The ancient world of Phoenicia settled in a narrow strip of land on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The area is now Lebanon.

Phoenicia was a group of city-states. Each city had its own government.  The most important cities were Sidon and Tyre.

The Phoenicians probably settled on the Mediterranean coast about 2500 B.C. They were invaded by Egyptian rule. But they became independent in about 1100B.C. After independence they controlled the world as sea traders and craftsmen.

We don’t know what Phoenicians call themselves in their own language. But other civilizations kept records of their names as Kena’ani or canaanites.