Phoenician Secrets: Exploring the Ancient Mediterranean PDF
Preview Phoenician Secrets: Exploring the Ancient Mediterranean
ee PHOENICIAN SECRETS Exploring the Ancient Mediterranean __ ‘Thmorosugthalymreseearcshead aatndencletaraly’timere-e””” SANFORDHOLST ‘= David Northrup, Ph.D. ee eee “Popular accounts of the Phoenicians are rarely coherent and comprehensive, Sanford Holst’s survey of the rise and fall of the Phoenicians is a splendid exception. He traces their history from the rise of Phoenician shipbuilders in the fourth millennium BC until the fall of Carthage to the Romans in 146 BC, at the end of the Third Punic War. Throughout the book Holst makes insight- ful use of the latest archaeological evidence from land and be- neath the sea, as well as the testimony of ancient writers. He shows the survival of Phoenician traditions in modern even Lebanon. “Despite its scholarly underpinnings, the book presents an ‘engaging narrative that clearly explains the salient points with- out getting bogged down in details of interest only to specialists. The author's clear prose should make the story attractive even to beginning students of the ancient world, The book's many illustrations and maps add to its appeal. “Tlearned a great deal from it and know that others will, too.” David Northrup Professor of History Boston College “A well written, historically accurate book about a great civi- lization which has been by-passed by the annals of history. 1 have given many copies to my friends and they have found it equally enjoyable.” Judge James Kaddo “There are few history books so compelling as to leave you ‘wanting to read more. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. Mr. Holst has done a phenomenal job in writing as well as re- searching the Phoenicians. I have read other books about Phoe- nicians in the past and was never really impressed. This one has a special way of pulling everything together so that their accom- plishments make sense.” Dany Chalhoub Wewr itSigeeend ond Stina yoneatly fF ophowrett 30 elt SaEe raaut aRthieruinne PHOENICIANSECRETS Exploring the Ancient Mediterranean SanrorD HoLst SANTORINI BooKs Copyright © 2011 by Sanford Holst All rights reserved Santorini Publishing 14622 Ventura Boulevard, #800 Los Angeles, California 91403 First Edition Printing: April 2011 Excerpt used with permission: Lichtheim, Miriam. Ancient EgyptianLiterature Vol Il. ©1976 The Re- gents of the University of California, Publisher's Cataloging-in-Publication Data Holst, Sanford. / Phoenician secrets: exploring the ancient Mediterranean Sanford Holst. pcm. Includes bibliographical references and index. LCCN 2011925653 ISBN 978-0-9833279-0-5, PhoeniMcieadnisterranean — 1, Region. 2. Phoenicia 3, Region Civilization. Mediterranean Civilization. 1. Tit DS81.H65 2011 930.04926 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Special thanks to Joumana Medie in Beirut, friend, confidante, advisor and proof of why the Phoenicians worshiped their Salim Khalaf in North Carolina, designer par excellence and creator of www.phoenicia.org, the world’s most popular site on the land of his fathers. Gudrun Stutz in Los Angeles, whose years of personal and literary support enabled this extensive effort to come to fruition. Dr. Antoine Khoury Harb in Kaslik, Lebanon, respected educator, historian and archaeologist, passionate about the heritage of his people. also acknowledge ang thank the following people, who took time amid their important duties to share with me some of their considerable expertise in areas essential to this research. Their ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: contributions enabled me to correct the earlier drafts of this manu- script and made it a much stronger representation of the events that took place. The responsibility for any errors that remain is solely my own. Dr. Suzy Hakimian, curator of the Beirut National Museum, Lebanon. Dr. Helene Sader, head of the Department of History and Ar- chaeology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon. advisor Antonia Kanaan, Lebanese historical site and guide, who studied under noted archaeologist Dr. Maurice Dunand. Dr. Ahmed Abdel Fatah, General Director of Museums and Antiquities of Alexandria, Egypt. Dr. Mervat Seif el Din, General Director of the Graeco-Roman Museum, Alexandria, Egypt. Dr. Alaa Ashmawy, Professor of Engineering, University of South Florida, United States. Dr. Christos Doumas, Director of the Excavations at Akroti Santorini, Greece, Dr. Nota Dimopoulou, Director of the Iraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete, Greece. Reuben Grima, curator of World Heritage Sites, Malta. And of course, I thank the Author who actually writes all books and ‘causes us to bring these works into the world when the time is right. INTRODUCTION The Mycenaean Greek hero of Homer's Odyssey returned from the Trojan War around 1200 BC by boarding a Phoenician ship for the last part of his journey. This was mentioned casually, since the comings and goings of Phoenician trading ships in those days was a natural part of life. The Greek Dark Age soon followed, and lasted several hundred years. Thucydides told us that when this dark curtain was finally lifted, the Greek people began to thrive again and expanded their reach to Sicily around 734 BC. Yet when their men arrived at that bountiful land they found Phoenician trading ships still coming and going, and Phoenician outposts established all around the island? ‘This suggestion that other societies had remained active and went about their daily lives without experiencing a corresponding dark age was intriguing. In the eastern Mediterranean the Hebrew people described in detail how the Phoenicians of Tyre helped them build Solomon's Temple around 966 BC. The two societies prospered and built significant cities during this time. If the Phoenicians had been inclined to write history, they could have helped illuminate the dark days of Greece. Unfortunately they were inclined in the opposite direction and kept their affairs unwa- veringly private. This penchant for secrecy caused them to become, as historian Glenn Markoe noted, “the enigma that we call the iv INTRODUCTION Phoenicians.” > As we will see, this secretive nature served these people well over the years, allowing their small society to survive the larger military societies that surrounded them. Yet this among ‘was also unfortunate in that the Phoenicians were the far-ranging sea traders who went from society to society carrying discoveries, inventions, techniques, customs and many material objects from one to the other. They were the go-betweens. More than anyone else of that day, they seemed to be immersed in the lives and affairs of people in the societies around them. The Phoenicians wrote copiously, as acknowledged by many Greek and Roman writers.* Yet their preference for secrecy did not allow them to share those writings outside their society. Almost no copies of Phoenician writings remain today. Other societies, however, wrote frequently about the Phoenicians. Bringing together those ‘many bits and pieces has now begun to give us a much better picture of this unique society. Archaeologists round out that picture with rich details that have helped bring the Phoenicians to life to a remarkable degree. By following the Phoenicians in their active expansion across the length and breadth of the Mediterranean, we come to see the tapestry of history woven by their back-and-forth travels, This has helped illuminate as never before the many societies of the ancient Mediterranean. These include the Egyptians, Minoans, Mycenaeans, Hittites, Sea Peoples, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Hebrews, Africans, Tberians, Etruscans, classical Greeks, Romans and many smaller societies. In recent years genetic research has added a new dimension to our ‘understanding of these ancient societies, With regard to the Phoeni cians, Pierre Zalloua and Spencer Wells conducted a genetic analysis of DNA samples collected in Lebanon and other locations around the Mediterranean, They identified components of the Y-chromosome that they believe give a good indication of where the Phoenician people established their colonies and conducted their trade, These genetic markers are still found in some of the people living there today. ‘One of the conclusions they noted was that the people carrying these genetic markers had lived in and around the land we know as Lebanon for at least 12,000 years.* That is consistent with the histori-
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