Phoenician etymology

Etymology

The term "Phoenician" comes from the Greek word "Phoinike", which is in turn derived from the Egyptian word "Punt" or "Phunt". The Egyptians used this term to refer to a region along the coast of the Levant, which was inhabited by the Phoenicians.

Meaning

"Phoenician" refers to:

• The ancient Semitic-speaking people who inhabited the coast of the Levant, known as Phoenicia, from around 1500 BCE to 300 BCE.
• The language spoken by the Phoenicians, which was a Canaanite dialect and is considered the direct ancestor of the Punic language spoken in Carthage.
• The culture and civilization of the Phoenicians, which was known for its seafaring, trade, and cultural achievements.

Origin

The Phoenicians originated in the region of Canaan, which was located in the southern Levant (present-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria). They began to migrate northward along the coast in the 2nd millennium BCE, establishing city-states and colonies in various locations, including Byblos, Tyre, Sidon, and Carthage.

The Phoenicians were skilled mariners and merchants, and they developed a maritime trade empire that spanned the Mediterranean Sea. They established trading posts in Egypt, Greece, Cyprus, Sardinia, and Spain, and they played a major role in the diffusion of goods, ideas, and technologies throughout the ancient world.

The Phoenicians are credited with inventing the alphabet, which they developed from an earlier Egyptian script. The Phoenician alphabet was subsequently adopted by the Greeks and Romans, and it became the basis for the alphabets used in most languages today.

Phoenician relate terms

• phoenix

  Etymology The word phoenix is derived from the Ancient Greek word φοῖνιξ pho

• Phoenician

  Etymology The term Phoenician comes from the Greek word Phoinike which is in turn de

• Phenecian

  Origin and Etymology The word Phoenician comes from the Greek word Phoinix which wa

• Phoenician

  Etymology The term Phoenician comes from the Greek word Phoinike which is in turn de

• Punic

  Etymology The word Punic is derived from the Latin word Punicus which in turn comes

• Phoenician

  Etymology The term Phoenician comes from the Greek word Phoinike which is in turn de

• Byblos

  Etymology The name Byblos is derived from the Greek word Βύβλος Byblos which

• Europe

  Etymology of Europe The name Europe comes from Greek mythology According to the leg

• cordovan

  Etymology The word cordovan comes from the Spanish city of Córdoba where the leather

• Africa

  Etymology The origin of the name Africa is uncertain but several theories have been p

• rhotacism

  Etymology rhotacism n From Greek rhotakismos the pronunciation of r from rhotak

• Semite

  Etymology and Meaning The term Semite derives from the name Shem one of the sons of N

• orient

  Etymology The word orient originates from the Old French orient which itself derive