📝 Description
Philip Khuri Hitti’s classic situates Syria within the longue durée of Near Eastern civilization, bridging philology, archaeology, and political history. Written in an older scholarly idiom yet still valuable, the book traces the evolution of Greater Syria (including Lebanon and Palestine) from Bronze Age polities to Islamic empires and the Ottoman era. Hitti’s strength is synthesis: he marshals sources across languages and eras to show how trade, religion, and statecraft circulated through Levantine ports and inland cities. Some interpretations reflect the assumptions of his time; however, the reference value remains high for readers needing a panoramic map of names, dynasties, and cultural exchanges. Organized chronologically with thematic detours, the work connects Phoenician maritime networks to classical intellectual life and early Christian and Islamic institutions. Hitti writes with a measured confidence that invites comparison across regions, emphasizing Syria’s role as a transmitter and generator of ideas. For contemporary readers, the book provides scaffolding: timelines, genealogies, and context against which modern debates can be located. While newer archaeology has refined details, Hitti’s grand narrative still orients the newcomer and equips the researcher with a durable bibliographic trail. It is both a product of its era and a cornerstone of Levant studies, reminding us that Syria’s past cannot be compressed into a single period or lens.