This volume results from the workshop ‘Identifying the Punic Mediterranean’ held at the British School at Rome in 2008. Comprising fifteen chapters (eleven reworked papers from the original workshop and four additional contributions commissioned to fill gaps in the thematic or geographical coverage), the volume gathers together scholars from a variety of academic backgrounds and traditions in order to examine the twin themes of ancient identities as ‘Punic’ and modern identifications of ‘Punic’. The volume therefore seeks to determine how the term ‘Punic’ should be understood (in particular its correlation with the term ‘Phoenician’); the ways in which a ‘Punic’ identity has been constructed by both ancient and modern authors; the coherency and homogeneity of ‘Punic’ culture; and whether or not the ancients perceived there to be a ‘Punic’ world distinct from that of the ‘Phoenicians’. The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 introduces and contextualises the primary themes at a more general or conceptual level, whilst Part 2 constitutes a series of case studies exploring specific themes, questions, or regions. Overall this division works well as the chapters presented in Part 2 highlight or explicate the key themes identified in Part 1: however, it also occasionally results in complementary chapters not being positioned adjacent to one another (such as Chapters 5 and 8 focusing on the funerary material and Chapters 6 and 12 discussing the numismatic evidence).

The opening three chapters of Part 1 seek to deconstruct and revise the definitions of ‘Punic’ that have been proffered in modern scholarship. Prag begins this process with a linguistic analysis of the terms Phoinix and Poenus concluding that, in contrast to modern usage, these terms were not, or at least not until a late stage, used in antiquity to distinguish between two distinct ethnic groups (i.e. the ‘Phoenicians’ in the east and the ‘Punics’ in the west). V.'s contribution, which traces the development of a distinctly ‘Phoenician’ category of artefact within academic and museological traditions, concludes that the modern classification of objects as either ‘Phoenician’ or ‘Punic’ presupposes a degree of cultural homogeny that was not present in antiquity. Similarly, van Dommelen's chapter uses a series of succinct case studies to highlight the varied ways in which the Phoenician–Punic history of the western Mediterranean has been constructed within modern social and political contexts. Although presenting an eclectic mix of material, the chapter convincingly demonstrates that this plurality of views first emerges in the modern era and is a reflection of the anxieties and interests of specific academic and political groups or institutions. Moving away from modern constructions of a ‘Punic’ identity, the final three chapters of Part 1 explore ancient identities as ‘Punic’, questioning the extent to which there was a homogenous ‘Punic’ culture in the western Mediterranean. Bondi's survey of the diverse range of material cultures found in regions that had been under Carthaginian control downplays the notion of homogeneity whilst stressing the importance of locally constructed identities. He concludes that the Carthaginian period (i.e. from the second half of the sixth century to the third/second century b.c.e.) was a time of cultural diversification, which witnessed the emergence of different versions of a ‘Punic’ identity that were shaped at a local level by economic, political and social factors, geographic conditions and interactions with other, non-‘Punic’, ethnic groups. In contrast, the chapters by Bellard and Frey-Kupper conclude that there was a high degree of cultural unity amongst the Phoenician and Punic colonies of the western Mediterranean. Bellard's analysis of the funerary evidence reveals a close resemblance in tomb types, assemblages of grave goods, iconography and ritual practices, leading him to conclude that, in terms of religion at least, there was a common ‘Punic’ identity. Frey-Kupper adopts a similar stance in her analysis of supra-regional coinage arguing that the limited range of iconographic elements on Punic coins – namely the horse, palm tree and head of Kore – is representative of a deliberate policy intended to facilitate exchange whilst simultaneously expressing a limited form of cultural homogeneity.

Part 2 opens with a diachronic analysis of the ceramic finds recovered from the city of Carthage. Approaching the evidence from a longue durée perspective, the authors (Maraoui Telmini, Docter, Bechtold, Chelbi and van de Put) demonstrate that the ceramic repertoire of Carthage included both deeply conservative traits (as in the case of funerary wares) and innovative elements which drew upon stylistic influences from other regions (most prominently seen in cooking vessels). As many of the innovative elements were introduced during the sixth and fifth centuries b.c.e., a period which was contemporaneous with the city's rise as an economic, religious and political power, the authors suggest it is at this point that the term ‘Punic’ can be assigned a cultural as well as chronological significance. In contrast, Ben-Younès and Krandel Ben-Younès’ analysis of funerary practices in Byzacium and Numidia show that what it meant to be ‘Punic’ varied according to local circumstances and traditions thus resulting in the emergence of multiple ‘punicities’ within each of these regions. The chapter also establishes the problems faced by scholars seeking to interpret and understand cultural identities in regions located at the periphery of Carthaginian hegemony. Focusing on the literary rather than archaeological evidence, Q.'s analysis and close reading of passages from Sallust's Jugurthine War, specifically the account of the Philaeni brothers (Iug. 79), provides tantalising evidence for a well-established and widely known ‘Punic’ mythic tradition that gradually disappeared following the demise of Carthage. Shifting the focus back to the archaeological material, Bridoux and Papi question Carthage's importance within the trade networks of North Africa demonstrating that ‘Punic’ economic and cultural influence in Numidia and pre-Roman Morocco was severely limited. Crossing from North Africa to Western Europe, the contributions by Jimènez, and Aranegui and Vives-Ferrándiz explore the impact and supposed homogeneity of ‘Punic’ cultural influences at sites throughout the Iberian Peninsula. Jimènez’ contribution challenges the notion of a homogenous ‘Punic’ culture in Iberia (especially following the destruction of Carthage) showing that coins minted in the south, in particular those categorised as ‘Libyphoenician’, were manufactured according to local preferences and traditions rather than adhering to any agreed, or indeed imposed, set of standards or conventions. Similarly, Aranegui and Vives-Ferrándiz stress the socio-cultural diversity of south-eastern Iberia, a phenomenon which they attribute to the close interactions between the indigenous populations and sailors and traders from a ‘Punic’ cultural background. Moving eastwards, Roppa examines the rural settlement patterns of ‘Punic’ Sardinia suggesting that there was much greater cultural and social diversity than has previously been recognised. Returning to the Levant, the final chapter by Bonnet proposes that by the Hellenistic period the cities of the Phoenician motherland had evolved distinct cultural identities which reflected their unique political, economic and social circumstances and development. The volume concludes with an afterword by Wallace-Hadrill which precises and contextualises the key issued raised in the preceding chapters before identifying potential avenues for future research. The volume is both elegantly produced and lavishly illustrated, including 95 black-and-white images, eight colour plates, and numerous charts and diagrams.

This is a volume of considerable interest and significance, even beyond the field of Phoenicio-Punic studies, and will be of great use to scholars and university students alike. The editors’ decision not to impose an agreed definition for the term ‘Punic’ serves not only to emphasise the disparity in modern usage (i.e. it can denote a particular region, culture, language, or period of time), it also reveals the varying assumptions and conventions that are found in different academic traditions: however, the downside of such an approach is the occasional loss of cohesion. While some of the essays are more convincing than others, all invite further examination and will certainly assist in reinvigorating and advancing debates surrounding the nature and homogeneity of ‘Phoenician’ and ‘Punic’ identities.