Review of Woolmer, A Short History of the Phoenicians

BRYN MAYR CLASSICAL REVIEW: Mark Woolmer, A Short History of the Phoenicians. I.B. Tauris short histories. London: I.B. Tauris, 2017. Pp. xviii, 233. ISBN 9781780766188. $15.95 (pb). Reviewed by Aaron L. Beek, University of Memphis (albeek@memphis.edu).

The 21st century has seen something of a boom in Phoenician studies, including the appearance of a fair number of texts targeted for general readers.1 Woolmer adds to this number with an affordable primer on the Phoenicians that focuses primarily on Phoenicia proper, largely excluding the western colonies.

Woolmer’s text is divided into five chapters, topical rather than chronological. Woolmer presents roughly 900 years of Phoenician history and society concisely within 200 pages of content. The result is a readable text that owes much to his own earlier 2011 book as well as a fair bit to Markoe’s more detailed 2000 book, particularly in matching its chapter organization.

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Cross-file under Phoenician Watch.

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