How Did The Phoenicians Use Trade And Commerce

Trade and commerce, whether international or domestic, has always been essential to civilisations worldwide. Where one country may be lacking necessary goods and luxuries, another can provide due to their own self sufficiency in natural resources. Trade was a necessity for ancient Egyptians because it provided them with the resources and luxuries they required for a variety of purposes – religious, domestic, economic, agricultural, aesthetic purposes, etc. Egypt was a major centre of both import and export in ancient society due to their position on the gulf of two seas , which was critical for successful trades. This global trade system was the basis of the ancient world, and the foundation that forged international allies.

Transoceanic
He maintained that before Columbus it was likely the Phoenicians had conquered the great Atlantic sea and voyaged to the Americas.
"It is one of the greatest voyages of mankind and if anyone could have done it [before Columbus], it was the Phoenicians… of all the ancient civilizations they were the greatest seafarers -- Lebanon had cedar trees, perfect for building strong boats, they were the first to use iron nails, and they had knowledge of astronomy and currents."

He decided to test the theory out for himself. He proposed to create a replica of an Ancient Phoenician ship and circumnavigate it around Africa. If he was successful, his next step was to voyage all the way to the Americas. The construction of the ship involved traditional materials and techniques to maintain authenticity and reliability as it was based on a genuine wreck found in the Mediterranean and dated back to 600BC. The final specifications of the ship were:

o 50 tonnes o Beam: 5.8 metres o Freeboard: 1.3
The presence of pineapples, a strictly Southern American fruit, has been depicted in a Roman fresco dated back to the 1st Century AD. The mosaic depicts a wicker basket containing a variety of fruits – grapes, figs, pomegranates and a pineapple.

Notwithstanding these allegations, historians have refuted that it is instead a pine cone depicted in all paintings or otherwise pre-Columbus. However, the distinct diamond shaped pattern on the rind of the fruit in question indicates its strictly pineapple in nature, unlike the pine cones triangular husk. Similarly, pine cones lack the leafy green sprouts and the golden exterior that has been depicted in the fresco, which again suggests that it is in fact a pineapple among the other fruits. Another example of pineapples finding their way into Roman culture long before Christopher Columbus discovered America is this excerpt from the writings of Marc Monnier the French author of The Wonders of