Levant

Definition

by Jan van der Crabben
published on 28 April 2011

Send to Google Classroom:

Translated text available in: Italian, Turkish, Malay, Arabic

Listen to this article

Levant is the name applied widely to the eastern Mediterranean coastal lands of Asia Minor and Phoenicia (modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon). In a wider sense, the term can be used to encompass the entire coastline from Greece to Egypt. The Levant is part of the Fertile Crescent and was home to some of the ancient Mediterranean trade centers, such as Ugarit, Tyre, and Sidon. It is the homeland of the Phoenician civilization.

Editorial Review This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards prior to publication.

Remove Ads

Translations

We want people all over the world to learn about history. Help us and translate this definition into another language! So far, we have translated it to: Italian, Turkish, Malay, Arabic

About the Author

Jan van der Crabben

Jan is the Founder and CEO of Ancient History Encyclopedia, leading the non-profit company to best fulfil its mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide. He holds an MA War Studies from King's College.

Support Our
Non-Profit Organization

Ancient History Encyclopedia Foundation is a non-profit organization. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

Become a Member Donate

Recommended Books

Levant: Splendour and Catastrophe on the Mediterranean

Written by Mansel, Philip, published by Yale University Press (2012)

$22.00
The Archaeology of the Bronze Age Levant: From Urban Origins to the...

Written by Greenberg, Raphael, published by Cambridge University Press (2019)

$103.25 $106.55
The Oxford Handbook of the Archaeology of the Levant: c. 8000-332 BCE

Written by Steiner, Margreet L. & Killebrew, Ann E., published by Oxford University Press (2018)

$45.00
The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths About Masculinity and Violence

Written by Levant, Ronald F. & Pryor, Shana, published by Oxford University Press (2020)

$13.29
The Five-Minute Archaeologist in the Southern Levant

Written by Cynthia Shafer-elliott & Cynthia Shafer-elliott, published by Equinox (2016)

$20.95

Add External Link

External Links

The Levantine Ceramics Project

levantineceramics.org

Cite This Work

APA Style

Crabben, J. V. D. (2011, April 28). Levant. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://www.ancient.eu/levant/

Chicago Style

Crabben, Jan V. D. "Levant." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified April 28, 2011. https://www.ancient.eu/levant/.

MLA Style

Crabben, Jan V. D. "Levant." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 28 Apr 2011. Web. 25 Jan 2021.

License

Written by Jan van der Crabben, published on 28 April 2011 under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.

Remove Ads

Add Event

Timeline

Visual Timeline

c. 6000 BCE

First fortified settlement at Ugarit.
c. 4000 BCE

Founding of the city of Sidon.
c. 4000 BCE - c. 3000 BCE

Trade contact between Byblos and Egypt.
c. 2900 BCE - c. 2300 BCE

First settlement of Baalbek.
c. 2750 BCE

The city of Tyre is founded.
c. 1458 BCE

Kadesh and Megiddo lead a Canaanite alliance against the Egyptian invasion by Thutmose III.
1274 BCE

Battle of Kadesh between Pharaoh Ramesses II of Egypt and King Muwatalli II of the Hittites.
c. 1250 BCE - c. 1200 BCE

Hebrew tribes settle Canaan.
c. 1200 BCE

Sea Peoples invade the Levant.
1115 BCE - 1076 BCE

Reign of Tiglath-Pileser I of Assyria who conquers Phoenicia and revitalizes the empire.
c. 1080 BCE

Rise of the kingdom of Israel.
c. 1000 BCE

Height of Tyre's power.
c. 965 BCE - 931 BCE

Solomon is king of Israel.
950 BCE

Solomon builds the first Temple of Jerusalem.
722 BCE

Israel is conquered by Assyria.
351 BCE

Artaxerxes III sacks Sidon.
332 BCE

Alexander the Great sacks Sidon.
332 BCE

Alexander the Great sacks Baalbek and renames it Heliopolis.
332 BCE

Conquest of the Levant by Alexander the Great who destroys Tyre.
Jan 332 BCE - Jul 332 BCE

Alexander the Great besieges and conquers Tyre.
64 BCE

Tyre becomes a Roman colony.
c. 6 BCE - c. 30 CE

Life of Jesus Christ.
637 CE

Muslim invasion of the Levant. The Byzantines are driven out.

Remove Ads

Visit our Shop

Remove Ads

Our Videos

You can also follow us on Youtube!

Levant

Definition

Advertisement

Translations

About the Author

Related Content

Agriculture in the Fertile Crescent

Archaeological Excavations at Tel Kabri

The Archaeological Excavations at Magdala

The Phoenicians - Master Mariners

Trade in Ancient Egypt

Support Our
Non-Profit Organization

Recommended Books

External Links