Of mixed race and origin, the Phoenicians shared a linguistic, historical and cultural background. They emerged as an independent entity from the eastern Mediterranean region around 1200 B.C., founding settlements in Italy, Rhodes, Crete, Cypress and North Africa. To their contemporaries the Phoenicians appeared both ingenious and treacherous. While one ancient historian condemned them for being "skilled in deceiving", others considered them "intelligent people...outstanding in literature and other arts." this stunning incense burner reveals their remarkable artistic talents. Carved from a dark gray diorite-type stone", the round body of the incense burner is grasped by a hand whose five sculpted fingers cling to the bowl with delicate finesse. Incised decorations around the outside perimeter of the bowl are repeated on the hand, adding an element of harmony and balance to the piece. In addition, the remains of ancient clay cling to the surface of the incense burner, igniting our imagination and sending us on an odyssey into the past, to a time when the dynamic Phoenicians held sway over a vast Mediterranean.