AL MINA AND HISTORY

Summary. Woolley's finds at Al Mina and subsequent discoveries of Greek material along the Syro-Phoenician coast, are reassessed in the light of recent claims for Phoenician priority in the dissemination of orientalia in the Mediterranean world. The markedly different character of Al Mina and the goods likely to have been distributed from the area is demonstrated by comparison of the record of Al Mina and that of other eastern sites, and the pattern of distribution of orientalia. Reluctance to acknowledge the role of the site in Greece's orientalising revolution is examined.