During the first half of the millennium I a. The Phoenician ships crossed the Mediterranean tirelessly from their place of origin, on the Syrian-Lebanese coastline, until they reached the Strait of Gibraltar. At the time they made possible an unprecedented economic and cultural exchange between the peoples of the East and the West. To support their newly launched routes they created factories and settlements along the coast, from Cyprus to Cadiz, passing through Sicily, Sardinia and North Africa, which over time became authentic cities. When Phenicia fell, one of these colonies, Carthage, would take over and keep the Phoenician spirit alive, albeit with its own personality, for several more centuries.
