Since the Phoenicians were a state-level society, there were socioeconomic class divisions in place. This means that they had an upper, a middle, and a lower class. They also had a market economy, which is an economy that operates by voluntary exchange and is not controlled by a central authority. Phoenicia was made up of mostly city-states, so most of their people didn't believe they belonged to necessarily a country. Each Phoenician city was under it's own form of government, with each having its own god and its own ruler. These city-states were all linked by their common ancestors, language, and writing. Their mutual interests were their trade arrangements, their customs, and their rituals and beliefs. The Phoenicians were wealthy, as the main occupation in Phoenicia was being a merchant. Most people made a living through trade, something that was very easy due to their location next to the Mediterranean Sea. Their trading ships carried products such as timber from their prized cedar trees, copper and other minerals, and manufactured goods like their fine wooden furniture, carved ivory, metal work, glass, and purple cloth. The Phoenicians were known as the 'traders in purple', referring to their monopoly on the precious purple dye, used, among other things, for royal clothing. Women in Phoenicia had a considerable amount of freedom compared to other civilizations at the time. They had rights such as divorce, the ability to sell and trade goods. However there was some oppression such as women being subjected to working lower jobs, such as weaving textiles. Women in Phoenicia were also always well covered up, wearing many fabrics and cloth. They had little or no say in the government, and of course they were also considered lower than men. (Typical)
Society
The Phoenicians were a state-level society, meaning that they had characteristics such as:
A Strong, Centralized Government
Social Class Divisions
A Market Economy
Large Populations