Between the eighth and the sixth centuries BC, Phoenicians established the first trading system to encompass the entire length of the Mediterranean basin, from their homeland, in what is now Lebanon, to colonies in Cyprus, Tunisia, Sicily, Sardinia and southern Spain. The Phoenician state was able to maintain its independence, depite the territorial expansion of the Assyrians, in return for tribute provided by its western colonies. Archaeological research over the last two decades has changed our understanding of these colonies and their relationship to local Iron Age communities. Dr Aubet's original synthesis of archaeological and historical data is the first modern study of the Phoenicians to be published in English. It will be of interest not only to Mediterranean historians and archaeologists, but also to scholars studying the trade systems of state and non-state societies.