The Phoenician civilization began around 3200 BC in the lands now encompassing Syria, Lebanon, and northern Israel. As a highly esteemed maritime people known for their shipbuilding and navigation skills, the Phoenicians traded goods like glass and a unique purple dye. Their greatest contribution was creating the oldest recorded alphabet, which was brought to Greece and formed the basis for western alphabets. The Phoenician civilization was made up of city-states and was obliterated by Alexander the Great in 332 BC.