The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies and Trade [Hardcover]

Maria Eugenia Aubet (Author), Mary Turton (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0521791618 | ISBN-13: 978-0521791618 | Edition: 2

This updated version of Maria Eugenia Aubet's highly praised book (1993) incorporates the most recent research findings on the ancient civilization of Phoenicia and includes an updated bibliography. The Phoenicians established the first trading system in the Mediterranean basin between the eighth and sixth centuries B.C. Continuous archaeological research over the past decades has transformed our understanding of Phoenicia, its colonies and their relationship to local communities. First Edition Hb (1993): 0-521-41141-6 First Edition Pb (1996): 0-521-56598-7

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Aubet's book is sensible, sound, sane, and comprehensive--quite an achievement in Phoenician studies. She offers a superb overview of all aspects of Phoenician history and culture, making full use of new archaeological evidence as well as recent work on Phoenician art, religion, and political institutions." Journal of the American Oriental Society --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Spanish

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 2 edition (October 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521791618
• ISBN-13: 978-0521791618
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,397,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very thorough., June 9, 2001

By 

Mark Howells (Puyallup, Washington State, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies and Trade (Hardcover)

This is an interesting book which describes the Phoenician expansion into the Western Mediterranean from the eighth to sixth centuries B.C. The focus is the Iberian Phoenician settlements on either side of the Pillars of Hercules with Gadir (Cadiz) as the main attraction. As the written record of the Phoenicians themselves did not survive, this work relies primarily on archaeological information and the small body of sources written by the Phoenicians' neighboring cultures (the Greek Homer's epic poetry, the Jewish Old Testament, etc.).

There is much discussion about the social, political, and economic reasons for the Phoenician expansion westward. In addition, the form which this expansion took - from informal trade to outright colonization is explored. A large part of the book is devoted to the competing historical theories regarding this expansion in which the author is obviously well-grounded.

Who engaged in the trade and expansion- the palace, the temple, or independent merchants? How was it organized? What were the ships like? What were the commodities traded? How were Phoenician relations with the indigenous peoples handled? All these questions are answered.

There is obviously comparison between the original Phoenician settlements in the West and those of her daughter colony Carthage which succeeded them. The emphasis in this work is on the Phoenician period rather than the following Punic period of settlement. This is done to give the Phoenicians' initial accomplishments in the West due credit rather than have them overshadowed by Carthage.

With the book's emphasis on the Iberian peninsula, the Phoenician enclaves in the central Mediterranean such as on Malta, Sicily, and Sardinia do not get much attention. I would have enjoyed more comparison between the Phoenician settlements and the subsequent Greek colonies in the West as well.

An interesting read on a little-known but highly-influential ancient people. And don't forget to thank them for this alphabet while you're at it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Worthwhile Voyage, December 18, 2000

By 

Holy Olio "holy_olio" (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies and Trade (Paperback)

In their day the Phoenicians were the quintessential mariners and explorers, planting colonies throughout the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and more controversially elsewhere along Africa's coasts and probably in the Far East along the monsoon trade route.

This survey work of what is known today about the Phoenicians is the first one in years I believe. Like many maritime peoples, the Phoenicians were often conquered and, given their extensive use of papyrus, their archives have not survived. Since ancient times and to the present day various historians with axes to grind have badmouthed these people.

This isn't the most riveting text I've ever read.

See also Lionel Casson's "The Ancient Mariners", "Travel In The Ancient World", and "Everyday life in ancient Rome", Michael Grant's "The Etruscans" (out of print), and Barry Fell's "America B.C.", as well as websites that show up in a search for the phrase "The Periplus".

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly readable archeological text!, September 15, 2008

By 

Bible Reader (Savannah, Georgia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies and Trade (Paperback)

Maria Aubet is Professor of Archeology at the University in Barcelona, Spain. She has provided an in-depth and scientific analysis of the ancient seafarers, the Phoenicians, whose homeland existed in the general area of modern-day Lebanon. While other books have romanticized the Phoenicians or are horribly out-of-date with regard to archeological exploration, Professor Aubet presents state-of-the-art archeological data to assess the extant literature and develop a true picture of the Phoenician Diaspora.

The Phoenicians developed our alphabet around 1400 BC in order to communicate with the diverse cultures and tongues of their trading partners. The Phoenician alphabet was widely received, as it was only 22 letters based on sound, as opposed to the myriad of symbols in cuneiform and hieroglyphics prevalent at the time. The Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek alphabets were derived from the Phoenician alphabet.

The great paradox concerning the Phoenicians is, while they gave us our alphabet, they have no literature that has survived to the present! Writers today must rely on literature from other nations, whose point of view may be political (such as the Egyptians, Greeks, and Assyrians), religious (as Hebrew Scripture), or literary or poetic, such as Homer and the classical literature. The author recognizes the need to reconcile the literary sources with new archeological finds and modern techniques, such as carbon dating, to establish a reasonable view of the Phoenicians, truly the first naval power in history.

Professor Aubet documents with current archeological studies that the Phoenician language extended as far north as Cilicia in Asia Minor during the ninth century BC; and between the ninth and sixth centuries BC, they established the first trading system to encompass the entire Mediterranean from their homeland to colonies in Cyprus, Carthage, Sicily, Sardinia, and southern Spain.

What is most important is that for an archeological study, the book is highly readable!