During the residence of the Israelites in Egypt man- ufactures of almost every description were carried to great perfection. BUx, fine linen, garments of cot- ton, rings and jewels of gold and silver, works in all kinds of materials, chariots for pleasure, and chariots for war, are all mentioned bj Moses. They had ex- tensive manufactories of brick. Literature was in a flourishing state; and, in order to give an enlarged idea of the accomplishments of Moses, it is said he was ** learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts xii, 22). See Egypt.
The expulsion of the Canaanites firom a great part of their territories by tha Israelites under Joshua led to the gradual establishment of colonies in Cyprus, Rhodes, and several islands in the iEgean Sea ; they penetrated into the Enxine or Black Sea, and, spread- ing along the shores of Sicily, Sardinia, Gaul^ Spain, and Africa, established numerous trading places, which gradually rose into more or less importance. At this period mention is first made of Tyre as a strong or fortified city, whilst Sidon b digidfied with the title of Great. See Camaantte.
The rising prosperity of Tyre soon eclipsed the an- cient and long-flourishing commercial ci^ of Sidon. About 600 years before Christ her commercial splen- • dor appears to have been at itsJieight, and is graphic- ally described by Ezekiel (xxvii). The imports into Tyre were fine linen from Egypt ; blue and purple ftt)m the isles of Elishah ; silver, iron, tin, and lead fh>m Tarshish — the south part of Spain ; slaves and brazen vessels from Javan or Greece, Tubal, and Meshech ; horses, slaves bred to horsemanship, and mules from Togarmah ; emeralds, purple, embroidery, fine linen, corals, and agates ftx>m Syria ; com, balm, honey, oil, and gum from the Israelites ; wine and wool from Da- mascus; polished ironware, precious oils, and cinna- mon from Dan, Javan, and Uzal ; magnificent carpets from Dedan ; sheep and goats from the pastoral tribes of Arabia ; costly spices, some the produce of India, precious stones, and gold from the merchants of Sheba or Sabica, and Ramah or Regma, countries in the south part of Arabia ; blue cloths, embroidered worlu, rich apparel in corded cedar-chests, supposed to be original India packages, and other goods from Sheba, Asbur, and Chilmad, and from GUiran, Canneh, and Eden, trading ports on the south coast of Arabia. The vast wealth that thus flowed into Tyre from all quarters brought with it its too general concomitants — extrav- agance, dissipation, and relaxation of morals. See
TVRE.
The subjection of Tyre, "the renowned city which was strong in the sen, whose merchants were princes, whose traflickers were the honorable of the earth,*' by Cyrus, and its subsequent overthrow by Alexander, after a determined and most formidable resistance, terminated alike the grandeur of that city and the his- tory of ancient commerce, as far as they are alluded to in Scripture. (See Anderson' s History of Commerce^ '' '^nd. 1764, and latest 1801 ; Vincent's Commerce and
NamgaHm of ike fndkm Oeeem^ Lond. 1807; Heend Reteardue; Barnes on the Andeni Commerce cfWm em AtiOy in the Biblical RepotUory, Oct. IMQ, M 1841 ; GUbert, Lecte. on Anc, Commerce, hand. Vm See Alexakdsb. i
8. Until the time of Solomon the Hebrew nitis^ may be said to have bad no foreign trmde (see Tychs^ De Comm. el Nav, Hebrvtorym, in the Cuas. Soc Gm^ 1808, p. 160-79). Foreign trade was indeed eetttam plated by the Law, and strict mlee for moralitj U commercial dealings were laid down by it (IM xxviii, 12; XXV, 18-16; Lev. xiz, 85, 86), and Hi tribes near the sea and the Phoenician territory appi^ to have engaged to some extent in maritime afiin (Gen. xlix, 18 ; Deut. xzxiii, 18 ; Jodg. v, 17); btttk spirit of die Law was more in flavor of a^coltore «■ against foreign trade (Dent, xvii, 16, 17 ; Lev. xzf| see Josephns, Apian, i, 12). See Aixlahcb.
During the reign of David, king of Israel, that pv** erf ul monarch disposed of a part of the wealth obt^Hi by his conquests in purchasing cedar-timber txvm Bi- ram, king of Tyre, with whom he kept up a frieedb correspondence while he lived. He also hired Tvraa masons and carpenters for carrying A his works. See David. Solomon, however, organized an exteasift trade with foreign oountries, but chiefly, at least so br as the more distant nations were concerned, of ao is- port character. He imported linen yam, honee, oA chariots fh>m Egypt. Of the horses, some appear to have been resold to Syrian and Canaanitiah priac<«. For all these he paid gold, which was imported bjr tt from India and Arabia by his fleets in conjonctioD v^ the Phoenicians (I Kings x, 22-29; see Geaenias. 71a. i7e6. p. 1202 ; comp. Heeren, Ae, NaL i, 834). It n by Phoenicians also that the cedar and other timitf for his great architectural works was brongfat by ces to Joppa, whilst Solomon fivind the provisioiis Dee»- saiy for the workmen in Mount Lebanon (1 Kin^ t, 6, 9; 2 Chron. ii, 16). The united fleets used to td into the Indian Ocean every three years ftom £3a& and Eziongeber, ports on the iElanitic golf of the Bed Sea, which David had probably gained from Edoir: and they brought back gold, silver, ivory, sandal-Tooi ebony, precious stones, apes, and peacocks. Sone of these may have come from India and Ceyloo, asd some ftx>m the coasts of the Persian Gulf and tlie ea^ coast of Africa (2 Sam. viii, 14; 1 Kings iz, 26; x,U 22 ; 2 Chron. viii, 17 ; see Herod, iii, 114 ; coinp. Liv- ingstone, Travels, p. 687, 662). See Ophir.