The Phoenicians

Rather than a single civilization, the Phoenicians appear here as a fleet of city-states-Arwad, Byblos, Sidon and Tyre-whose sea routes and trade networks tied the ancient Mediterranean together. Vadim S. Jigoulov, a historian of early Middle Eastern commerce, steers between history and archeology to reconstruct the seaborne world of these coastal communities. Drawing on textual sources alongside archeological finds, he traces how the city-states, from 1200 BCE to the end of the Persian period in 332 BCE, launched westward expeditions, often led by Tyre and joined by Sidon, founding trading posts from Carthage to the Spanish island of Ibiza. Jigoulov's prose is clear and steady, and the book's maps and illustrations help navigate dense scholarly waters. His balanced tone and careful organization invite readers to sail with confidence through three centuries of cultural exchange and maritime ambition. The study closes by urging further exploration beneath the waves, where future discoveries may emerge along ancient routes. In reminding us that connection-not conquest-bound the Mediterranean world, The Phoenicians reveals how trade carried civilization across the sea.