Tyre, 850–800 BCE

Autocracy · Monarchy · Middle East · Archaic World era

A Phoenician maritime city-state trading and colonizing across the Mediterranean, its kings balanced by wealthy merchant houses.

Tyre was a Phoenician maritime city-state whose kings shared power with wealthy merchant families and whose prosperity rested on Mediterranean trade in metals, dyes and manufactured goods. It planted colonies and trading posts from Cyprus to the western Mediterranean, including Carthage, extending a commercial network far beyond its small home territory. It paid tribute to Assyria when pressed while retaining internal autonomy.

Open Tyre 850–800 BCE in the interactive 3D atlas →

Dominant patterns

  • Regime Stabilization
  • Democratization

Political-science factor profile

Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).

Centralization of Power60
Media Control58
Repression42
Nationalism52
Militarization40
Economic Stress30
External Conflict55
Cult of Personality60
Elite Fragmentation40
Institutions62
Social Polarization42
Corruption & Patrimonialism48
Ideological Mobilization50
External Sovereignty68

Economy & society

GDP per capita$900 (intl-$)
Population300k people
Share of world population0.3%
Territory~3000 km²
Capital population~30k

Closest historical twins

The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Tyre 850–800 BCE, by similarity score (0–100).

  1. Funan, 300–400 CE – similarity 85/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization, Democratization
  2. Carthage, 814–750 BCE – similarity 83/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization, Democratization
  3. Kingdom of Judah, 850–800 BCE – similarity 82/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization, Democratization
  4. Srivijaya, 650–750 CE – similarity 69/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization, Democratization
  5. Himyar, 320–380 CE – similarity 68/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization, Democratization
  6. France, 1226–1270 CE – similarity 65/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization, Democratization
  7. Florence, 1434–1494 CE – similarity 65/100 · shared: Democratization
  8. Qing Dynasty, 1662–1722 – similarity 64/100 · shared: Regime Stabilization

What followed

  • A colonial and commercial network from Cyprus to Iberia.
  • Repeated Assyrian and Babylonian sieges and tribute.