History of the Phoenician Civilization follows the Levantine seafarers from the city-states of Tyre and Sidon to the Punic world, charting trade, colonization, and the spread of the alphabet. Drawing on Greek and Roman writers, biblical notices, inscriptions, and coinage, Rawlinson reconstructs institutions, cult, and material life-purple dye, cedar commerce, and navigation. In lucid Victorian prose with orderly chapters and ample notes, he marries classical narrative to emergent epigraphy and archaeology, correcting myths with cautious synthesis. George Rawlinson (1812-1902), Camden Professor of Ancient History at Oxford and brother to Assyriologist Sir Henry Creswicke Rawlinson, wrote amid the first great wave of Near Eastern decipherment. Translator of Herodotus and author of The Five Great Monarchies, he applied philological rigor and comparative method to restore Phoenicia's historical stature. This volume will reward scholars of the Mediterranean and Bible, students of trade and writing, and serious general readers. Allowing for its Victorian frame, it remains a dependable reference, rich in sources and clarity, for understanding Phoenician religion, commerce, diplomacy, and the maritime networks that shaped antiquity.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable-distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.