The Phoenicians, a maritime trader confederation from the Levant, established the most extensive commercial network in antiquity around 3,100 years ago. Their most prominent city-state, Carthage, founded around the ninth century B.C., expanded into a significant empire before its defeat by Rome in the Punic Wars. While traditionally believed to have substantial roots in the Levant, recent genetic analysis shows that the Phoenicians contributed minimally to Punic genetic makeup, indicating they preserved their culture and language while combining with local populations of diverse ancestry. This study utilized DNA from individuals across various sites.
The Phoenicians developed an extensive commercial network in antiquity, yet despite their achievements, no literature survives except for a few funerary inscriptions.
A recent study reveals that the Levantine Phoenicians had a negligible genetic contribution to Punic colonies, suggesting they did not intermingle equally with local populations.
Collection
[
|
...
]