In Search of the Phoenicians

Nonfiction, History, Middle East, Ancient History
Cover of the book In Search of the Phoenicians by Josephine Quinn, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Josephine Quinn ISBN: 9781400889112
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: December 11, 2017
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Josephine Quinn
ISBN: 9781400889112
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: December 11, 2017
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

Who were the ancient Phoenicians, and did they actually exist?

The Phoenicians traveled the Mediterranean long before the Greeks and Romans, trading, establishing settlements, and refining the art of navigation. But who these legendary sailors really were has long remained a mystery. In Search of the Phoenicians makes the startling claim that the “Phoenicians” never actually existed. Taking readers from the ancient world to today, this monumental book argues that the notion of these sailors as a coherent people with a shared identity, history, and culture is a product of modern nationalist ideologies—and a notion very much at odds with the ancient sources.

Josephine Quinn shows how the belief in this historical mirage has blinded us to the compelling identities and communities these people really constructed for themselves in the ancient Mediterranean, based not on ethnicity or nationhood but on cities, family, colonial ties, and religious practices. She traces how the idea of “being Phoenician” first emerged in support of the imperial ambitions of Carthage and then Rome, and only crystallized as a component of modern national identities in contexts as far-flung as Ireland and Lebanon.

In Search of the Phoenicians delves into the ancient literary, epigraphic, numismatic, and artistic evidence for the construction of identities by and for the Phoenicians, ranging from the Levant to the Atlantic, and from the Bronze Age to late antiquity and beyond. A momentous scholarly achievement, this book also explores the prose, poetry, plays, painting, and polemic that have enshrined these fabled seafarers in nationalist histories from sixteenth-century England to twenty-first century Tunisia.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Who were the ancient Phoenicians, and did they actually exist?

The Phoenicians traveled the Mediterranean long before the Greeks and Romans, trading, establishing settlements, and refining the art of navigation. But who these legendary sailors really were has long remained a mystery. In Search of the Phoenicians makes the startling claim that the “Phoenicians” never actually existed. Taking readers from the ancient world to today, this monumental book argues that the notion of these sailors as a coherent people with a shared identity, history, and culture is a product of modern nationalist ideologies—and a notion very much at odds with the ancient sources.

Josephine Quinn shows how the belief in this historical mirage has blinded us to the compelling identities and communities these people really constructed for themselves in the ancient Mediterranean, based not on ethnicity or nationhood but on cities, family, colonial ties, and religious practices. She traces how the idea of “being Phoenician” first emerged in support of the imperial ambitions of Carthage and then Rome, and only crystallized as a component of modern national identities in contexts as far-flung as Ireland and Lebanon.

In Search of the Phoenicians delves into the ancient literary, epigraphic, numismatic, and artistic evidence for the construction of identities by and for the Phoenicians, ranging from the Levant to the Atlantic, and from the Bronze Age to late antiquity and beyond. A momentous scholarly achievement, this book also explores the prose, poetry, plays, painting, and polemic that have enshrined these fabled seafarers in nationalist histories from sixteenth-century England to twenty-first century Tunisia.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Kierkegaard's Writings, IX, Volume 9 by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Lesson Plan by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Timefulness by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Ruling Passions by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Presidents and the Dissolution of the Union by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Zombies and Calculus by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book A Very Brief History of Eternity by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Getting Respect by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Resolve in International Politics by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book A Confucian Constitutional Order by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Dead Ringers by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Ballots and Bullets by Josephine Quinn
Cover of the book Perpetual Euphoria by Josephine Quinn
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy