Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/623

 PHOENICIA. Ecdippa, now Zeb, the Achzib of Scripture (Josh. xix. 29), regarded by the Jews after the captivity as the northern boundary of Judaea. Ptolemais stands on the right bank of the river Belus {Naaman), but at a Uttle distance from it. To the SE. a fertile plain stretches itself out as far as the hills of Galilee. From Ptolemais the coast forms a deep bay, about 8 miles across, the further extremity of which is formed by the promontory of Cannel. It is now called the bay or gulf of Khaifa. The bold and lofty headland of Carmel is only a continuation or spur of the mountain of the same name, a range of no great height, from 1200 to 1500 feet, which runs for 18 miles in a direction from SE. to NW., gradually sinking as it approaches the coast. A convent near the cape or promontory is about 582 feet above the sea. On its NE. side flows the Kishon of Scripture, which, when not swollen by rains, is a small stream finding its way through the sand into the sea. Towards the bay the sides of Carmel are steep and rugged, but on the south they slope gently and are more fertile. Carmel was celebrated in Hebrew song for its beauty and fer- tility ; and though its orchards and vineyards no longer exist, the richness of the soil is still marked by the profusion of its shrubs and the luxuriance of its wild-flowers. From the promontory of Carmel the coast gradually sinks, and at its lowest point stands Dora, a town celebrated in ancient times for the manufacture of the Phoenician purple. Beyond this point we shall not pursue the description of the coast ; for although between Dora and Egypt some towns are found which were inhabited by Phoe- nicians, yet in their geographical distribution they belnng more properly to Palestine. That part of the Mediterranean which washed tl'.e coast of Phoenicia was called by the Greeks rh ^otv'iKiov TTeXayos (Agathem. ii. 14), or ^iSop'.T] dda(T<Ta (Dion. Per. v. 117), and by the Latins Mare Phoenicium. (Phn. v. 13, ix. 12, &c.) Its southern portion, as far as Sidon, is affected by the currents which carry the alluvial soil brought down by the Nile to the eastward ; so that towns which were once maritime are now become inland, and the famous harbours of Tyre and Sidon are nearly choked with sand. The climate of Phoenicia is tempered by the vicinity of Lebanon, which is capped with snow during the greater part of the year, and retains it in its ravines even during the heats of summer. (Tac. Hist. v. 6.) Hence the temperature is much lower than might be expected from the latitude. At Beirout, which lies in the centre of Phoenicia, the usual summer heat is about 90° Fahrenheit, whilst the winter temperature is rarely lower than 50°. In the mountains, however, the winter is severe, and heavy falls of snow take place. The rainy season commences towards the end of October, or beginning of November, from which time till March there are considerable falls of rain or snow. From May till October rain is very unusual. As Phoenicia, though small in extent, is, from its configuration and natural features, subject to a great variety of climate, so its vegetable productions are necessarily very various. The sides of Lebanon are clothed with pines, firs, and cypress, besides its far- famed cedars. The lowlands produce corn of all sorts, peaches, pomegranates, grapes, oranges, citrons, figs, dates, and other fruits. It also yields sugar, cotton, tobacco, and silk. The whole country is subject to earthquakes, the effect of volcanic agency ; PHOENICIA. 607 from which cause, as well as from the action of the cuiTents already mentioned, both Tyre and Sidon have suffered changes which render them no longer to be recognised from ancient descriptions. In some places the coast has been depressed by earthquakes, and at the mouth of the river Lycus are traces of submerged quarries. (Berton, Topogr. de Tyr. p. 54.) In like manner, the lake Cendevia, at the foot of Carmel, in which Pliny (v. 1 7) describes the river Belus as rising, has now disappeared; though Shaw (Trav. ii. 33) mentions some pools near its source. The geological structure of Phoenicia is recent, and consists of chalk and sandstone, the higher mountains being formed of the Jura lime- stone. The only metal found is iron, which occurs in considerable quantities in the hills above Beirout. In the sandstone of the same district, bituminous wood and brown coal are found, but in small quantities and impregnated with sulphur. III. Ethnological Relations of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were called by the Greeks io'iviKes (Horn. Od. iv. 84 ; Herod, i. 1 ; Thucyd. i. 8, &c.), and by the Romans Phoenices (Cic. N. D. ii. 41 ; Mela, i. 12 ; Plin. v. 13, &c.). They were a branch of the great Semitic or Aramaean race. The Scriptures give no intimation that they were not indigenous; and when the Hebrews settled in Canaan, Sidon and Tyre were already' flourishing cities. {Josh. xix. 28, 29.) By classing, however, the Phoenicians, or Canaanites, among the descend- ants of Ham (Genesis, x. 15), the Scriptures imply an immigration. The reason of this classification, was probably their coloiu-, the darkness of their com- plexion indicating a southern origin ; yet their language, a safer criterion, marks them, as we have said, for a Semitic race. This, though not strictly identical with the Hebrew, was the nearest allied tc it of all the Semitic tongues. St. Jerome ( Comm. in Jer. XXV. 21) and St. Augustine (Tract. 15 in Evanrj. Joan.') testify that the Punic language resembled the Hebrew. The same affinity is ob- servable in Punic words preserved in Greek and Roman writers ; as in the Poemdus of Plautus, especially since the improvement of the test by the collation of Mai. The similarity is also evinced by bilingual inscriptions discovered at Athens, where many Phoenicians were settled, as will be related in the sequel. But perhaps one of the most re- markable proofs is the inscription on the Carth.a- ginian tablet discovered at Marseilles in 1845, of which 74 words, out of 94, occur in the Old Testament. Profane writers describe the Phoenicians as im- migrants from the borders of the Persian Gulf. Thus Herodotus (i. 1, vii. 89) asserts that they originally dwelt on the Erythraean sea; an appella- tion which, in his language, as well as in that of other ancient writers, embraces not only the present Red Sea, but also the Persian Gulf and Indi.m Ocean. To the same purpose is the testimony of Strabo (xvi. p. 766), who adds that there were in the Persian Gulf two islands, Tyrus and Aradus, the inhabitants of which had temples resembling those of the Phoenicians, and who claimed the like- named islands on the coast of the Mediterranean as their colonies. Hecren (Researches, vol. ii. p. 56, Eng. trans.), who admits that traces of Phoenician workmanship and buildings have lately been dis- covered in these islands, reverses the parentage, and