Travels The completion of the education of the heir to the throne was his trips around Russia and abroad. The journey lasted from May 1 to December 12, 1837. During the journey, Alexander wrote 35 letters to his father. These letters contain many impressions and reflections on the history of Russia,

About 4000 years ago in the Mediterranean, namely its eastern part, tribes first appeared, which in ancient Greece were given a special name - the Phoenicians. They went down in history primarily as the most famous sailors of the past.

It is known that the name of the country - Phoenicia - literally sounds like a beautiful adjective - "purple". And this analogy arose for a reason: the tribes mined a bright dye for fabrics - purple - which was fixed as the color of kings. But there is also a second meaning - "Fenehu", which means shipbuilders. It is also justified: the Phoenicians were able to create ships so strong that they were not afraid of even the strongest sea storms and storms. Swimming was provided by rowing slaves arranged in two rows. Having laid the foundations of shipbuilding, these brave people were considered the inventors of the first galleys - multi-tiered rowing boats.

The Threat of Extinction and Carthage

The Phoenician colonies occupied almost the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea, their possessions also included part of the Atlantic coast and North Africa. Many trading cities were founded there, in particular, Carthage, which had a favorable geographical position and became the largest trading center with other countries, as well as the protection of the Phoenician colonies during the intensified struggle with the Greeks and Tartessites.

Travels of famous sailors

The tribes, known as talented merchants, smart creditors and resourceful city builders, also gained fame as the best navigators known not only to Ancient Phoenicia, but to the whole world. They sailed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, off the northern lands of Europe and the western African coasts, were the first to travel around the entire African continent, which lasted 2.5 years. This truly grandiose enterprise took place on behalf of the Egyptian king in the 7th century BC, a millennium before Vasco da Gama, proved that the sea surrounds Africa on all sides, excluding the junction with Asia.

There was also a report about the sun, which was on the right, and not on the left, because. travelers were in the other hemisphere of the Earth, which almost for the first time gave reason to assume a unique form of the planet - a ball, although at that time it was difficult to believe in it. There were also rare and then inaccessible expeditions south across the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, this is even mentioned in the Bible. In addition, these sailors were the first to see the shores of modern Great Britain and brought tin and Baltic amber there.

Around 500 BC e. the Phoenician fleet sailed west through the Strait of Gibraltar and, after establishing several small colonies on the Moroccan coast, moved a little south, reaching the Gulf of Guinea. Travels of the Phoenician sailors expanded ancient geographical knowledge, despite the fact that the Phoenicians kept many discoveries a secret - and history confirms this: until the 15th century, almost no one dared to swim along the western part of the African mainland.

Other achievements of the Phoenicians: some interesting facts

It's safe to say that no other people made so many discoveries in antiquity. And, despite the fact that not in all cases it is the Phoenicians who are the authors of inventions, it was they who introduced them into life, thereby changing the course of civilization:

• created an alphabet who began a triumphant journey around the world, supplanting virtually all other forms of writing; it is interesting that all the letters of the alphabet, the number of which numbered more than two dozen, were consonants;
• the first in the world thought of saving fish from spoilage with salt, supplying products to the most distant countries; by the way, it was salt, which at that time was valued without exaggeration worth its weight in gold, that the Phoenicians owe their outstanding wealth;
• began to extract paint from shellfish, which has become a symbol of royal luxury, and this achievement happened by accident: the shell was accidentally gnawed by a dog;
• again the first in the world began to produce glass in furnaces from ordinary sand and soda; masks were made from the resulting glass, which covered the faces of the then dead;
• brought grapes and olives to North Africa, which then ended up in Spain, where they are still grown, they bought papyrus from the Egyptians and invented fighting machines.

Thus, the heritage of this civilization had a huge impact on the further development of mankind.

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Phoenician navigators and their travels

Culture of Ancient Phoenicia

The culture and science of the ancient Phoenicians were also developed at a very high level: they had their own alphabet, which was eventually adopted by the Greeks. The peak of the heyday of the Phoenician civilization dates back to about 1 thousand BC. AD

In ancient Phenicia, there were no good fertile lands, the constant rains, due to the climate of the Mediterranean, also did not allow the Phoenicians to engage in agriculture. The only way out for the inhabitants of the country was the occupation of navigation, which significantly expanded trade relations with other peoples, and the abundance of forests allowed them to build ships on their own.

Navigation and trade relations

The Phoenicians built very durable ships that were not afraid of either storms or storms. It was the Phoenicians who first modeled and built ships with a keel, equipped with sheathing on the sides of the vessel - this significantly increased their speed.

Also, their ships were equipped with special compartments for the transport of cargo, which were located above the deck. Due to the strength of their ships, the Phoenicians had the opportunity to go to the Atlantic Ocean, which at that time was not available to many sailors in the Mediterranean.

The maritime strategy of the Phoenicians was striking in its thoughtfulness: they built special bays along the coast so that in the event of a storm, ships could remain safe. With the help of navigation, the ancient Phoenicians were able to establish their colonies in places where their ships could reach.

One of the most famous cities colonized by Phoenician navigators was Carthage, which eventually became the center to which all Phoenician colonial cities obeyed. Naturally, the title of the best navigators at that time was identical to the title of the best merchants.

What did the Phoenicians trade?

The Phoenicians sold in other countries what their country was rich in: first of all, red fabrics (the Phoenicians learned to extract red paint from shellfish thrown ashore by a storm), transparent glass produced by Phoenician artisans, Lebanese cedar wood, grape wine and olive oil. oil.

The Phoenician navigators did not return home empty-handed either: in Egypt they bought grain and papyrus sheets, in Spain - silver and copper.

Also, the main goods of the Phoenicians were slaves, which they bought in other countries and sold at home in order for them to build new ships. Also, shackled slaves were used by Phoenician sailors for rowing.

Sometimes the seafarers of Phoenicia did not hesitate to rob: as soon as an opportunity was provided, they captured other people's ships and robbed small port cities.

Forced out of the sea by the Greeks

However, as a result of internal strife and a significant shortage of material for the construction of new ships, the Phoenicians were forced out of the trade and maritime business by the Greeks, who also learned how to build durable and more advanced ships.

But despite this, the Phoenicians managed to make a real revolution in the shipbuilding business of that time. They laid the main foundations of shipbuilding, which were used until the 19th century, when sailing ships began to displace the first steamboats.

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Phoenicia is a narrow strip of the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, bounded in the east by the Lebanese Range.

ABOUT Phoenicians first told by Homer. From the end of the 2nd to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, the Phoenicians were engaged in maritime trade, at the same time they founded settlements throughout the Mediterranean (the most significant of them was Carthage). Like all seafarers of antiquity, they never voluntarily moved away from the coast beyond its visibility, never sailed in winter and at night.

When the Phoenician society became slave-owning, it increasingly began to need an influx of new slaves, and this further strengthened the desire to sail to overseas countries.

So, no later than 15 centuries BC The Phoenicians began to visit Crete. Moving from there to the west, they marked the beginning of the opening of the Central Mediterranean Basin. From the islands of the Aegean Sea, the Phoenicians crossed to the southern shores of the Balkan Peninsula, crossed the Strait of Otranto and rounded Apulia and Calambria. Simultaneously with the Cretans, or somewhat later, they discovered the island of Sicily, and then discovered and colonized Malta in the 8th century BC. Crossing the Strait of Tunis, they moved west and traced almost 2000 km of the coastline of North West Africa, opening the Atlas mountain country to the Strait of Gibraltar. Coming to the strait, the Phoenicians for the first time got a correct idea of ​​the length of the Great Sunset Sea (3700 km).

Simultaneously with the penetration to the west, the Phoenicians began to explore the African coast in an easterly direction. They opened the bays of Hammamet, Little Sirte with the islands of Kerkenna and Djerba and Greater Sirte.

Phoenician sailors

They opened the entire western coast of the Iberian Peninsula, entered the mouths of such rivers as the Guadiana, Tagus, Douro, Minho. There is a possibility that the Phoenicians got acquainted with the shores of the Bay of Biscay up to the Brittany Peninsula.

The Phoenicians built ships for expeditions organized by their neighbors, who owned the shores of the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and entered their service.

IN 600 BC Egyptian pharaoh Necho ordered a group of Phoenician merchants to go to sailing around africa. About this voyage, 150 years later, the historian Herodotus, who visited Egypt, told, and with such details that he himself considered incredible. But it is these details that confirm the authenticity of the event. So, Herodotus, who did not have a modern idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe globe and the solar system, seemed improbable that part of the story, which said that when the Phoenicians went around Africa from the south, moving from east to west, they had the sun on the right side, then is in the north. For us, it is clear that it is this circumstance that confirms that the Phoenicians really crossed the equator, sailed through the waters of the Southern Hemisphere and circled Africa from the south. They circled Africa for three years, which is quite plausible, given the capabilities of the shipping technology of that time, as well as the fact that they stopped for 2-3 months every year to sow and harvest grain.

Around 850 BC, Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians - the greatest trading center of that time. In 500 BC, Carthage, having arisen as a Phoenician colony, already began to look for colonies. To this end, the Carthaginians organized a large sea expedition led by the Carthaginian admiral Hanno. He led a flotilla consisting of 60 ships, on which there were 30,000 colonists.

Along the way, Hannon founded cities and in each of them left a part of people and ships.

This journey of the Carthaginians was reflected in the “Periplus” (description of the voyage) of the naval commander Hanno, from which we learned that, having passed through the Strait of Gibraltar, they followed the Atlantic coast of Africa for two days, founding cities along the way. They rounded Cape Zeleny and soon entered the mouth of the Gambia River. A few days later, the travelers reached the bay, which they called the Western Horn (probably Bissagos Bay), then the South Horn (now Sherborough Bay in Sierra Leone) and finally landed on the coast of present-day Liberia.

Thus, Gannon reached Equatorial Africa. As far as is known, he was the first inhabitant of the Mediterranean to visit West Africa and describe it.

The results of his outstanding voyage were used only to a minimal extent: the Carthaginian merchants went through it to Kerna and organized the “Golden Road” (gold trade) with the deep regions of West Africa.

The discovery of the Azores is also attributed to the Carthaginians, but there is no indication in the literary monuments that they visited these islands. But in 1749, the Swede Johan Podolin reported the discovery of a treasure trove of ancient coins on the island of Kovru, among which were Carthaginian ones.

Simultaneously with Hanno, another navigator of Carthage - Himilcon- made a great voyage along the western coast of Europe and, apparently, reached the southwestern tip of England (the Isles of Scilli).

Thus, Phoenicians And Carthaginians were the first peoples of antiquity who swam in the open sea and ocean without a compass. Undoubtedly, their voyages should have enriched the Phoenicians with many information regarding the physical properties of the ocean, but nothing from their area of ​​\u200b\u200bknowledge has come down to us. Apparently, they were of the opinion that the Atlantic and Indian oceans form one continuous water surface.

Phoenician military and merchant ships. Assyrian relief from the palace of Sennacherib in Nineveh. 8th-7th centuries BC.

Relying on their colonies, the Phoenician and Carthaginian navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean.

During the heyday of Phoenician and Carthaginian navigation, the sea became a means of communication between the three continents of the Mediterranean and distant countries outside Gibraltar.

The Phoenicians were the first of the peoples of the Mediterranean to reach the shores of present-day England and here they received tin.

By exchange, they received amber, which was so valued at that time, delivered here by land from the Baltic, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Carthaginian sailors, entering the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, which they call the “pillars of Melkart” (the supreme god of Tyre), also repeatedly sailed along the western coast of Africa.

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A description of one of these sea expeditions of the brave Carthaginian sailors has come down to us in a Greek translation.

This is the so-called voyage of Hanno, dating from about the 6th or 5th century. BC

Phoenicia - the land of seafarers

Although the description of the expedition of the Carthaginian sailor looks like an entertaining adventure novel, nevertheless, all of his information, according to authoritative researchers, is true.

It is possible to trace the path of the expedition step by step, comparing the data on this journey with what we know about the geography of the western coast of Africa.

Along with expeditions to the northwest and southwest, the Phoenician cities also sent sea expeditions to the south, with the help of the Egyptians, and sometimes Israel and Judea.

Here the Phoenician ships probably reached the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea.

The Bible tells about one of these sea voyages when it talks about an expedition to the gold-rich country of Opyr, organized by Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon, king of Israel.

But the most grandiose undertaking should be considered that sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC e.

Within three years, they circled Africa and returned through the "pillars of Melqart", having accomplished this outstanding feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.

Message-report "Journey of the Phoenician sailors" or "Swimming of the Phoenicians" Grade 5

The Phoenicians are the best navigators of the Ancient World, tireless merchants and explorers. Most of all the geographical discoveries made in the ancient world belong to the Phoenicians. Phoenician navigators founded many colonial cities in Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa all the way to the Strait of Gibraltar. Although Phoenicia itself was located precisely in Asia Minor, on the territory of modern Lebanon. The Phoenicians furrowed the entire Mediterranean Sea up and down.

I introduced myself as a Phoenician navigator. I live a thousand years before our era, that is, three thousand years ago. We have been sailing for nine months already, we have already reached the coast of Spain. My native city of Tire, the capital of our Phenicia, I will see only in a year.

The ship on which I am sailing as a sailor is large - you will not find equal ships of this kind in any country. It is equipped with a deck, a ram on the bow, built from the strongest Lebanese cedar. The tail of the ship is carved from wood in the shape of a scorpion's tail! We are sailing.

If we had rowed, we would not have reached Spain even in a year.

We are 29 people in the team. On the ship, we brought goods for sale from afar: sheep wool from the Bedouins, copper dishes from our homeland. Here we will need to load up with tin, which is being transported from distant cold islands, from the north. And then forward, on the way back. At home, we will sell the goods very profitably.

Here, in Spain, another new colony of my countrymen will be founded.

Phoenicia in the 1st millennium BC
Sea travel of the Phoenicians

Enriched at the expense of their colonies, the Phoenician, Carthaginian navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean Sea. During this heyday of Phoenician and Carthaginian navigation, the sea route became a means of communication between the three continents of the Mediterranean and more distant countries that were outside Gibraltar.

The Phoenicians were the first of the peoples of the Mediterranean to reach the shores of present-day England and here they received tin, which was very valuable at that time. By exchange, they also received on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the amber that was so valued at that time, delivered here by land from the Baltic.

Carthaginian sailors, entering the ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, which they called the “pillars of Melkart” (the supreme god of Tyr), also repeatedly sailed along the western coast of Africa.

The description of one of these sea expeditions of the brave Carthaginian navigators is also known to us in Greek translation. This is the voyage called Hanno's voyage, dating from about the 6th or 5th century. BC. Although the expedition of the Carthaginian sailor is described as an entertaining adventure novel, nevertheless, all his information, according to authoritative historians, is true. It is possible to trace the path of the expedition step by step on the map, comparing the data about this journey with what we know about the geography of the western coast of Africa.

Using the help of the Egyptians, and sometimes Israel and Judea, the Phoenician cities sent sea expeditions not only to the northwest and southwest, but also to the then less accessible south.

In this case, the Phoenician ships through the Red Sea probably even reached the Indian Ocean.

One of these sea trips is well written in the Bible, which tells of an expedition to the gold-rich country of Ophir, organized by Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon, king of Israel.

But the most grandiose enterprise must be considered the sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC. Within three years they circled Africa and returned through the "pillars of Melqart", having accomplished this outstanding feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.

World history" Volume 1.

ed. Yu.P. Frantseva, State Publishing House of Political Literature, 1953.

The location of Phoenicia was not suitable for agriculture, but contributed to the development of other areas. One of these, which brought world fame to the Phoenicians, is shipbuilding. Without it, navigation would not have been possible.

The main material for the construction of ships was the Lebanese cedar, which grew in the territory of Phoenicia. The wood was of excellent quality, making the ships very strong and resistant to severe storms. In addition, the Phoenicians were the first of the ancient peoples to apply new principles in shipbuilding:

• the body was made up of thick boards, the edges of which were fastened with large oak spikes;
• the transverse ribs of the hull began to be covered with sheathing;
• great attention was paid to the quality of the keel (the ships were not flat-bottomed);
• cargo compartments were fenced.

From the 12th century BC e. the Phoenicians created capacious merchant ships with good carrying capacity. Guardrails protecting the cargo were fixed on the sides, and two large oars for maneuvers were attached to the stern. A straight sail (usually purple in color) was attached to a mast equipped with yards. The rowers were often slaves.

The Phoenicians built strong shelters for ships along their coasts, protecting ships during storms.

Rice. 1. Phoenician trading ship.

The Phoenicians are considered the creators of the trireme. This is a military (combat) ship with three rows of oars, common in the Mediterranean since the 8th century BC. e. The oars were placed in a checkerboard pattern, and the rows were placed on top of each other. The ships could reach 40 meters in length, were supplied with an iron ram (rarely wooden).

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The Egyptian rulers actively used the Phoenician fleet in their conquests, since the triremes were very maneuverable.

Rice. 2. Phoenician trireme.

Navigators' achievements

The Phoenicians originally used ships for fishing. Later, the main goal of navigation was the development of trade: it was necessary to sell their goods and acquire others as cheaply as possible for their own use and for sale. Phoenician products made of metal, ebony, ivory and valuable fabrics, especially purple (such paint was made from shellfish in Phenicia), were very popular.

The state had free access to the Mediterranean Sea, and high-quality ships made it possible to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the Phoenician navigators were able to explore different directions. They sailed the entire Mediterranean Sea, on the islands of which they founded their colonies (Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Cyprus, Crete); reached the Atlantic coast of England, Spain and the Canary Islands.

Hanno is considered the most famous navigator. He led an expedition in a trireme to the shores of Africa. At the request of the Egyptian ruler Necho ΙΙ in the 6th century BC. e. The Phoenicians entered the Red Sea, then reached the Strait of Gibraltar and returned to Egypt, thus bypassing along the entire coast of Africa. This journey lasted about three years.

Phoenicia was located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea (now it is the territory of Lebanon). Phenicia was a set of separate cities with their surrounding lands, and they were ruled by kings. Such cities are called policies - city-states. Among the Phoenician city-states, Byblos, Tyre, and Sidon stood out. The Phoenician cities never united into a single state.

The Phoenicians have always tried to keep their discoveries secret. At the turn of the 6th century BC, another Phoenician navigator, Gannon, sailed along the coast of West Africa and probably reached Cameroon. An account of this voyage ("pericles") was put on public display in the main temple of Carthage.

Subsequently, the coast of Central, East and South Africa for almost one and a half thousand years turned into one huge white spot for European sailors. Until the 15th century, no one dared to sail along the western coast of Africa towards the equator in a route long familiar to the Phoenicians.

Phoenicia is one of the oldest countries, which was located on the Mediterranean coast, on the territory of modern Syria, Israel and Lebanon. The population of the country managed to build a powerful civilization, the basis of which was maritime trade and craft.

Culture of Ancient Phoenicia

The culture and science of the ancient Phoenicians were also developed at a very high level: they had their own alphabet, which was eventually adopted by the Greeks. The peak of the heyday of the Phoenician civilization dates back to about 1 thousand BC. AD

In ancient Phenicia, there were no good fertile lands, the constant rains, due to the climate of the Mediterranean, also did not allow the Phoenicians to engage in agriculture. The only way out for the inhabitants of the country was the occupation of navigation, which significantly expanded trade relations with other peoples, and the abundance of forests allowed them to build ships on their own.

Navigation and trade relations

The Phoenicians built very durable ships that were not afraid of either storms or storms. It was the Phoenicians who first modeled and built ships with a keel, equipped with sheathing on the sides of the vessel - this significantly increased their speed.

Also, their ships were equipped with special compartments for the transport of cargo, which were located above the deck. Due to the strength of their ships, the Phoenicians had the opportunity to go to the Atlantic Ocean, which at that time was not available to many sailors in the Mediterranean.

The maritime strategy of the Phoenicians was striking in its thoughtfulness: they built special bays along the coast so that in the event of a storm, ships could remain safe. With the help of navigation, the ancient Phoenicians were able to establish their colonies in places where their ships could reach.

One of the most famous cities colonized by Phoenician navigators was Carthage, which eventually became the center to which all Phoenician colonial cities obeyed. Naturally, the title of the best navigators at that time was identical to the title of the best merchants.

What did the Phoenicians trade?

The Phoenicians sold in other countries what their country was rich in: first of all, red fabrics (the Phoenicians learned to extract red paint from shellfish thrown ashore by a storm), transparent glass produced by Phoenician artisans, Lebanese cedar wood, grape wine and olive oil. oil.

The Phoenician navigators did not return home empty-handed either: in Egypt they bought grain and papyrus sheets, in Spain - silver and copper.

Also, the main goods of the Phoenicians were slaves, which they bought in other countries and sold at home in order for them to build new ships. Also, shackled slaves were used by Phoenician sailors for rowing.

Sometimes the seafarers of Phoenicia did not hesitate to rob: as soon as an opportunity was provided, they captured other people's ships and robbed small port cities.

Forced out of the sea by the Greeks

However, as a result of internal strife and a significant shortage of material for the construction of new ships, the Phoenicians were forced out of the trade and maritime business by the Greeks, who also learned how to build durable and more advanced ships.