Since the ruins of vanished civilizations present puzzles that can never be fully solved, their presence remains a question. In the case of the Phoenicians, the principal traders and seamen of the ancient world, the mystery is especially intriguing, for such accounts of them as we have were written by others they encountered. And yet, though the defeat of Hannibal and the destruction of Carthage in the 2nd c BCE meant the end of their known presence, the fragmentary ruins of the cities they built along the Mediterranean shores show their extraordinary achievements. This book takes you to their cities, Leptis Magna, Timgad, Palmyra, and Petra, recreating a vivid picture of the Phoenians and their cities.
