Donald Harden

This is a good introduction to the Phoenicians, who lived around the Mediterranean between about 1500 and 100 BC. They seemed to originate from Canaanite roots on what it now the coast of Lebanon, around the main cities of Tyre, Byblos, and Sidon, all of Biblical fame. From here they spread West across the sea, establishing colonies across the top of North Africa, notably in Carthage, from where they spread North into Spain. Their main power was on the seas, around which they traded extensively, generally preferring to set up trading ports and colonies as opposed to invading further inland, which they only did occasionally. Their alphabet predated and was further developed into that of the Greeks, having developed originally from Egyptian hieroglyphics into a more practical system.

This book has separate chapters on the main areas of interest of Phoenician culture, including their origins and geography, their expansion across the Mediterranean, Carthage, wars with the Greeks, religion, language, towns, society, industry, trade, and art. Together these give a good idea of the development of Phoenicians culture compared to other contemporary civilisations. For example Phoenician art borrowed from Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece, while Phoenicia in turn developed new types of ship which then were copied by her rival sea powers. They were also among the first civilisations to use coins. There are good black and white illustrations showing Phoenician artifacts and structures including pottery, ornate tombs, jewellery, and sculpture.

Overall this is a readable book that presents a good range of information on an interesting and historically important people.… (altro)

While this book covers tribal, geographic, historical and cultural "artifacts"--warfare, towns, commerce, trade--the most fascinating for me was the Chapter on "Religion".

The claim of a unique theophantic origin for Judaism does not survive the archeology. Now that we have decades of excavation of Ugarit (the largest epigraphic trove found at a single site as of 1962), we find a patriarchal narrative and fertility cults which run "parallel with the early Biblical tales". [82] The Christian and Muslim narrative of course fails on this same point -- the God of Phoenicians was "El". He was a sun-god, personified as a bull. His wife was Asherah-of-the-Sea, a mother-goddess. Their son was Baal, a storm and mountain god, often horned and identified later with Zeus/holding thunderbolts. The temple at Ugarit is remarkably similar to "Solomon's Temple" designed by YHWH but actually built by Phoenicians according to Tanak. [83] YHWH seems inordinately fond of Phoenicians.

Philo of Byblos (1st c. CE) translated a creation story by Sanchoniathon, a Phoenician priest.

Sacrificial precincts, or 'topheth' as the Bible mentions, have been found proving that infant sacrifice was practiced. [95] And human sacrifice on a large scale was used to expiate the death of Hamilcar after the battle at Himera in 409. [104] The priesthood was powerful and continuous, and the rules resemble the early chapters of Leviticus. [105]

Carthage remained until its end at the hands of Rome in 146 BCE.… (altro)