Description
Book SynopsisPhoenicians among Others provides the first history of Phoenician immigrants in the ancient Mediterranean from the fourth to the first centuries BCE. Through an examination of inscriptions, many bilingual in Phoenician and Greek or Egyptian, Phoenicians among Others demonstrates how mobility and migration challenged migrants and states alike. Far from being excluded, and despite facing prejudices, immigrants mobilized adaptive strategies to mediate their experiences and encourage a sense of membership and belonging, constructed new identities, and transformed the societies they joined.By integrating the voices and histories of immigrants with those of the states in which they lived, Denise Demetriou highlights the diverse ways that migrants influenced the development of societies, introduced new institutions, shaped the policies of their home and host states, made notions of citizenship more fluid, and changed the course of local, regional, and Mediterranean histories.
Trade ReviewIn this clearly written and methodologically sound study, Demetriou gives voice to one of the most important communities in the ancient Mediterranean, the Phoenicians. Zooming in on their own inscriptions, this is a crucial contribution to the study of migrant communities during the Classical-Hellenistic periods and of the Phoenician's diasporic identities. Phoenicians among Others is simply eye-opening and will illuminate the interpretation of similar multi-cultural contexts in the ancient world. * Carolina López-Ruiz, The University of Chicago Divinity School *
Telling stories about migration can challenge the lies and fear it provokes, and it is a sad fact that we know more about ancient Phoenician-speaking migrants than we do about many of those found-and lost-in the Mediterranean today. Denise Demetriou's radical work explores how mobility changed these people, their new hosts, and their old homes. It reveals the breadth of ancient history beyond Greece and Rome, but it also suggests that notions of citizenship today can be established in negotiation with immigrants rather than simply in reaction against them. * Josephine Quinn, University of Oxford *
This innovative monograph will appeal to everyone interested in Greek history...Highly recommended. * Choice *
Phoenicians among Others is an illuminating book not only for Phoenicians living throughout the Mediterranean, but also those in Phoenicia,... It is a valuable contribution of ancient social history. * Owain Wiliams, Ancient History *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: The Adaptive Repertoires of Immigrants Chapter 2: Phoenician Trade Associations Chapter 3: Managing Migration Chapter 4: Honors, Privileges, and Greek Migration Regimes Chapter 5: Phoenicians Beyond Greek Communities Conclusion Bibliography Index
