The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean

An extremely useful compendium, chock-full of the latest information. Carolina López-Ruiz and Brian R. Doak are to be highly commended for having pulled together this very handy volume, with valuable contributions from a stellar array of scholars. * Eric H. Cline, George Washington University *
Studies of the Phoenician world now have a new entry point and benchmark, thanks to this magisterial volume. López-Ruiz and Doak have assembled an all-star cast to distill and communicate current knowledge of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean. This impressive work covers a host of topics—from the language and literature of the Phoenicians to their archaeology, society, and reception in antiquity and in the modern day. This is the single most useful survey covering the Phoenician influence on the Mediterranean world on the market today, and it will serve the next generation of scholars exceptionally well. * Jeremy M. Hutton, University of Wisconsin-Madison *
Today it is no longer possible to study the ancient Mediterranean without taking into account the Phoenicians and Carthaginians. For those who embark on their discovery, this Handbook provides a wealth of background information, and more. The work brings readers confidently and comfortably into a world that has never ceased to arouse aversion, suspicion, and fascination. Ancient and modern stereotypes are illuminated and contextualized; and the languages, stories, customs, religions, and artefacts of the Phoenician and Carthaginian world are made accessible to all through a prism of the most up-to-date knowledge. * Véronique Krings, University of Toulouse *
It will be difficult to surpass such [a] comprehensive and detailed reference work in the next few decades... This [Handbook] has already become a must-read manual for experts and students because of the depth and range of its approach and its updated bibliography. Most chapters not only include the most recent data but also produce fresh interpretations and paradigms which are incorporated into the analyses provided....Finally, The Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean successfully breaks away from traditional accounts that placed Phoenician communities as a 'third party' in the history of the ancient Mediterranean. For this reason alone, it is a highly recommended and worthwhile read. * Francisco Machuca Prieto, Universidad de Málaga *
Lopez-Ruiz and Doak's Oxford Handbook of the Phoenician and Punic Mediterranean must certainly be considered a 'sine qua non' for the field of Biblical and ancient Near Eastern Studies. It is so very detailed, current, and broad in scope...focusing not only on the history of Phoenicia (from the Late Bronze Age to the Roman Period), but also on Phoenician religion and art, Phoenician language and culture, Phoenician colonial activities, Phoenician seafaring and trade, and even the most recent archaeological fieldwork of all things Phoenician. No serious library can afford to be without this superb volume. * Christopher A. Rollston, George Washington University *
With the maturation of social scientific models and more refined interpretation of historical evidence, López-Ruiz and Doak have assembled an outstanding collection of essays that cover every major aspect of the Phoenicians. These 'Sea Peoples' did so much more than spread the alphabet or provide background for biblical and classical works. The Phoenicians were, in fact, central players in the unfolding of Mediterranean history, and this volume finally gives the field of Phoenician studies the appropriate attention. This work is an essential reference tool for teachers and scholars of the ancient Mediterranean world. * Roger S. Nam, Emory University *
[This] Handbook gives a clear, balanced, and up-to-date overview of the archaeology and the geopolitical, linguistic, epigraphic, and religious history of the people known today as the Phoenicians. The articles cover a wide range of topics that are important for specialists in the history of the Levant...scholars of the broader study of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean...[and are] also accessible to undergraduate and graduate student audiences....Another important contribution is the attention paid to the reception history of the Phoenicians in biblical and classical works. In short, this work is essential to any course on the ancient history of the Near East, and to any scholar's library. * Alice Mandell, Johns Hopkins University *
Marks a significant advancement in the growing discipline of Phoenician (and Punic) Studies.... The an immense contribution to Phoenician Studies that will easily facilitate seminars at the intermediate-to-advanced undergraduate and graduate levels that would have been extremely difficult to organize at English-speaking universities beforehand. I have no doubt that it will quickly become an indispensable tool for both experienced researchers and younger scholars just beginning to learn about the field. * Russell J. Clark, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *