Phoenicians

Chapter 7

Throughout the 8th and 7th centuries BCE Tyre remained under the rule of the
Assyrians, replaced by the then ruling “Neo-Babylonian Empire” who had gained
control of their empire after their powerful king “Assur-bani-pal” died in 627 BCE,
whereas the new empire at the Battle of Nineveh (612 BC) “Nabopolassar” was left
in control of Nineveh and destroyed the remnants of the Assyrian Empire in 609
BCE. When he died, his 2nd son “Nebuchadrezzar” (Nabû-kudurri-uṣur) who was doing
battle in Egypt returned home and replaced him on the throne. He was the best
known ruler of Babylon in the Chaldean Dynasty, his reign was from April 15 th, 605 –
562 BCE.
Following Nebuchadrezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem1, he engaged in a 13-year-
long siege of Tyre (585-572 BCE), which ended in a compromise, with the Tyrians
accepting Babylonian authority. Records indicate that after achieving the
pacification of Tyre (and completing his subjugation of Phoenicia) he turned against
the Egyptians – the records (a clay tablet in the British Museum) state that “in the
37th year of Nebuchadrezzar, king of the country of Babylon, he went to “Mitzraim”
(Egypt) to make war. “Amasis”, king of Egypt, collected his army, and marched and
spread abroad.” Nebuchadrezzar, it is written, that having problems in his Kingdom
had to cut short the conflict, and leaving Egypt he considered that he had
successfully chastised Egypt and left well-enough alone, on returning home he then
set out to rebuild and adorn the city of Babylon, constructing canals, aqueducts and
reservoirs2.
After his death (October-562 BCE) and 43 years of rule, he was succeeded by his
son “Amel-Marduk”, who held the helm for 2-years, and was succeeded by
“Neriglissar” (559-555 BCE), then succeeded by “Nabonidus” (555-538 BCE), where
at the close of his reign [less than a quarter of century after the death of
Nebuchadrezzar] Babylon fell under the conquest of “Cyrus the Great” as the leader
of the combined armies of Media and Persia.

1
Nebuchadrezzar soon dealt with these rebellions, capturing Jerusalem in 597 BC deposing King Jehoiakim, then in 587 BC due to
rebellion, destroying both the city and the Temple and deporting many of the prominent citizens along with a sizable portion of the
Jewish population of Judah to Babylon.
2
Nebuchadrezzar made the hanging gardens for his wife Amyitis (or Amytis) to remind her of her homeland, Medis (or Media).[1] She
was the daughter (or granddaughter) of King Cyaxares the Mede.
 Between 538 and 332 BCE Tyre was ruled (as goes Tyre so goes Phoenicia) by
the “Achaemenian” Kings of Persia, it is during this period that Tyre lost its role as
the primary authority in Phoenicia but it continued to flourish. Until Alexander the
Great.
Part of the downfall of Tyre to Alexander is tied to its neighboring city, Sidon.
Where, at the end of the Persian era in 346 BCE, unable to resist the superior forces
of Artaxerxes III, who was trying to put down the revolt started by (“Tennes of Sidon
– the King), where this made Sidon the center of all the revolts across the region.
The king (“Tennes”) and one of his mentors from Rhodes, in an attempt to save
Sidon ended up betraying the city and are subsequently killed – whereas the
inhabitants locking the gates of the city set it on fire killing over 40,000 of Sidon’s
population, other towns of Phoenicia and Palestine hearing of the event, then
submitted to his rule.
It is said that after this disaster Sidon was too weak and defenseless and did not
withstand the invasion of Alexander the Great. Alexander, who despises the puppet
king of the Persians in Sidon and sets out to find a new ruler, sending “Hephaestion”
(his trustworthy companion-in-arms) forth into the countryside in search of a distant
relative of a king from Sidon’s past. They find a certain man, “Abdalonymous”
working in his garden plucking weeds – bringing him before Alexander, he tells
Abdalonymous, that after all these years he has lived in poverty, he will now
become powerful and rich. “Quintus Curtius” records that the Abdalonymous
responds by putting out his grimy, work-worn hands and says, “These hands have
nothing, I lack nothing.” Alexander the Great impressed by these words, crowns
him and leaves him to rule Sidon.
What turned into the most famous episode in Tyrian history was its ability to
stand against the siege of Alexander, who laid the siege from January to July of 332
BCE; he really wanted that Persian Naval Base.
After his victory (so to speak) at Sidon Alexander turned his attention to Tyre,
Tyrian envoys met with him and assured him that their city was his --- However, he
put this goodwill to a test by expressing his wish to sacrifice at the shrine of
Heracles inside the city – they refused his admittance under this demand.
At this, he was tempted to bypass the island fortress and continue his march
towards Egypt, but he (associated his lineage from Hercules) really wanted to fulfill
his wish, as he again sent some messengers to urge them to accept his request and
the following peace treaty. Believing in their fortress, the Tyrians killed his
ambassadors and threw their bodies from the top of the massive walls into the sea.
This only served to make him angry, embitter his troops making the entire force
determined to take the city.
Alexander eventually (after finding other methods ineffective) began
constructing a “mole” or causeway between the mainland and the two co-joined
islands. It is recorded as being at least 200 feet (61 meters) wide and was
constructed from stones and timber from the “old” city of Tyre on the mainland.
This act seems to have fulfilled the Biblical prophecy of Ezekiel’s, where he stated
that the city destruction would be formulated by the use of “stones, timbers and
dust of the city was cast, from the city in the midst of the water “ (Ezekiel 26:12)
In the beginning the Tyrians had a good laugh at his project, sending men across
the expanse of water to harangue the working Macedonians, but their laughter
turned to concern when the realized he “might” complete this task. The Tyrians set
fire to a barge and drove it into the causeway, setting fire to several of the towers
on the mole killing several of the workmen --- Alexander gave orders to continue the
work, and made suggestions that the causeway should be made wider and that the
new towers be more protective.
Alexander was able to secure ships from Sidon, Greek allies and from Cyprus to
form a naval blockade against the city and when the causeway was within artillery
range he had stone throwers and light catapults moved forward, and supported by
archers and slingers, he begin a massive saturation barrage. Several naval
battering rams were constructed which were able to smash through the outer walls
of Tyre.
An account is noted of the last day of Tyre;
The men were then given two days’ rest, after which they were ordered to bring
up the fleet and siege-engines simultaneously – Alexander then climbed the highest
siege-tower (which was crammed full of catapults and other devices). His courage
was great, but he being conspicuous in his royal insignia and flashing armor was a
prime target for enemy missiles. His actions during the actual engagement of hand
–to- hand fighting was also spectacular whereas he met the defenders spear –to-
spear, and some he threw headlong into the sea, after a short skirmish with them
on the battlements – his siege-tower was abutted directly against the enemy walls.
 By now the repeated battering of the rams had loosened the joints in the stones
and the 150 foot (46 meters) defensive walls began to fall; the fleet had entered the
port and some Macedonians now occupied some of the towers the defenders had
abandoned.
The Tyrians were crushed by so many simultaneous tactics, now some sought
refuge in the temples as suppliants; others locked their doors and waited for the
entrance of the enemy anticipating a death of their own choosing. Others charged
headlong into the enemy, determined that if they had to die that during their death,
they would take some of the Macedonians along for the ride. The majority of all
took to the rooftops showering stones and whatever else they could lay their hands
and hurled then at the approaching Macedonians. To no avail.
Alexander ordered all, but those who had fled to the temples, to be put to death
and the buildings set to the match (fire). His orders were made public by heralds,
but it is noted that no Tyrian under arms sought the protection of the gods, whereas
the temples were filled with women, boys and girls – the men all stood in the
vestibules of their own homes ready to face the fury of Alexander the Great.
Although they had furnished ships that assisted in its downfall, the Sidonians
among the Macedonian troops were aware that they were all related to the Tyrians,
as such they secretly gave many of them their protection and took them to their
boats, and transported them back to Sidon, over 15,000 Tyrians were rescued in
this manner.
At the end of the day, Alexander set over 2,000 crosses across the huge expanse
of beach, and gave great pleasure to his troops by nailing 2,000 Tyrians to those
crosses letting them die over a period of time to the process and exposure to the
elements. Within the battle over 7,000 Tyrian fighting-men had lost their lives,
while only 400 Macedonians lost their lives – an accounting I find a little hard to
believe – even with today’s weapons.
The seven-month siege was over, the great city over which “Hiram I” had once
held rule was now utterly destroyed. The king, “Azimilik” and other notables,
including envoys from Carthage, who had taken refuge in the temple of Melkart,
where upon finding them, Alexander sparred their lives. The remaining 30,000 or
so survivors he sold into slavery.
As the sun sank beneath the sea he went into the temple of Melkart, ripped the
golden cords from the image of the god (now to be renamed, by his degree “Apollo
Philalexander” and made his long-delayed sacrifice – the most costly blood-offering
that Melkart had ever received. Alexander the Great had arrived3!
His impact on Tyre did not stop here, after crushing the great port, he went onto
Egypt founded “Alexandria” as Tyre’s substitute and changed forever the track of
commerce in the known world. The causeway was never removed, turning Tyre into
a peninsula.
Tyre was subsequently under the influence of Ptolemaic Egypt and in 200 BCE
became pat of the Hellenistic Seleucid kingdom (spin off of Alexander); in 68 BCE it
fell under Roman rule, mentioned in the New Testament and was famous for its silk
products and naturally the purple dye. By the 2nd century CE it boasted a large
Christian community, the Christian scholar “Origen4” was buried there around 254
CE. Under Muslim rule from 638 to 1124 CE, Tyre once again grew prosperous as
part of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, a crusader state in the 12th and 13th centuries.
The Holy Roman emperor “Frederick I Barbarossa5”, who died on the 3rd Crusade is
buried within it cathedral (1190 CE). Captured and destroyed by the Muslim
Mamluks in 1291, the city never again recovered its former status.
In Biblical times it is noted that it is near Tyre in a location called “Qana” (Cana)
where Jesus turned water into wine at the wedding feast --- in 1980, modern Tyre’s
impressive and Phoenician remains prompted UNESCO to make the town one of its
World Heritage Sites6.
Although each city or town in Phoenicia (Lebanon) has a colorful and historic
record of events I chose Tyre for its reputation and expansion across the oceans of
the world – none other in the region shared the same historical reference to the
early beginning of Lebanon.

3
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/GeogHist/histories/Oldcivilization/phoenicia/history/alexgreat.html
4
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origen
5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor
6
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/299