Travels The completion of the education of the heir to the throne was his trips around Russia and abroad. The journey lasted from May 1 to December 12, 1837. During the journey, Alexander wrote 35 letters to his father. These letters contain many impressions and thoughts about Russian history,

Phoenicians - conquerors of the seas

From the very beginning, the Phoenicians were famous as the best sailors in the mediterranean and founders of numerous colonies. They were both pirates and slave traders. Later, they easily submitted to the will of other states and were only interested in preserving their free trade and considerable independence.

Already in the II millennium BC. e. The Phoenicians founded their first colonies in Spain and Tunisia, then they occupied Sardinia, Malta and Sicily. IN distant lands they had separate temporary settlements, this and Canary Islands, and British. Legendary Carthage was also a colony of Phoenicia.

During that era, they used deck rowing vessels also equipped with sails. Their ships were not afraid of the calm. The expedition could have dozens of ships with many people. There were few supplies swam along the shore and often made stops to replenish water and food supplies. On the long journey around Africa, they made stops to cultivate and sow the fields and then harvest!

The most famous travels of the Phoenicians

First famous journey took place around 1500 BC, when the Phoenicians visited Canary Islands and began to explore the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

And in the VI - V centuries BC, they committed whole three amazing expeditions:

• "Egyptian" campaign around Africa. Around 600 B.C. Phoenicia was part of Egypt, and the pharaoh instructed to sail from the Red Sea, sail around Africa (which was then called Libya) and return to it through the Mediterranean Sea. Three years later, they returned in triumph! We are aware of these events Herodotus, whose story reflects astronomical details travel in the southern hemisphere, which were incomprehensible to him and thus confirm the veracity of the sailors.

• Colonization british isles for the sake of tin. In the 6th century BC, the monopoly and commercial income of Phenicia shook, and sea ​​people took up mining and delivery of raw materials from distant lands. They found tin in modern Britain, the path to which was not so easy, although relatively fast - only 4 months. Sailors complained about frequent calms and short daylight hours.

• Swimming along West Africa . In contrast to the journey around Africa, here we know more details and the expedition itself was more numerous. Sailors founded settlements, fought with local residents, saw wide rivers and volcano Cameroon. This time, the Phoenicians did not make long stops and turned back to their homeland when food ran out.

Much to our regret, Phoenicians treated secretly to my secrets, and being one of the first in invention of the alphabet They wrote very little about their travels. Only a small part of their travels has come down to us, and in the Middle Ages, many of their discoveries were completely forgotten and rediscovered.

Phoenicia is a very interesting state, which was one of the first to prove the importance of international trade. Occupying only a narrow strip of land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Lebanese mountains, without rich land resources, arable fields and pastures, the Phoenicians managed to become one of the most influential states in the region through trade. Not being able to properly engage in agriculture and cattle breeding, the Phoenicians grew grapes and olives on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains. Wine was made from grapes, and fragrant oil was made from olives. The Lebanese mountains were also rich in timber, which served as material for the creation of a mighty merchant and military fleet.
The Phoenicians began to trade with neighboring countries wine, oil, construction timber, glassware, and purple-dyed textiles. By developing marine trade routes the Phoenicians sailed farther and farther along the northern and south coast Mediterranean Sea. On their way on the coast, they founded small settlements that served as trading posts and transshipment bases for the ships of the Phoenicians. So the Phoenicians founded colonies on the Mediterranean islands - Cyprus, Sicily, Sardinia and Balearic Islands. The Phoenicians colonized north coast Africa and South coast modern Spain. In those days, ships usually sailed not on the high seas, but along coastline. The location of the colonies allowed the Phoenicians to control all maritime trade.
Enriched at the expense of their colonies, the Phoenician navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean Sea. They came up with the design of a ship with a keel, which made it more stable, maneuverable and fast in sea navigation. The speed and capacity of their ships gave them an advantage in attacking small settlements and stealing captives into slavery. Often, the Phoenicians did not even have to attack anyone, as they cunningly lured small children onto their ships, promising to give them beautiful gifts, and then immediately set sail. For one child, one could get a bull or a silver jug. The slave trade brought huge profits. In search of new goods and slaves, the Phoenicians sailed farther and farther from their home.
The Phoenicians were the first of the peoples of the Mediterranean to reach the shores of present-day England and here they received tin, which was very valuable at that time. By exchange, they also received on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the amber that was so valued at that time, delivered here by land from the Baltic. The Phoenicians reached the western coast of Africa and even made, probably a successful attempt to circumnavigate the African continent. The most grandiose enterprise should be considered the sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC. Within three years they circled Africa and returned through the Strait of Gibraltar, accomplishing this remarkable feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.
During this heyday of Phoenician navigation, the sea route became a means of communication between Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as countries that were outside Gibraltar. The control of international maritime trade made Phoenicia probably the very first maritime trading power.

It is known that Pharaoh Neho (612-576 BC), for the organization of foreign trade and navigation, turned to the services of the Phoenicians, whose state was located on the forest-rich territory of modern Lebanon and Syria, and whose numerous fleet also served as a support for for the Egyptian pharaohs.

Phoenicia had very favorable natural conditions for the construction of the fleet: convenient bays and estuaries on sea ​​coast, which could serve as a shelter for the fleet in stormy weather; an abundance of ship timber - forests grew nearby mediterranean coast on the slopes of the Lebanese mountains, and they were dominated by the famous Lebanese cedar and oak, as well as other valuable tree species. The heyday of shipbuilding and maritime glory of Phenicia is marked in the history of the Mediterranean in the period 1200-700. BC. According to a lot of historical evidence, the Phoenician maritime empire relied on the developed coastal infrastructure of its seaports and fleet supply bases, and military and merchant ships plying between them had an unlimited navigation area. The Phoenicians can rightfully be judged as great navigators - they had colonies along the entire Mediterranean coast, they were known far beyond Strait of Gibraltar, including in the English Isles and even beyond the Cape Good Hope. [Kurti, 1977].

Phoenician merchant ship. Like the Viking boats, the larger Phoenician ships were also able to keep a lag to the storm surge in the passive mode of navigation. In this mode, pitching is damped by the collapse of the frames at the extremities, and a large lateral stability of the hull allows you to track the surface of the wave with a very sharp side roll, which ensures non-flooding in the middle part of the hull

In close navigation, the Phoenicians used mainly light merchant ships that had oars and a straight rake sail. Vessels intended for long-distance navigation and warships. Large merchant ships had watertight decks.

On the warships of the Phoenicians, the use of a bow underwater bulb was noted, which testified to the ability of these ships to keep moving without germination on the wave, with increased flooding of the bow decks. The size of high-speed ships - galleys - sometimes allowed the use of two or three rows of oars (biremes and triremes), which made the navy truly all-weather and capable of active maneuvering in dangerous coastal fairways. Since that time, in all the languages ​​​​of the Mediterranean peoples, a generalized definition of a high-speed rowing vessel as a galley has been fixed.

The maritime fame of the Phoenicians speaks of the good seaworthiness of their ships and merchant ships, which is quite sufficient for long-distance navigation. Enriched at the expense of their colonies, the Phoenician, Carthaginian navigators began to gradually go far beyond the Mediterranean Sea. During this heyday of Phoenician and Carthaginian navigation, the sea route became a means of communication between the three continents of the Mediterranean and more distant countries that were outside Gibraltar.

Exceptional courage was required in those days, so that, having passed the Pillars of Hergules, as the Strait of Gibraltar was called in ancient times, to leave the Mediterranean Sea in Atlantic Ocean, climb into the stormy Bay of Biscay , and sail further north from there. It must be borne in mind that through the Strait of Gibraltar, the depth of which exceeds 300 m, there is a strong surface current from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, since due to more intensive evaporation of water, the level of the Mediterranean Sea is constantly lowering, so that only the inflow of water from the Atlantic allows him to stabilize him. The matter is more complicated. In the Strait of Gibraltar there is also a deep current, directed to the ocean. How amazed were the tribes that then inhabited the Western European coast, when ships of unprecedented size, having removed their purple sails, anchored near their settlements. Men descended from them who traded in such luxury goods that made the hearts of not only women beat faster. In return, they asked for tin, which was very valuable at that time, provisions and young blondes, since, among other things, these people replenished the harems of their trading partners from the East. By exchange, they also received on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean the amber that was so valued at that time, delivered here by land from the Baltic. Carthaginian sailors also repeatedly sailed along the western coast of Africa. The description of one of these sea expeditions of the brave Carthaginian navigators is also known to us in Greek translation. This is the voyage called Hanno's voyage, dating from about the 6th or 5th century. BC. Although the expedition of the Carthaginian sailor is described as an entertaining adventure novel, nevertheless, all his information, according to authoritative historians, is true. It is possible to trace the path of the expedition step by step on the map, comparing the data about this journey with what we know about the geography of the western coast of Africa. Using the help of the Egyptians, and sometimes Israel and Judea, the Phoenician cities sent sea expeditions not only to the northwest and southwest, but also to the then less accessible south. In this case, the Phoenician ships through the Red Sea probably even reached the Indian Ocean. One of these sea trips is well written in the Bible, which tells of an expedition to the gold-rich country of Ophir, organized by Hiram, king of Tyre, and Solomon, king of Israel. But the most grandiose enterprise must be considered the sea expedition of the Phoenicians, which they carried out on behalf of the Egyptian king Necho at the end of the 7th century. BC. Within three years they circled Africa and returned through the "pillars of Melqart", having accomplished this outstanding feat more than two thousand years before Vasco da Gama.

The location of Phoenicia was not suitable for agriculture, but contributed to the development of other areas. One of these, which brought world fame to the Phoenicians, is shipbuilding. Without it, navigation would not have been possible.

The main material for the construction of ships was the Lebanese cedar, which grew in the territory of Phoenicia. The wood was of excellent quality, making the ships very strong and resistant to severe storms. In addition, the Phoenicians were the first of the ancient peoples to apply new principles in shipbuilding:

• the body was made up of thick boards, the edges of which were fastened with large oak spikes;
• the transverse ribs of the hull began to be covered with sheathing;
• great attention was paid to the quality of the keel (the ships were not flat-bottomed);
• cargo compartments were fenced.

From the 12th century BC e. the Phoenicians created capacious merchant ships with good carrying capacity. Guardrails protecting the cargo were fixed on the sides, and two large oars for maneuvers were attached to the stern. A straight sail (usually purple in color) was attached to a mast equipped with yards. The rowers were often slaves.

The Phoenicians built strong shelters for ships along their coasts, protecting ships during storms.

Rice. 1. Phoenician trading ship.

The Phoenicians are considered the creators of the trireme. This is a military (combat) ship with three rows of oars, common in the Mediterranean since the 8th century BC. e. The oars were placed in a checkerboard pattern, and the rows were placed on top of each other. The ships could reach 40 meters in length, were supplied with an iron ram (rarely wooden).

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The Egyptian rulers actively used the Phoenician fleet in their conquests, since the triremes were very maneuverable.

Rice. 2. Phoenician trireme.

Navigators' achievements

The Phoenicians originally used ships to fishing. Later, the main goal of navigation was the development of trade: it was necessary to sell their goods and acquire others as cheaply as possible for their own use and for sale. Phoenician products made of metal, ebony, ivory and valuable fabrics, especially purple (such paint was made from shellfish in Phenicia), were very popular.

The state had free access to mediterranean sea, and high-quality ships made it possible to explore the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, the Phoenician navigators were able to explore different directions. They sailed the entire Mediterranean Sea, on the islands of which they founded their colonies (Sicily, Malta, Sardinia, Cyprus, Crete); reached the Atlantic coast of England, Spain and the Canary Islands.

by the most famous navigator believed to be Hanno. He led an expedition in a trireme to the shores of Africa. At the request of the Egyptian ruler Necho ΙΙ in the 6th century BC. e. The Phoenicians entered the Red Sea, then reached the Strait of Gibraltar and returned to Egypt, thus bypassing along the entire coast of Africa. This journey lasted about three years.

It is the Phoenicians who are considered the first navigators who managed to get around on their ships around the African continent.