The Phoenicians: Lost Civilizations

Description

The Phoenicians is a fascinating exploration of this much-mythologized people: their history, artistic heritage and the scope of their maritime and colonising activities in the Mediterranean. Vadim S. Jigoulov describes and analyses various artefacts (epigraphic, numismatic and material remains) and considers how historians have derived information about a people with little surviving literature. This includes a critical look at classical, Near Eastern and biblical primary texts, the relationship between the Phoenician and Punic worlds, Phoenician interactions with the Greeks and others, and the repurposing of Phoenician heritage in modernity. Detailed and engrossing, The Phoenicians casts new light on this most enigmatic of civilizations.

Vadim S. Jigoulov is a lecturer at Morgan State University and the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. His books include The Social History of Achaemenid Phoenicia: Being a Phoenician, Negotiating Empires.

'Firmly grounded in material and written records and incorporating the latest discoveries and perspectives, Jigoulov offers a compelling and accessible view of Phoenician culture, one that brings us closer to understanding this much influential and resilient Mediterranean civilization.' - Professor Carolina Lopez-Ruiz, Ohio State University; 'The Phoenicians once occupied much of the eastern Mediterranean littoral. Famed for their commercial, maritime, and technological prowess, they designed and built ships, harbors, and colonies throughout the Mediterranean basin and beyond. The Phoenicians also invented an alphabet not only adopted by the Greeks but that serves to this day as the basis of Western writing systems. Yet, their identity and history have long remained shrouded in mystery. In his uniquely accessible and fitting contribution to the Lost Civilizations series, Vadim Jigoulov ably rescues these enigmatic peoples from a seemingly impervious past. He virtually transports them to the twenty-first century, affording us the unprecedented opportunity to encounter 'the Phoenician' in a new, highly metamorphosed form.' - Brian Schmidt, Professor of Biblical Studies and Ancient West Asian Cultures, University of Michigan - Ann Arbor; 'Vadim Jigoulov's The Phoenicians explores the path of a civilization with a strange destiny. Although there are few traces of their cities, their literature, their art, the "Phoenicians", so difficult to define and to circumscribe geographically and culturally, are a cornerstone of contemporary Mediterranean culture, one that moves between East and West. Jigoulov's book, in the footsteps of a large body of literature on the subject, attempts an approach of its own, with particular attention given to the examination of written sources, while not neglecting to reference material culture. The Phoenicians is full of data and reflections, with an up-to-date bibliography containing works in several languages. This fact is very important compared to other similar texts because much of the literature is not in English. The author is therefore the intermediary of important studies and provides readers with an updated, correct and enjoyable picture of the fascinating and elusive world of the Phoenicians.' - Ida Oggiano, National Research Council of Italy