Watch Phoenicians: The Alphabet & Carthage's Hannibal

The Phoenicians did not create an empire, but had several city states such as Byblos and Carthage. They were very successful seafaring traders and their most influential legacy was the creation of a simple alphabet for business transactions. Its structure was adopted by the Greeks, Romans, and later by other Western languages, including English. Eventually, though, Carthage's Hannibal challenged the Romans for supremacy over the Mediterranean and lost everything.