The Phoenicians in History and Legend

The Phoenicians controlled the area of the Mediterranean Sea for over the entire first millennium BC and had lived on the Eastern shores of the sea for the previous two millennia. They spread to the northern and southern Mediterranean shores, making significant contributions to Western civilization. But today they are almost completely unknown. Except for scholars, they are mostly ignored today because the rival Greek and Roman cultures that eventually spread to the West attempted to erase any trace of the Phoenicians. History has no mercy on the vanquished and is written by the winners. While scholars are aware of the Phoenician contributions to civilization, most people know nothing about them. This book is an attempt to bring this topic back to the attention of modern readers. The author hopes that a broad audience of readers will be interested in the knowledge that was brought to us by the contributions of the Phoenicians. The intended audience of this book includes students of history, mythology or religion, writers and scholars from other disciplines, linguistic experts and anyone with an interest in enhancing their knowledge about forgotten civilizations. There are over three million people of Phoenician descent in the United States and twice as many in the remainder of the Americas, to whom this book would also be of interest.