The Phoenicians
The Ancients
History Hit
4.7 • 4.5K Ratings
🗓️ 12 March 2026
⏱️ 64 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Three thousand years ago, Phoenician ships sailed west across the Mediterranean, their holds packed with pottery, wine and enslaved people to trade. Passing beyond the fabled Pillars of Heracles, they were pushing at the familiar limits of the ancient world.
In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Josephine Quinn, to explore the story of the Phoenicians. From the bustling sea ports of Tyre and Sidon to the founding of famous settlements like Carthage, discover how these remarkable seafarers built vast trading networks across the Mediterranean. Tristan and Josephine discuss who the Phoenicians really were, how their reputation as master mariners took shape, and the enduring legacies often linked to them, including the spread of the alphabet and their influence on the ancient world.
MORE
Tyre: Jewel of Phoenicia
Origins of Carthage
Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.
All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Ever wondered why the Romans were defeated in the Tudorburg forest? |
| 0:04.0 | What secrets lie buried in prehistoric Ireland? |
| 0:07.0 | Or what made Alexander truly great? |
| 0:10.0 | With a subscription to history hit, you can explore our ancient past alongside the world's leading historians and archaeologists. |
| 0:17.0 | You'll also unlock hundreds of hours of original documentaries with a brand new release every single week |
| 0:22.5 | covering everything from the ancient world to World War II. |
| 0:26.5 | Just visit historyhit.com slash subscribe. It's 3,000 years ago, and a fleet of sturdy ships sailed west past a towering promontory, |
| 0:52.1 | overlooking a wide strait of water. |
| 0:55.0 | In later centuries, the Greeks would label this great limestone mountain a pillar of their hero Heracles, |
| 1:02.0 | the rock of Gibraltar. |
| 1:05.0 | The sailors come from far away, from a city on the easternmost coast of the Great Sea they have just left, |
| 1:12.8 | the island stronghold of Tyre. |
| 1:16.2 | Their expertly crafted ships originate from the great cedarwood forests close to their coastal |
| 1:21.4 | home. |
| 1:22.9 | Together, they have traversed hundreds of kilometers of coastline, and now they have finally reached |
| 1:29.3 | the exit of the Mediterranean. |
| 1:32.5 | They come with cargo from their homeland, stacks and stacks of finely crafted pottery, |
| 1:38.3 | wine carried in tall clay jars, and also more infamously, slaves. All were to be offloaded at their final destination, |
| 1:47.6 | now not far away, sold to the highest bidders. These sailors were traders first and foremost, |
| 1:56.0 | just as their fathers and grandfathers had been before them. Their people would become known as some of |
| 2:02.1 | the greatest seafarers of ancient history, a mysterious yet fascinating people, the Phoenicians. |
| 2:10.3 | From their rise and prominence on the ancient Mediterranean stage to their lasting legacy |
... |
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