De Feniciërs: De grootste zeemogendheid uit de oudheid

Lost Civilizations

by Vadim S. Jigoulov

Tussen 1500 en 400 v.Chr. waren de Feniciërs – afkomstig uit Fenicië, het huidige Libanon – de belangrijkste en succesvolste zeevaarders en handelaars rond de Middellandse Zee. Zij stichtten overal koloniën, waarmee ze de handel over zee, na het verval van het Minoïsche Kreta, in stand hielden totdat de Romeinen de suprematie in het Middellandse Zeegebied overnamen. Jigoulov vertelt hun geschiedenis. Hij gaat brongericht te werk; hij beschrijft en analyseert verschillende artefacten. Ook vertelt hij hoe historici zijn omgegaan met het feit dat over de Feniciërs weinig geschreven bronnen bewaard zijn gebleven.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Lebanon, Ancient History

316 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 1, 2022

Reviews

[Chris Jaffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a basic book that covers the civilization in question. Almost all we know about them comes from outside sources, most notably the Greeks. Even the word "Phoenician" is a word others (like the Greeks) gave them. They didn't see themselves as a single group, but as people from Tyre or Sidon or points elsewhere. While there were some linguisitic, cultural, and religious simillarities, they identified themslves locally, not in some overall group. They were good merchants and known for their seafaring, with Herodutes claiming that the Egyptians hired a Phoenician crew to circle Africa. There isn't much evidence that such an excursion ever happened, but the Phoenicians (mainly from Tyre) set up a series of colonies in the Mediterranean. The most famous was clearly Carthage, but they even had some on the Atlantic face of Portugal.

I learned a decent amount, but it's only three stars because it's a very formulaic book that has tons of dead spots despite being just 200 pages of texts. Here's an overview of every account the Greeks gave of them. Here's a depiction of what we know of the gods of this town; now for the gods of a second town, now for a third town, now..... The book reads like a collection of notecards where the author makes sure to give you every bit of info he has, even if the latest bit of info doesn't add to much and just rehashes what was already hashed.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best read but I'll give the author credit for getting a book out of this when there really isn't too much information known about the Phoenicians

[Jef Verstraete · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goed, kort boek over de feniciërs. Er is een grote focus op archeologie, en het is wat droogjes geschreven maar mij stoorde dat niet.

[Mirella Ducasteele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goede inhoud, niet vlot geschreven.