‘Amato y’i Tarushishi’ agaragaza iterambere ry’abayakoze

‘Amato y’i Tarushishi yogogaga inyanja ajyanye ibicuruzwa bikugenewe.’—EZEKIYELI 27:25, BIBILIYA NTAGATIFU

AMATO y’i Tarushishi yatumye Umwami Salomo aba umukire. Abakoze ayo mato bagize uruhare rukomeye mu gutuma habaho inyuguti z’Ikigiriki n’iz’Ikiromani. Banubatse umugi witwaga Byblos. Iryo zina ni ryo ryakomotseho izina ry’igitabo kigira ingaruka ku bantu benshi cyane kurusha ibindi, ari cyo Bibiliya.

Ni ba nde bakoze amato y’i Tarushishi kandi se ni ba nde bayakoreshaga? Izina ry’ayo mato ryakomotse he? Ni mu buhe buryo ibikorwa by’abo bantu hamwe n’amato yabo bigaragaza ko Bibiliya ivuga ukuri?

Abatware ba Mediterane

Abanyafoyinike bakoze amato yaje kwitwa amato y’i Tarushishi. No mu myaka hafi igihumbi mbere ya Kristo, Abanyafoyinike bari abasare b’abahanga. Bari batuye mu karondorondo kari kegereye inyanja, aho hakaba hashobora kuba ari ho Libani  y’ubu. Mu majyaruguru, iburasirazuba no mu majyepfo hari ibindi bihugu. Mu burengerazuba hari Inyanja nini ya Mediterane. Iyo nyanja ni yo yatumye Abanyafoyinike bagwiza ubutunzi.

Buhoro buhoro, abasare b’Abanyafoyinike bakoze amato y’ubucuruzi yabazaniraga inyungu nyinshi. Kubera ko bagendaga barushaho kunguka no gukataza mu ikoranabuhanga, bakoze amato manini yashoboraga gukora ingendo ndende. Nyuma y’aho Abanyafoyinike bagereye muri Shipure, i Saridiniya no mu Birwa bya Baléares, bakomereje ku nkengero y’Afurika y’Amajyaruguru bagana mu burengerazuba, barinda bagera muri Esipanye. (Reba ku ikarita.)

Abanyafoyinike bari abahanga mu byo gukora amato afite uburebure bwa metero mirongo itatu. Ayo mato yagendaga mu nyanja, ashobora kuba yariswe ‘amato y’i Tarushishi’ kubera ko yakoraga urugendo rw’ibirometero 4.000, rwavaga i Foyinike rukagera mu majyepfo ya Esipanye, ari na ho Tarushishi ishobora kuba yari iri. *

Abanyafoyinike bashobora kuba batari bagambiriye gutegeka isi. Ahubwo, bashobora kuba barishakiraga amafaranga. Kugira ngo babigereho, bubatse amazu yo gucururizamo. Ariko kubera ko bari abacuruzi, bageze aho bahinduka abatware ba Mediterane.

Banarenze Mediterane

Muri uko gushaka amafaranga, abashakashatsi b’Abanyafoyinike bakoze ingendo mu nyanja ya Atalantika. Amato yabo yarakomeje akurikira inkombe y’amajyepfo ya Esipanye aza kugera mu gace ka Tartessus. Ahagana mu mwaka wa 1100 Mbere ya Yesu, bubatse umugi maze bawita Gadir. Icyo cyambu, ubu kizwi ku izina rya Cádiz ho muri Esipanye, cyaje kuba umwe mu migi minini yo mu Burayi bw’Iburengerazuba.

Abanyafoyinike bacuruzaga umunyu, divayi, amafi yumye, ibiti by’imyerezi, ibya pinusi, ibintu bikoze mu byuma, ibirahuri, imyenda iboshye, imyenda myiza ikozwe mu budodo bworohereye n’indi myenda ifite ibara ry’isine bitaga iry’i Tiro. None se Abanyesipanye bo babahaga iki?

Mu majyepfo ya Esipanye ni ho hacukurwaga ifeza nyinshi cyane, ndetse n’andi mabuye y’agaciro.  Ku bihereranye na Tiro, ari cyo cyambu cy’ibanze Abanyafoyinike bari bafite, umuhanuzi Ezekiyeli yaravuze ati “ab’i Tarushishi baguranye nawe ibyiza byinshi, baguha imitwaro ya feza, ibyuma, itini na porombi.”—Ezekiyeli 27:12, Bibiliya Ntagatifu.

Abanyafoyinike bavumbuye ibirombe by’ayo mabuye y’agaciro hafi y’uruzi rwa Guadalquivir, ruri hafi y’i Cádiz, kandi ayo mabuye asa n’aho adashobora kuhashira. Na n’ubu ayo mabuye aracyacukurwa muri ako gace, ubu kitwa Río Tinto. Ayo mabuye y’agaciro yacukuwe muri ibyo birombe mu gihe cy’imyaka igera ku bihumbi bitatu.

Kubera ko amato y’ubucuruzi yahoraga akora ingendo hagati ya Esipanye na Foyinike, Abanyafoyinike ni bo bari bihariye ubucuruzi bw’ifeza zavaga muri Esipanye. Ibyo byatumye ifeza ziba nyinshi cyane muri Foyinike ndetse no muri Isirayeli byahanaga imbibi. Umwami Salomo wa Isirayeli yafatanyije imirimo y’ubucuruzi n’Umwami Hiramu w’i Foyinike. Ni yo mpamvu mu gihe cya Salomo ifeza yari imeze nk’aho “ari ubusa.”—1 Abami 10:21. *

Nubwo Abanyafoyinike bari abacuruzi bakomeye, bashobora kuba bari abagome. Bavuga ko hari igihe bashukaga abantu babaga bari mu mato yabo bakababwira ko bagiye kubereka ibicuruzwa, maze bakabagira abacakara. Bageze n’ubwo bagambanira bagenzi babo b’Abisirayeli bari bafatanyije imirimo y’ubucuruzi, babagurisha abashakaga kubagira abacakara. Ku bw’ibyo, abahanuzi b’Abaheburayo bahanuye ukuntu umugi w’Abanyafoyinike witwaga Tiro wari kuzarimbuka. Amaherezo ubwo buhanuzi bwaje gusohozwa na Alexandre le Grand mu mwaka wa 332 Mbere ya Yesu (Yoweli 3:6; Amosi 1:9, 10). Iryo rimbuka ni ryo ryabaye iherezo ry’igihe cy’Abanyafoyinike.

Umurage w’Abanyafoyinike

Kimwe n’abandi bacuruzi bakomeye bose, abacuruzi b’Abanyafoyinike bandikaga amasezerano babaga bagiranye n’abandi. Bakoreshaga inyuguti zimeze nk’izo mu Giheburayo cya kera. Inyuguti zakoreshwaga n’Abanyafoyinike zari zifitiye akamaro n’ibindi bihugu. Kugira ngo Abagiriki bahimbe inyuguti z’Ikigiriki, bahinduye utuntu duto ku nyuguti z’Abanyafoyinike. Inyuguti z’Ikiromani na zo zakomotse ku z’Ikigiriki, kandi inyuguti z’Ikiromani ni zimwe mu nyuguti zikoreshwa cyane muri iki gihe.

Ikindi kandi, mu mugi ukomeye wa Byblos wo muri Foyinike ni ho haturukaga imfunzo nyinshi. Izo mfunzo ni zo zakoreshwaga mbere y’uko impapuro dukoresha muri iki gihe zibaho. Kwandika ku mfunzo byatumye abantu bashishikarira kwandika ibitabo. Izina ry’Ikinyarwanda Bibiliya, ari cyo gitabo cyakwirakwijwe kurusha ibindi, ryakomotse kuri Byblos. Ni koko, amateka y’Abanyafoyinike hamwe n’amato yabo bituma twizera ko Bibiliya ivuga ukuri.

[Ibisobanuro ahagana hasi ku ipaji]

[Ikarita ko ku ipaji ya 27]

(Niba wifuza kureba uko bimeze, reba mu Munara w’Umurinzi)

IMIHANDA YANYURAGAMO ABACURUZI B’I FOYINIKE

ESIPANYE

TARTESSUS

Uruzi rwa Guadalquivir

Gadir

Corsica

Ibirwa bya Boléares

Sardaigne

Sicile

Kirete

Shipure

Byblos

Tiro

INYANJA YA MEDITERANE

Esiyonigeberi

Inyanja Itukura

AFURIKA

[Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 27]

Igiceri cyakozwe hagati y’ikinyejana cya gatatu n’icya kane Mbere ya Yesu, kiriho ubwato bw’i Foyinike

[Ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 27]

Amatongo y’amazu y’abantu baturutse i Foyinike ari i Cádiz muri Esipanye

[Aho ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 26 yavuye]

Museo Naval, Madrid

[Aho ifoto yo ku ipaji ya 27 yavuye]

Igiceri: Museo Arqueológico Municipal. Puerto de Sta. María, Cadíz; amatongo: Yacimiento Arqueológico de Doña Blanca, Pto. de Sta. María, Cadíz, España