Who were the Phoenicians and how did they gain their wealth and power

Phoenicia was anancient Semitic civilization situated on the western, coastal partof the Fertile Crescent and centered on the coastline of modernLebanon and Tartus Governorate in Syria. All major Phoeniciancities were on the coastline of the Mediterranean, some coloniesreaching the Western Mediterranean.We are often toldthat the Phoenicians invented the alphabet. Regardless of who putpen to papyrus to create it, the Phoenician contribution wasnone-the-less major and critical. They were the major sea-tradersof the Mediterranean, and they went everywhere. When thePhoenicians began using the alphabet as a simple and easy way tokeep track of their trades, it was exposed to everyone.Also they show theother countries that ships could travel around the globe tradingimportant commodities. Phoenician mariners sailed to Mediterraneanand southwestern European ports. The Phoenicians were the greatmerchants of ancient times. They sold rich treasures from manylands.