Sanchuniathon's Phoenician History
Also known as: Philo of Byblos’ Phoenician History, On the Phoenicians, History of the Phoenicians, Phoenician Antiquities, Sanchuniathon — Fragments
A Hellenistic-era compilation, presented as Philo’s Greek rendering of the ancient Phoenician writer Sanchuniathon, outlining a cosmogony and theogony, euhemerizing the gods and attributing key inventions and cult institutions to early culture heroes.
Description
Philo of Byblos’ Phoenician History, known only from later quotations (above all in Eusebius’ Praeparatio Evangelica), purports to translate and epitomize the work of the Phoenician sage Sanchuniathon. It presents an origin of the world from dark wind and turbid chaos, with Desire engendering Mot, from which life arises. The narrative enumerates generations of gods and culture heroes—Ouranos, El (Cronus), Dagon, Astarte, and others—whose deeds are given euhemeristic explanations and linked to the origins of crafts, letters, agriculture, and cult. The text integrates Phoenician divine names with Greek identifications, providing a syncretic theogony and pseudo-history that influenced later understandings of West Semitic religion. Although fragmentary and filtered through polemical Christian citation, it remains a rare witness to Phoenician mythic and antiquarian traditions.
Historiography
The work is lost and survives as Greek excerpts, principally via Eusebius of Caesarea (Praeparatio Evangelica I.9–10), who quotes it to critique pagan theology. Philo claims to translate Sanchuniathon, a Phoenician author said to have used temple inscriptions and priestly records; ancient and modern scholars debate this claim, with views ranging from forgery to partial reliance on authentic West Semitic materials. The textual tradition follows manuscripts of Eusebius; later doxographers and antiquarians cite related fragments. Modern assessment emphasizes its euhemerism, Greek interpretatio, and syncretic reception within Hellenistic antiquarianism.
Date Notes
Work composed in Greek by Philo of Byblos; survives only in excerpts chiefly preserved by Eusebius (Praeparatio Evangelica I.9–10). Authenticity of the alleged Phoenician source (Sanchuniathon) is debated.
Major Characters
- Sanchuniathon
- El
- Baal
- Dagon
- Ouranos
- Astarte
- Yam
- Mot
Myths
- Cosmogony from Wind and Desire
- Genealogy of the Phoenician Gods
- Myth of El and Sky
- Foundations of Byblos and Sacred Rites
Facts
- Composed in Greek by Philo of Byblos, probably under Hadrian or slightly earlier.
- Survives mainly as excerpts in Eusebius’ Praeparatio Evangelica I.9–10.
- Presented as a translation and summary of the Phoenician author Sanchuniathon.
- Offers a cosmogony beginning from dark wind and turbid chaos, with Desire generating Mot.
- Identifies El (Elus/Cronus) as a prime royal figure who overthrows Ouranos.
- Attributes invention of letters to Taautos (identified with Egyptian Thoth).
- Credits Dagon with the discovery of grain and agriculture.
- Preserves euhemerizing interpretations of deities as ancient kings and culture heroes.
- Includes traditions about Usous and Hypsuranios inventing huts, fire, and sailing.
- Cites the deification of Eshmun and honors to Astarte with a celestial sign.
- Authenticity and degree of Phoenician substrate remain a subject of modern scholarly debate.
- Transmission depends on the manuscript tradition of Eusebius rather than an independent Philo text.