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Chapter 10
第十章
The Phoenicians
腓尼基人
The Phoenicians who gave us our alphabet
腓尼基人為我們創造了字母
The Phoenicians, who were the neighbours of the Jews, were a Semitic tribe which at a very early age had settled along the shores of the Mediterranean. They had built themselves two well-fortified towns, Tyre and Sidon, and within a short time they had gained a monopoly of the trade of the western seas. Their ships went regularly to Greece and Italy and Spain and they even ventured beyond the straits of Gibraltar to visit the Scilly islands where they could buy tin. Wherever they went, they built themselves small trading stations, which they called colonies. Many of these were the origin of modern cities, such as Cadiz and Marseilles.
腓尼基人是猶太人的鄰居，同屬閃米特部族。在很早的時候，他們沿地中海海岸定居下來。他們修筑了兩座防備堅固的城市--提爾和西頓。沒用多長時間，他們便壟斷了西方海域的貿易。他們的船只定期開往希臘、意大利和西班牙，甚至還冒險地駛過直布羅陀誨峽，到錫利群島采購錫。所到之處，他們建立起一些小型的貿易振點，稱為"殖民地"。許多現代城市都起源于腓尼基人建立的小貿易站，比如加的斯和馬賽。
(Here is a picture of a Phoenician trader.)They bought and sold whatever promised to bring them a good profit.They were not troubled by a conscience. If we are to believe all their neighbours they did not know what the words honesty or integrity meant.They regarded a well-filled treasure chest the highest ideal of all good citizens. Indeed they were very unpleasant people and did not have a single friend.
（這是一張畫著一個腓尼基商人的圖片。）腓尼基人買賣有利可圖的一切東西，從未覺得良心不安。如果他們的鄰居沒有夸大其辭，那么腓尼基人就是既不誠實，也不正直的人。他們把裝得滿滿的錢箱當成是所有正派公民的最高理想。事實上，他們極不招人喜歡，也從未交到過朋友。
