Tyre is mentioned in Egyptian records of the fourteenth century BCE as being subject to Egypt; the city’s name appears on monuments as early as 1300 BCE.

The site was first occupied by one Hypsuranius, according to the antiquarian authority Sanchuniathon, the purported Phoenician author of three lost works originally in the Phoenician language, surviving only in partial paraphrase and summary of a Greek translation by Philo of Byblos, according to the Christian bishop Eusebius of Caesarea.

Sanchuniathon's work is said to be dedicated to "Abibalus king of Berytus"—possibly the Abibaal who was king of Tyre.

In the Amarna letters of 1350 BCE, Tyre has a body of letters (nine, detailed) from the mayor, Abi-Milku, written to Akhenaten.

The subject is often water, wood, and the Habiru overtaking the countryside of the mainland, and how it affects the island-city.

Tyre, together with the other loosely leagued Phoenician cities, becomes independent when Egyptian influence in Canaan declines under the controversial Akhenaten in the second half of the fourteenth century.

Tyre not only attains an independent position but also apparently dominates Sidon following the disruption of Egypt and other Near Eastern powers in the age of the Sea Peoples.

Tyre, which had become independent after Egyptian influence in Phoenicia declined, eventually surpasses Sidon as a trade center, developing commercial relations with all parts of the Mediterranean world.

The town is frequently mentioned in the Bible as having had close ties with Israel. (Jewish sacred literature contains over two hundred references to Hiram, most referring to King Hiram I of Tyre, but several telling of Hiram, the skillful designer sent by the Tyrean King to help Solomon in building the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the Beth HaMikdash.

The non-royal Hiram, mentioned in the Bible as the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali and a man of Tyre (I Kings 7:14) or the son of a woman of the daughters of Dan and a man of Tyre (II Chronicles), is known in later Masonic tradition as Hiram Abiff, a character who figures prominently in an allegorical play that is presented during the third degree of Craft Freemasonry.

Books of the Bible relates that Hiram of Tyre allied himself with King David of the United Kingdom of Israel as well as that the status of both Kings was equal and that the treaty between them was a parity treaty (2 Samuel 05:11, 1 Kings 05:01, 1 Chronicles 14:01).

After the death of King David, Solomon, a son of David, succeeded to David's throne and Hiram continued the relation with Israel through King Solomon, the upcoming power of the region.

They were also said to be equals (1 Kings 9:13, Amos 1:9) Through the alliance with Solomon, Hiram ensured himself access to the major trade routes to Egypt, Arabia and Mesopotamia.

The two kings also joined forces in starting a trade route over the Red Sea, connecting the Israelite harbor of Ezion-Geber with a land called Ophir (2 Chronicles 8:16,17).

Both kings grew rich through this trade and Hiram sent Solomon architects, workmen and cedar wood to build the First Temple in Jerusalem.

He also extended the Tyrean harbor, enlarged the city by joining the two islands on which it was built, and built a royal palace and a temple for Melqart (Against Apion i:17).

Tyre, which probably enjoys some primacy over the other cities of Phoenicia in the tenth and eleventh centuries, is ruled by kings whose power is limited by a merchant oligarchy.

The thirteenth-century BCE sarcophagus from Byblos (mentioned earlier in the text) is reused for King Hiram of Tyre in the tenth century BCE.

The Phoenician culture, a cosmopolitan blend of Egyptian, Anatolian, Greek and Mesopotamian influences in religion and literature, reaches its greatest height during this age.

The Bible names the notorious Jezebel, wife of King Ahab, as the daughter of Ethbaal, “king of Tyre and Sidon.” (The Old Testament also tells of Queen Jezebel employing the naturally occurring sulfide of antimony as a cosmetic to beautify her eyes.)

According to the Hebrew scriptures, the city of Tyre supplies cedars, carpenters, masons, and bronzesmiths for the kings of Israel.

Tyre seems to have shifted the heart of its trading empire during Pygmalion's reign from the Middle East to the Mediterranean, as can be judged from the building of new colonies including Kition on Cyprus, Sardinia, and, according to tradition, Carthage.

Assyrian oppression of Phoenicia continues unabated, and Tyre rebels again, this time against Sargon II (722-05 BCE), who successfully besieges the city in 721 BCE and punishes its population.

…attack Tyre.

The Assyrian forces, assisted by the Phoenicians of the mainland, withdraw from Tyre in 720 after having besieged the city for five years without forcing its surrender.

In Sennacherib's dealings with the rebellious Phoenicians, Judahites, and others in the west in 701 BCE, he captures several towns in Phoenicia as well as Philistia, Israel and Judah, but is unable to capture Tyre.