Summary of Richard Miles's Carthage Must Be Destroyed

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The Phoenician cities were not a united political entity until over a thousand years later, when the Romans created the province of Phoenicia. However, despite their weaknesses and the threat posed by the major powers of the Near East, they had long safeguarded their political independence.

#2 The Phoenician city states were able to continue their independence and prosperity by being masters of sea. They were able to exchange luxury goods with other states, and they used these goods to transport bulk raw materials back to the Near East.

#3 The collapse of the Bronze Age palace societies and the emergence of a free market led to a golden age for the Phoenician city states. The relationship between business and the state was further reinforced by the presence of the patriarchs of the mercantile firms on a powerful council of elders.

#4 The Phoenician cities were able to expand their trading networks greatly after they were able to avoid any threats from their neighbors. They began to export luxury goods, such as embroidered garments and cloth dyed in deepest purple.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822507203

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Insights on Richard Miles's Carthage Must Be Destroyed

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Phoenician cities were not a united political entity until over a thousand years later, when the Romans created the province of Phoenicia. However, despite their weaknesses and the threat posed by the major powers of the Near East, they had long safeguarded their political independence.

#2

The Phoenician city states were able to continue their independence and prosperity by being masters of sea. They were able to exchange luxury goods with other states, and they used these goods to transport bulk raw materials back to the Near East.

#3

The collapse of the Bronze Age palace societies and the emergence of a free market led to a golden age for the Phoenician city states. The relationship between business and the state was further reinforced by the presence of the patriarchs of the mercantile firms on a powerful council of elders.

#4

The Phoenician cities were able to expand their trading networks greatly after they were able to avoid any threats from their neighbors. They began to export luxury goods, such as embroidered garments and cloth dyed in deepest purple.

#5

The lack of predators in the political food chain allowed the Phoenician cities to grow and thrive. They were able to establish a regional prominence because they controlled the resources of the mainland, including access to fresh water.

#6

By the tenth century BC, the balance of power among the Phoenician cities had begun to change, with Tyre, under the leadership of its kings Abibaal and then Hiram, becoming dominant. The Israelites signed a commercial agreement with Tyre that allowed the city to expand its territory.

#7

The Phoenician city of Tyre also underwent a religious revolution, with the king replacing the old gods with a new god, Melqart, who would rule over their pantheon with his consort, the goddess Astarte.

#8

The Tyrians worshiped Melqart, the king, as the bridge between the temporal and celestial worlds. The king even introduced an elaborate new ceremonial to celebrate the annual festival of Melqart.

#9

The importance of Melqart to the people of Tyre was reflected not only in his role as the founder of their city, but also in his gift of the first boat, which gave them the means to cross the great expanse of the Mediterranean.

#10

The Phoenician traders were able to expand their commerce by expanding their network of clients. They would establish enclaves among the indigenous communities they traded with, and these commercial contacts developed into more permanent relationships.

#11

Cyprus had been a part of the Phoenician trade route since the second millennium BC, and the first Tyrian colony was at Kition, on the site of a previously abandoned mercantile settlement. The paucity of Greek pottery and other luxury foreign goods found by archaeologists at Kition shows that it was not set up as a typical trading hub.

#12

The Assyrian kingdom, although keen to claim publicly its relationship with other Near Eastern states as a simple matter of total submission brought about by brute military force, was also engaged in a more subtle strategic game that involved the control of inter-regional trade networks.

#13

The Assyrian king Adad-Ninari III conquered northern Syria in the eighth century BC. This development could be considered a mixed blessing for the Tyrians. On the positive side, the Assyrian seizure of northern Syria removed some of their commercial competitors. However, the loss of an important Tyrian source