Explore the early Phoenician economy in Age of Empires IV, focusing on timber sales, woodworking, cloth dyeing, and maritime trade.
The early Phoenician economy was built on timber sales, wood working, and cloth dyeing. Dyes ranging in color from a pink to a dark purple were made from the rotting gland of a sea snail. Gradually, the Phoenician city-states became centers of maritime trade and manufacturing.
Having limited natural resources, they imported raw materials and fashioned them into more valuable objects that could be shipped profitably, such as jewelry, metalwork, furniture, and housewares. They borrowed techniques and styles from all corners of the world that they touched as traders.
While exploring the western Mediterranean, they either discovered large metal deposits in Spain or took them from Greeks who may have been there first. By fortifying sites on Sicily and North Africa, they effectively denied other traders access to the riches of Spain, the west Africa coast (gold, exotic woods, and slaves), and Britain (tin, which was used to make bronze).
- Focus on securing timber resources early for economic advantage.
- Develop woodworking and cloth dyeing industries to create valuable trade goods.
- Establish maritime trade routes to import raw materials and export finished products.
- Consider fortifying key locations like Sicily and North Africa to control access to valuable resources from Spain and the west African coast.
- Recognize the strategic importance of tin from Britain for bronze production.
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