The Phoenicians

The Phoenicians conquered the ancient world, not with sword or spear, but with ink, rotting mollusks, and the finest of Lebanese Cedar. In this episode, we take a wild ride through history's ultimate glue guys, starting with a cluster of competitive city-states that never even called themselves Phoenicians. We break down the secrets behind their maritime supremacy, uncovering how their agriculturally inferior homeland led to unmatched shipwrighting and open-sea navigation. Skills allowing them to pioneer an aquatic Silk Road of sorts and sail all the way to Spain for massive hauls of silver. Along the way, we explore their rich pantheon of gods, their legendary 22-letter alphabet that revolutionized communication, and the explosive rise of their most famous daughter-city, Carthage. Finally, we track their journey through the meat grinder of history. Surviving Persian vassalage, Alexander the Great throwing a literal land-bridge at Tyre, before ultimately disappearing into the Greek and Roman machine—proving how these master traders left behind a blueprint that still shapes the modern world. Thanks for listening and don’t forget to hit subscribe, leave a 5-star rating and write a review. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. Join us at Patreon.com/HistoricallyHigh and get enrolled for some fun extra content Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.