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TYRE

rocky island 1968 feet above the sea, existed first. It is generally held, however, that the continental pre- ceded the insular city. The reference in Josue (xix, 29) is not exactly identified, but in the El-Amarna Letters the island is referred to, unless the Egyptians who occupied all the seaboard cities had not subjected it also to their dominion.

TjTe seems always to have had kings, like the other Chanaanite cities. It was its sovereigns who made it the "queen of the sea", as it loved to call itself, and its merchants nobles of the earth, as Isaias says (.\xiii, 3-S). The city was very proud of its wealth and ships, which plied along the whole of the Mediterra- nean coast, in Africa as well as in Europe, and the pride of Tyre became almost as proverbial among the prophets of Israel as that of Moab. King Hiram was one of its greatest sovereigns. He sent to David

Josephus ("Ant. jud.", VIII, xiii, 2; "Contra Ap- pionem", I, 18; also III Kings, xvi, 31) calls her father "King of the Sidonians", another allusion to the Sidonian origin of Tyre. In 814 b. c. a group of Tyrians went to the coast of Africa and founded Carthage, the most famous colony of Tyre. The very amicable relations of Tyrians and Jews did not last always; they waned especially when Tyre sold as slaves the Israelitish prisoners of war (Joel, iii, 4-8; .A.mos, i, 9). On the other hand, the luxury and cor- rupt morals which prevailed in the Phcpnician city could not but have a baneful influence on the Jews of the tribe of Aser and other Israehtes; so that the Prophets, such as Isaias (xxiii), Ezechiel (xxvi-xxix), Joel (iii, 4-8), and Amos (i, 9), never ceased to thunder against it and predict its ruin. Salraanasar, King of Assur, and Sargon besieged it in vain for five

From a Watercolour by H. Fcnn

the stone-cutters and carpenters to build his palace years after the fall of Samaria; although they cut

(II Kings, v, 11), and to Solomon Lebanon cedar and cypress wood for the construction of the Temple (ill Kings, ix, 11; II Par., ii, 3 sq.). The architect and his master workmen were Tyrians. In return Solomon gave Hiram the district of Cabul (Chabul) in Galilee, which included twenty small cities, but this gift seems not to have been to the taste of the King of Tyre (III Kings, ix, 11-14). Nevertheless, the two kings were allies and their combined fleets left the ports of the Red Sea for Ophir and Tharsis to obtain gold (III Kings, ix, 26-28; x, 11 sq.; II Par., ix, 10, 21). Hiram accomplished great works in his capital. He united the two parts of the island, hitherto separated by a canal which to a certain

the aqueduct of Hiram and compelled the people of Sidon and Patetyrus to place their fleets at their ser- vice, that of the Tyrians completely vanquished them (Josephus, "Ant. Jud.", IX, xiv, 2). Sennacherib likewise attempted the siege in vain. Although pay- ing him a light tribute. Tyre remained a powerful state with its own kings (Jer., xxv, 22; Ezech., xxvii and xxviii), and was enabled to develop its mercantile proclivities and attain the great prosperity spoken of by the prophets and all ancient ^Titers. On his re- turn from his exjjedition against Egypt, .\sarhaddon, like his predeces.sors, blockaded Tyre, but the Tyrians, isolated on their rock, with their powerful fleet and valiant mercenaries, laughed at all his efforts. After

extent made them two cities, and besides he built a having received tribute from King Bael, Asarhaddon

great aqueduct which brought the waters of Ras-el- was compelled to retire. The same was true of

Ain to the Land. Nabuchodonosor after a severe blockade lasting thir-

Shortly afterwards court intrigues disturbed the teen years. .According to custom the Tyrians offered

city and gave rise to a bloody revolution. Phalia, an him a light tribute, and the honour of the proud

intruder, usurped the power; he wa.s dethroned in turn .sovereign was declared satisfied. Nevertheless, this

by his brotlier Ithobael or Ethbael, high priest of long isolation greatly injured the TjTians, for during

Aslarle, a goddess who, with the god Melkart, was this interval a i)ortion of the commerce passed to

iinich vincralcil in Tyre. It was Ethl)ac'rs daughter, Sidon and other Pha-nician and Carthaginian peoples,

Jezabil, who married Acbab, King of Israel. Jezabel Furthermore, the Tyrian colonies, which for thirteen

was undoubtedly a Tyrian princess; Menander in years had broken all links of subjection to the mother