Assyrian relations with the Phoenician coastal cities(612-1005 B.C)

Abstract

The importance of the economic factor in the policy of Mesopotamia is not hidden from the researcher, especially those factors towards the Phoenician coast since the first intervention of its ruler, as military campaigns and trade contributed to providing many of the materials needed by the civilization of Mesopotamia, most notably wood and stone. The Assyrian cities located along the Tigris River and their direct connection to the Mediterranean Sea helped develop this relationship, especially since the Phoenicians were known in ancient history as an economic power that the ancient world had not seen a competitor to, as they shipped their commercial products to Babylon, Assyria, the Greek world, North Africa and elsewhere. Due to the expansion of the Assyrian Empire's borders, it was in constant contact, whether economically or militarily, with the cities of the African coast for more than seven centuries.