Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-234) and index.
Contents:
The Phoenician homeland : history and archaeology -- Lost in translation : portrayals of Phoenicians in Graeco-Roman sources -- At the service of the kings : Phoenicians in the Bible -- Rare voices : Phoenician writings -- Money matters : Phoenician coinage -- Cities of gods : Phoenician religions -- Masters of craftsmanship : Phoenician art and trade -- Travels and trade : Phoenician westward expansion.
Summary:
The Phoenicians is a fascinating exploration of this much-mythologized people: their history, artistic heritage, and the scope of their maritime and colonizing activities in the Mediterranean. Two aspects of the book stand out from other studies of Phoenician history: the source-focused approach and the attention paid to the various ways that biases-ancient and modern-have contributed to widespread misconceptions about who the Phoenicians really were. The book describes and analyzes various artifacts (epigraphic, numismatic, and material remains) and considers how historians have derived information about a people with little surviving literature. This analysis includes a critical look at the primary texts (classical, Near Eastern, and biblical), the relationship between the Phoenician and Punic worlds; Phoenician interaction with the Greeks and others; and the repurposing of Phoenician heritage in modernity.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.