TYRE
110
TYRE
rocky island 1968 feet above the sea, existed first. It
is generally held, however, that the continental pre-
ceded the insular city. The reference in Josue (xix,
29) is not exactly identified, but in the El-Amarna
Letters the island is referred to, unless the Egyptians
who occupied all the seaboard cities had not subjected
it also to their dominion.
TjTe seems always to have had kings, like the other Chanaanite cities. It was its sovereigns who made it the "queen of the sea", as it loved to call itself, and its merchants nobles of the earth, as Isaias says (.\xiii, 3-S). The city was very proud of its wealth and ships, which plied along the whole of the Mediterra- nean coast, in Africa as well as in Europe, and the pride of Tyre became almost as proverbial among the prophets of Israel as that of Moab. King Hiram was one of its greatest sovereigns. He sent to David
Josephus ("Ant. jud.", VIII, xiii, 2; "Contra Ap-
pionem", I, 18; also III Kings, xvi, 31) calls her
father "King of the Sidonians", another allusion to
the Sidonian origin of Tyre. In 814 b. c. a group of
Tyrians went to the coast of Africa and founded
Carthage, the most famous colony of Tyre. The very
amicable relations of Tyrians and Jews did not last
always; they waned especially when Tyre sold as
slaves the Israelitish prisoners of war (Joel, iii, 4-8;
.A.mos, i, 9). On the other hand, the luxury and cor-
rupt morals which prevailed in the Phcpnician city
could not but have a baneful influence on the Jews of
the tribe of Aser and other Israehtes; so that the
Prophets, such as Isaias (xxiii), Ezechiel (xxvi-xxix),
Joel (iii, 4-8), and Amos (i, 9), never ceased to
thunder against it and predict its ruin. Salraanasar,
King of Assur, and Sargon besieged it in vain for five
From a Watercolour by H. Fcnn
the stone-cutters and carpenters to build his palace years after the fall of Samaria; although they cut
(II Kings, v, 11), and to Solomon Lebanon cedar and
cypress wood for the construction of the Temple
(ill Kings, ix, 11; II Par., ii, 3 sq.). The architect
and his master workmen were Tyrians. In return
Solomon gave Hiram the district of Cabul (Chabul)
in Galilee, which included twenty small cities, but
this gift seems not to have been to the taste of the
King of Tyre (III Kings, ix, 11-14). Nevertheless,
the two kings were allies and their combined fleets
left the ports of the Red Sea for Ophir and Tharsis
to obtain gold (III Kings, ix, 26-28; x, 11 sq.; II Par.,
ix, 10, 21). Hiram accomplished great works in his
capital. He united the two parts of the island,
hitherto separated by a canal which to a certain
the aqueduct of Hiram and compelled the people of
Sidon and Patetyrus to place their fleets at their ser-
vice, that of the Tyrians completely vanquished them
(Josephus, "Ant. Jud.", IX, xiv, 2). Sennacherib
likewise attempted the siege in vain. Although pay-
ing him a light tribute. Tyre remained a powerful state
with its own kings (Jer., xxv, 22; Ezech., xxvii and
xxviii), and was enabled to develop its mercantile
proclivities and attain the great prosperity spoken of
by the prophets and all ancient ^Titers. On his re-
turn from his exjjedition against Egypt, .\sarhaddon,
like his predeces.sors, blockaded Tyre, but the Tyrians,
isolated on their rock, with their powerful fleet and
valiant mercenaries, laughed at all his efforts. After
extent made them two cities, and besides he built a having received tribute from King Bael, Asarhaddon
great aqueduct which brought the waters of Ras-el- was compelled to retire. The same was true of
Ain to the Land. Nabuchodonosor after a severe blockade lasting thir-
Shortly afterwards court intrigues disturbed the teen years. .According to custom the Tyrians offered
city and gave rise to a bloody revolution. Phalia, an him a light tribute, and the honour of the proud
intruder, usurped the power; he wa.s dethroned in turn .sovereign was declared satisfied. Nevertheless, this
by his brotlier Ithobael or Ethbael, high priest of long isolation greatly injured the TjTians, for during
Aslarle, a goddess who, with the god Melkart, was this interval a i)ortion of the commerce passed to
iinich vincralcil in Tyre. It was Ethl)ac'rs daughter, Sidon and other Pha-nician and Carthaginian peoples,
Jezabil, who married Acbab, King of Israel. Jezabel Furthermore, the Tyrian colonies, which for thirteen
was undoubtedly a Tyrian princess; Menander in years had broken all links of subjection to the mother
