Lebanon and Syria

The Phoenicians, who are thought to have reached this prize territory around 3000 bc, were among the first important settlers. They established a chain of city-states and safe anchorages along the coast and became the first great commercial mariners, trading in spices, grains, dried and preserved foodstuffs, and wines. Their position at the ancient crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa, their bountiful land, and their prosperous trade made them prey to constant invasion. These invading powers included the Egyptians, the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans (who merged all the states that lay between the Taurus mountains and the Sinai desert into one province they called Syria; it was not until 1942 that Lebanon became independent), the Crusaders, the Ottomans, and finally the French.