Robert R. Leichtman

Tyre, in Lebanon, is one of the oldest cities in the world, having been continuously inhabited for over 4,700 years. Situated in the Levant on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Tyre became the leading city of the Phoenician civilization in 969 BC with the reign of the Tyrian king Hiram I. Tyre and Phoenicia are also credited with numerous innovations in shipbuilding, navigation, industry, agriculture, and government. Tyre's international trade network was based on its two ports and is believed…