The Archaeology of Phoenician Cities

This chapter deals with the archaeology of the Phoenician cities of the motherland, highlighting mainly recent results from Lebanon. It gives an overview of the available archaeological evidence resulting from surveys and excavations. The chapter presents the physical characteristics of the Phoenician cities: their location, size, distribution, and results of the investigation of their harbors. It discusses in detail the recent findings regarding the development of their building techniques and their domestic and religious architecture. These findings indicate that there is no characteristic Phoenician house or temple plan but, rather, a wide variety of them. The chapter ends with the discussion of funerary architecture and practices. After a brief presentation of the various types of burials, an overview of Phoenician practices relating to both inhumation and cremation is presented. Our understanding of the latter practice was substantially enhanced by the recent evidence from the Tyrian cemetery of al-Bass.