Monday 28 July 2014

The Importance Of Tyre

The Exaltationists threaten to bomb Tyre during King Hiram's reign. How would this affect history?

(i) Tyrian power will outlast Hiram, already the most powerful Canaanite king.
(ii) Tyre will stand off the Assyrians.
(iii) Tyrian sea trade will reach as far as Britain.
(iv) Tyrian colonies will include Carthage (and from Carthage, Ys).
(v) The Tyrian fleet will attack Greece for the Persians.
(vi) The siege of Tyre will delay Alexander's progress.
(vii) Tyre will give the Greeks two important Phoenician ideas, the alphabet and certain deities, Aphrodite, Adonis, Herakles etc.
(viii) Tyrians will progress shipbuilding and seamanship. 
(ix) Their navigators will bring back knowledge of Europe, Africa and Asia.
(x) Greek democracy develops under Tyrian influence - the suffetes must approve Hiram's decisions and the Tryians idealize explorers and entrepreneurs, not god-kings.
(xi) Tyre was the main trading partner of, and civilizing influence on, the kingdom of David and his son, Solomon.
(xii) Tyrian skills and materials built Solomon's Temple.
(xiii) Tyrians and Hebrews conducted joint exploration and commerce.
(xiv) Tyrians lent heavily to Solomon.
(xv) He sacrificed to Phoenician gods.
(xvi) King Ahab of Israel married the Tyrian princess, Jezebel.
(xvii) Fury at Phoenician paganism inspired Hebrew prophetic monotheism.

Remove all that from history and see what is left!

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