iv. Extent and Influence of Tvrian Trade. — While Tvre produced certain manufactured articles, such as glass work and the crimson and bluish-purple dj-es obtained from the shell-fish * of the coast, the chief cau.se of its wealth and fame was its trade-carrying pre-eminence. Tyre was the great sea-pedlar of the ancient world. By their charts of the ocean and study of the stars, alon<' with carefully guarded records as to depths and distances, winds and currents, the Tyrian sailors were able to outstrip all competitors by sailing during the niglit, and keei)ing their course when out of sight of land. Also by land they had their trading stations along the eastern caravan routes that passed to the N.E. by Aleppo and Palmyra, and to the S.E. into Arabia. Krom Armenia to the Persian Gulf all the paths of merchandise converged towards Tyre. Their ships, for a time in partnership witli those of Solomon, traded in the Red Sea. A recent conjecture is that Sofala (with the prefix * dropped and the I restored to r) was the celebrated Ui'ilin, with its traces of Semitic workmanship in the neighbouring gold mines. The Tyrians rounded the continent of Africa in their vessels, not larger than a modern herring-boat. They traded on the Nile, selling their wares and laying in wheat and linen at their station at Memphis. They had their ports along the north coast of Africa, notably at Utica and Carthage, the latter of which was said to have been founded by the Dido of romance. In the great Roman ejiie Virgil must give his hero a Tyrian steersman, Palinurus (possibly Biialo- niikro, 'IJaal is light'). All the islands of the Medi- terranean were familiar with their richly freighted
•In 'the book of the Uolls,' pp. 47, 48 {Sttutia Sinaitica, No. viii.), there is an account, whicti the writer of llie book dia- miascs with contempt, of ttie way in which the purple dye of the Tyrian murex was discovered. It was a Jewish tradition to the elTect that a she)iheni la4l one day noticed his do|^ eating bouiethin^ on the shore near Tyre, and observed that the dog'a nioutti waji stained with bri^'ht crimson thud. Wltti the Oriental instinct for decoration he dipped some wool in the bright dye, and put it on his head iis a crown. The incident havin>( been reported to Hiram, kin^- ot Tyre, tbe dye inataiitly became an important article ol commerce.
vessels. Beyond the Straits of Gibraltar they established (jrades and other stations on tlie west coast of Spain. They crossed also to Cornwall, and passed down the west coast of Africa as far as Cape Nun and the Canary Islands. Traces of their presence survive, especially in the islands of Cyprus, Sicily, and Sardinia, in the names of har- bours, in e.\cavated relics, and in graves with Phoenician inscriptions, telling where some Tyrian sailor had rested from his wanderings.
Ezekiel (cli. 27), in describing the height of glory from which Tyre was cast down because of the un- righteousness of her traffic, gives a glowing account of the various lands that gave her of their best, ministerin'; to her vast mercliandise, and so to her wealth and power and pride and destruction. In Ezk 27^' *■ there is a picture of the ships of Tar- shish, homeward bound and heavily laden, being bulieted by the common Levanter or east wind of the Mediterranean.
Tyre was a great civilizer, bringing East and West together, and teaching the world the peace- ful lesson of mutual dependence. From the 12th cent. B.C. it strove with wonderful talent and per- sistency to carry out its great aim, wliich was to gain from the whole world rather than to gain the world itself. Its world was gain. Its destiny, unlike that of Rome, was not to beat down the proud and mighty, but to supply the wants of the rich and great, bringing idols for tlieir shrines, beautiful vases for their palaces, shields and swords of cunning i\ork for warriors, cloth of gold, em- broidery, and royal purple for kings, and silk work in stripes and tartan for princesses. By exporting various products to lands where they were un- known or of inferior quality, productive activity was stimulated on all sides, and the standard of industrial art was raised. Like a goodly merchant- man. Tyre was willing to pay for her treasures. Thus tribute was willingly given to kings in return for freedom of trade ; and with regard to unseen dangers and difficulties, of whicli they were deeply conscious, their commercial prudence was ready with costly gifts or cruel saerilices in order to touch the vanity or avert the wrath of the gods. It was an expenditttre in order to secure a larger gain.
V. Tyre and Assyria.— Under Assur-nazir-pal, Shalmaneser II., and Tiglath - pdeser, Assyria gradually established its authority over Phienicia, until Shalmaneser IV. in 726 overran the country. Tyre refused to surrender, and Shalmaneser suc- ceeded in detaching her jealous rival Zidon, so that he was able to attack Tyre by sea witli an armada of 60 ships. TheTyrians moved out to meet them, and with 12 war-vessels defeated their enemy, taking 5U0 prisoners. The siege was maintained on land for five years, until it was raised on account of the death of the AssjTian king (Ant. IX. xiv. 2). Later on, Tyre was attacked with uncertain success by Sennacherib with a vast army. In 673 Esar-haddon found his vassal Tyre in league witli Egj'pt, and in 664 Assur-banipal took it by storm.