Phoenicians: Lebanon’s Epic Heritage

Best known for his intriguing books about history and societies around the world, Sanford tends to be an explorer and adventurer as much as a regular patron of campus library stacks. That healthy combination of interests helps to bring his books to life. As reviewer Pam Mooney noted: “The personalities, values, loves, fears and motivations of the citizenry come through in his telling — more so than any other accounts I have read.”

Sanford’s journeys and writings have taken us among the Greeks and their mythology in the idyllic ancient Mediterranean, the sea-faring Phoenicians of Lebanon, the risk-taking knights of turbulent Medieval Europe, the sagacious health practitioners of old Asia, and the changing world around us in the present day.

His many speaking engagements are fueled by all those travels and writings, providing an endless stream of intriguing stories and discoveries from around the world. In the BBC program Ancient Worlds he was able to take the experiences of the adventurous Phoenicians who lived long ago and make it seem as though we were on their cedar boats as they sailed to Greece, Spain, Morocco, Egypt, and unexplored lands to ply their trade of rich purple cloth, jewelry and perfumes.

Sanford has presented academic papers at universities around the world, and was elected an Associate Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in England. On the internet, his informative websites are read by more than half a million people each year.