In this analysis of the first colonialisms in history, the eastern roots of the Phoenician colonial system in the first millennium BC are traced and the metropolis of Tyre is established as the final link in a long chain of colonial experiences in the ancient Near East. The author reviews some of the theories and debates about trade and the colonial phenomenon, scrutinises the colonial situations that arose in the East in a context of long-distance interregional trade, and analyses the examples where a metropolis with a mercantile tradition intervenes and acts as intermediary in different interregional exchange circuits. The book further develops the ongoing debate about the place of the economy in the ancient world and the pertinence of using features from modern economy - such as market, capital, private initiative, laws of supply and demand, and money - to explain the economies of the past.

An analysis of the first colonialisms in history, tracing the eastern roots of the Phoenician colonial system in the first millennium BC.

About the Author
Maria Eugenia Aubet is Professor of Archaeology at the Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. She is the Director of the archaeological excavations in Tyre, Lebanon, and has written several books including The Phoenicians in the West: Politics, Colonies, and Trade and The Phoenician Cemetery of Tyre-Al Bas.


Book Information
ISBN 9780521514170
Author Maria Eugenia Aubet
Format Hardback
Page Count 424
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 730g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 24mm