 These colonies and trade routes flourished until the invasion of the coastal areas by the Assyrians.Assyrian rule (875-608 BE) deprived the Phoenician cities of their independence and prosperity and brought repeated, unsuccessful rebellions.In the middle of the 8th century BC, Tyre and Byblos rebelled, but the Assyrian ruler, Tiglath-Pileser III, subdued the rebels and imposed heavy tributes.