Why am I passionate about this?
I am an archaeologist and ancient historian, originally from Canada but living in London in the UK. I teach and write and excavate the ancient world and have worked both in the Mediterranean in Italy and North Africa and in the ancient near east, in Iran, and in Oman. I try to understand how the ancient world worked, both the history and the material culture, and how much it impacts us still today. Hannibal was such a crucial figure in this world just as it was forming, and he was from Africa, was Carthaginian, and we have lost so much knowledge of him and his culture.
Eve's book list on Carthage and Hannibal in the Ancient Mediterranean
Why did Eve love this book?
This is one of the best books ever written about the Phoenicians. These are the people who founded Carthage and were so influential in the early Mediterranean west. They founded some of the oldest cities in Europe (places like Cadiz) and are essential to Mediterranean history, yet they have been forgotten too. This book brings the context and story of the Phoenicians and the early Mediterranean to life.
1 author picked In Search of the Phoenicians as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
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 as such. Taking readers from the ancient world to today, this 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…