The Phoenicians originated in modern-day Lebanon. Their cities were located near the coast of the Mediterranean Sea; the mountains of Lebanon towered behind them. When the Phoenicians began to expand, instead of going over the mountains they expanded towards the sea. As the Phoenicians expanded, they formed new colonies and established trade routes (see appendix A). However, the exploration and trade of the Phoenicians did not stop in the Mediterranean, they extended into Brittany, went deep into Africa and reached the Americas. The Phoenicians traded and interacted with many civilizations and peoples. Despite these interactions, our knowledge of the Phoenicians is neither exhaustive nor complete. Most of what we know comes from what others have said about them. For example, Plutarch, a Greek, wrote in the first century AD, long after the fall of the Phoenicians: “they are a bitter and sullen people, subservient to their rulers, tyrannical towards those they rule, abject in fear, ferocious when provoked, unshakable in resolution, and so severe that he detests all humor and kindness. "This and many other accounts and sayings about the Phoenicians must be taken with a pinch of salt as the Greeks and Phoenicians had their fair share of wars and conflicts with each other. Another opinion from a geographer, also living in the 1st century AD named Pomponius Mela, portrays the Phoenicians in a much better light. “The Phoenicians were an intelligent race, who thrived in war and peace. They excelled in writing and literature, and in other arts, in seamanship, in naval warfare and in ruling an empire.” Perhaps this gives a better picture of who the Phoenicians really were. Unfortunately there are very few surviving Phoenicians...... middle of paper......ory.4.iv.html on the 2nd April 2014Drawing from an Assyrian relief taken from Edey, Maitland. The Sea Traders. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1974. Xenophon, Oeconomicus, chapter 8 accessed from http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1173/1173- h/1173-h.htm on 8 April 2014Secondary SourcesEdey, Maitland. The Traders of the Sea. Alexandria: Time-Life Books, 1974.Harden, Donald. The Phoenicians. New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1962. Holst, Sanford. Phoenicians: Lebanon's epic legacy. Los Angeles: Cambridge and Boston Press, 2005.McKay, John. et al. A History of World Societies: Volume 1 to 1600. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. Moscati, Sabatino. The world of the Phoenicians. trans. Alastair Hamilton New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1968. Peterson, Barbara. Population of the Americas: currents, canoes and DNA. New York: Nova Science Editori, 2011.