbour. (Ptolem., v. 15 ; Strabo, xvi. 755 ; Joseph., 'BelL Jud.,' vii. 3, sec. 1 ; Atnmian. Marcell., xiv. 8; Mela, i. 12.) The modern town of Bairuth, or Beirut, is still a. place of some importance. [Mums] Twenty-four miles N. from Berytus was Byblus, situated on rising ground, not far from the sea. It was celebrated for the worship of Adonis. [Bvetos.) North of Byblus was Botrus; and beyond it Tripolis, which originally consisted of three distinct towns, founded respectively by Tyre, Sidon, and Aradus. North of Tripolis was Orthosias (Plin., `Hilt. Nat.,' v. 17; Strobe, xvi. 753; 1 Mace., xv. 37), and, still farther north, Aradus, a colony of Sidon, and the most important town in Phoenice after Tyro and Sidon, situated in an island of the same name, which is callel Arvid in the Old Testament. (Ez., xxvii. 8 ; Gen., x. 18.) This island was at the mouth of the Eleutherus, and 20 stadia from the mainland. It
was only 7 stadia in circumference, but was crowded with houses. (Strabo, xvi. 753; Plies, v. 17; Mela, ii. 7.) Opposite to it on the mainland was the town of Antaradus.
The Phoenicians were a branch of the great Semitic or Aramtean family of nations. and originally dwelt either on the Red Sea or the Persian Gulf. (Herod., 1. 2; vii. 89; Strabo, i. 42.) It is uncertain at what time they emigrated to the coast of the Mediterranean; but it must have been at a very early period, since Sidon was a great city in the time of Joshua. (Josh., xix. 28.) The Phoenicians far surpassed all the other nations of antiquity in commercial enterprise. Their greatness n9 a commercial people was chiefly owing to their peculiar natural advantages. Their situation at the extremity of the Mediterranean enabled them to supply the western nations with the different com modities of the cast, which were brought to Tyre by caravans from Arabia and Babylon ; while their own country produced many of the most valuable articles of commerce iu ancient times. Off the coast the purple fish was caught which produced the most celebrated dye known to the ancients; and the sand on the sea-shore was well adapted for the manufacture of glass. (Strabo, x. 758; Plitt., xxxvi. 65.) Mount Libanus supplied them with abundance of timber for ship building, and the useful metals were obtained in the iron- and copper mines near Sarepta. In the west they in all probability visited Britain ; and on the north coast of Africa, in Spain, Sicily, and Malta, they planted numerous colonies, which they supplied with the produce of the cast. Their settlements in Sicily and Africa became powerful states, and long opposed it formidable barrier to the Roman arms. By their alliance with the Jewish state in the time of Solomon, they were enabled to sail to Ophir in the south of Arabia, where they obtained the produce of India. (2 Chron., viii. 17, 18;I Kings, ix. 27, 28.)