Tyre and the first Phoenician diaspora in the Mediterranean

Lecture by Dr Francisco J. Núñez

The interpretation of eastern materials found in overseas contexts has long been shaped by ancient textual sources, often resulting in debate over the nature, aims, and chronology of the Levantine diaspora in the Mediterranean. This lecture addresses the issue through three interconnected parts.

First, it reviews the early evidence—both textual and material—primarily comprising quasi-mythological accounts and poorly contextualized artefacts. The second part focuses on ceramic data from key sites across the Mediterranean: Kition (Cyprus), Kommos (Crete), Sant’Imbenia (Sardinia), and La Rebanadilla and Huelva (Iberian Peninsula), outlining the ceramic landscape of the diaspora’s earliest phases.

The third part compares these materials with the Levantine ceramic sequence, focusing on Tyre and Megiddo to assess links with local productions, establish absolute chronology, and contextualize the phenomenon historically.

Findings suggest that the first Phoenician diaspora began no earlier than the mid-9th century BCE, coinciding with political realignments in the Levant and the emergence of coastal cities as economic actors within expanding Mediterranean trade networks.