Well, the maatians have obviously posted a lot from Glenn Markoe, and books about ancient mariners. For more information about the Phoenicians and Carthaginians in general, I would recommend Sabatino Moscati and Eugenia Maria Aubet. There is nothing at all implausible about the circumnavigation of Africa and i personally dislike unreasonable skepticism particularly, given all the alternative explanations for the Odyssey and Argonautica, a tendency to give priority to Greek exploration feats. Remember that Herodotus did not mention any long-term implications of these voyages, so hyper-diffusionist claims are unnecessary. What we know for sure is that even after Necho's voyage, there were several attempts to circumnavigate Africa from the West, all of which failed. It's likely that Hanno's voyage was the closest to achieving this goal since it was the most celebrated and well-known in Roman times.

As for the origins of the Phoenicians, i remember (off the top of my head) that they were almost certainly Caannites, although this term cannot be used exclusively for the Phoenicians. The history of Phoenicia actually stetched far back into antiquity and can be seen as a continuation of that of the Canaanites (those of the city-states occupied by the Hittites and Egyptians). Indeed, cultural traits such as political systems, religious beliefs, and linguistic features appear rooted in the preceding age. Long-distance trade was also widely practiced in Ugarit and Byblos. Jeez, the more i type, the more i feel like reading some of the incredible stuff i used for this subject...

PS. i remember using some good sites about Ras Shamra (Ugarit), but i didn't save them. Could you guys post some links? thx



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2005 05:19PM by darkuser.