The Phoenicians left scant remnants, although they left traces in the soil for contemporary archaeologists and scholars to uncover. During the 18th and 19th centuries, individuals depended on religious scriptures and historical records from civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, and Assyrians to learn about this extensive nautical society. This presents numerous significant issues. The sources are skewed because they were created by competitor civilizations with vested interests in portraying the Phoenicians positively or negatively based on their trade arrangements. Contemporary historians should not rely on religious writings as reliable sources because to the several translations and revisions they have undergone in the past 2,000 years.

In recent decades, the practice of relying on untrustworthy sources has shifted due to continuous archaeological excavations in Lebanon, Tunisia, the Iberian Peninsula, and the Mediterranean region. These excavations have provided substantial material evidence to elucidate many aspects of the Phoenician civilization. Artifacts are classified as material culture. Scholars can analyze a specific time period, civilization, or society by examining the types of items they produced and utilized in their daily lives.

The Phoenicians left scant remnants, although they left traces in the soil for contemporary archaeologists and scholars to uncover.
One significant drawback of this method is that the everyday goods used by a society often deteriorate and disappear over time either because they were constructed from inexpensive materials or because no one preserved them owing to their simplicity. Studying ancient civilizations through material culture reveals the practice of burying objects with the deceased, as seen with tribes like the Phoenicians. These burial goods may include jewelry and symbols of riches, but they predominantly consist of practical items such as combs, mirrors, dishes, and similar articles.

Modern scholars have gained access to the material culture of the Phoenicians through archaeological expeditions led by institutions such as the National Museum of Beirut, the American University of Beirut, and the British Museum. They are in the process of constructing a history of the Phoenicians, although it is currently incomplete and lacks specific details about certain city-states or aspects of daily life. The world has more knowledge about World War II, a seven-year conflict, than it does about the Phoenicians, who existed for nearly a thousand years.

Reconstructing the early history is challenging due to numerous causes. The primary focus is on technological advancement. Ancient cultures inscribed their writings on clay or mud tablets that were reusable. To preserve a tablet, one may harden it by exposing it to fire. The tablets were resistant to degradation caused by sunlight and air, allowing them to endure. One interesting fact is that a large library of clay tablets, which was intentionally burned to destroy it, managed to survive the fire with hundreds of tablets remaining intact and accessible to current audiences.

The Phoenicians did not utilize clay tablets. Upon their arrival, society had already advanced in the development of papyrus. The Phoenicians chose to use papyrus for record-keeping due to its lightweight nature, availability of raw resources, and to maintain a competitive advantage. Papyrus deteriorates quickly, particularly when exposed to air, water, and sunlight. There are scarce written records remaining from the Phoenicians.