Colonies in antiquity were city-states founded from a mother-
city (its "metropolis"), not from a territory-at-large. Bonds
between a colony and its metropolis remained often close, and
took specific forms. However, unlike in the period of European
colonialism during the early and late modern era, ancient
colonies were usually sovereign and self-governing from their
inception. Egyptian colony  An Egyptian colony that was
stationed in southern Canaan dates to slightly before the First
Dynasty. Narmer had Egyptian pottery produced in Canaan and
exported back to Egypt, from regions such as Arad, En Besor,
Rafiah, and Tel ʿErani. Shipbuilding was known to the Ancient
Egyptians as early as 3000 BC, and perhaps earlier. The
Archaeological Institute of America reports that the earliest
dated ship—75 feet long, dating to 3000 BC – may have possibly
belonged to Pharaoh Aha. Phoenician colonies  The Phoenicians
were the major trading power in the Mediterranean in the early
part of the first millennium BC. They had tradi