The prosperity of Phoenician cities such as Tyre, Sidon, and Byblos was based on trade, and it was the search for new commodities and new markets which resulted in the Phoenicians branching out from the narrow coastal strip of the Levant and colonizing territories throughout the ancient Mediterranean from the 10th century BCE.
More about: Phoenician ColonizationDefinition
Timeline
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c. 1200 BCE - c. 800 BCEFirst wave of Phoenician colonization where largely trading-posts are founded throughout the Mediterranean.
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c. 1110 BCETraditional founding date for the Phoenician colony of Gades (Cadiz).
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c. 1101 BCETraditional founding date for the Phoenician colony of Utica by Sidon (or Tyre).
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c. 814 BCETraditional founding date for the Phoenician colony of Carthage by Tyre.
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c. 800 BCE - 600 BCESecond stage of Phoenician colonization where trading-posts become full colonies throughout the Mediterranean.
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c. 750 BCEPhoenicians found the colony of Motya on Sicily.
