Plato's Republic is a foundational work of Western philosophy, primarily concerned with justice in the individual and in the ideal state. While it touches on many aspects of society, direct references to specific foreign peoples like the Phoenicians are quite rare.

However, there is one notable passage where the Phoenicians are mentioned in connection with a concept central to the ideal city: the "noble lie" or "myth of the metals."

Here's the relevant quote (from Book III of The Republic, often rendered as 414c-e, though exact sectioning can vary by translation):

The Quote:

Socrates, speaking to Glaucon, says:

"Well then, I went on, how shall we contrive one of those noble lies of which we lately spoke, so that, by means of a single story, we may get the rulers themselves, if possible, to believe it, or if not, the rest of the city?"

"What sort of lie?" he said.

"Nothing new," said I, "but a Phoenician thing, which has happened before in many places, as the poets say and have persuaded men, but has not happened in our time, and I don't know if it ever could."

"You seem hesitant to tell it," he said.

"You'll understand my hesitation," I said, "when I have told it. For I mean to persuade, first the rulers themselves, then the soldiers, and then the rest of the city, that the education and training we gave them were like dreams; they only thought they were undergoing all these experiences, while in truth, at that time, they were being fashioned and nurtured in the depths of the earth, and the earth herself, their mother, brought them forth, and now they must defend the land in which they live as their mother and nurse, and think of the other citizens as their brothers, born of the same earth."

"You're talking about a very difficult thing to persuade people of," he said.

"Yes," I replied, "but listen to the rest of the story. 'You are all brothers in the city,' we shall tell them in our tale, 'but the god who fashioned you mixed gold in the composition of those among you who are fit to rule, which is why they are the most valuable; silver in the auxiliaries; and iron and bronze in the farmers and other craftsmen. For the most part, you will produce children like yourselves, but sometimes a golden parent will produce a silver child, or a silver parent a golden child, and so on. If, then, a child of bronze or iron is born to a golden parent, the ruler must assign him the rank proper to his nature, and send him to the craftsmen or farmers. And if a golden or silver child is born to an iron or bronze parent, they must honor him and bring him up to be a guardian or an auxiliary, for the oracle says that the city will be destroyed when a man of iron or bronze becomes its guardian.'"

Commentary:

This passage is highly significant, and the reference to the "Phoenician thing" is crucial.

1. The "Noble Lie" (or Myth of the Metals): Plato proposes this foundational myth for his ideal city. Its purpose is to foster social cohesion and stability by convincing citizens that their place in society (as rulers, soldiers, or producers) is determined by their inherent "metal" (gold, silver, bronze/iron), which is divinely ordained. This allows for a hierarchical structure to be accepted by all, as it's presented as a natural order rather than an arbitrary human construct. The myth also encourages loyalty to the state ("mother earth") and solidarity among citizens ("brothers").
2. Why "Phoenician Thing"? The choice of "Phoenician thing" is intriguing.

• Ancient Origins/Mythological Association: The phrase suggests something ancient, perhaps a myth or story from a distant land known for its rich and diverse mythology. The Phoenicians were a seafaring people known for their trade and cultural exchange across the Mediterranean. They had a long and rich history of storytelling and religious traditions, some of which involved creation myths and narratives about the origins of people or cities. Some scholars link this to the Phoenician story of Cadmus, who founded Thebes from the teeth of a slain dragon, a story that involved a miraculous origin for the inhabitants.
• "Difficult to Persuade": Socrates' hesitation implies that the myth is quite audacious and potentially hard to swallow for sophisticated listeners. By labeling it "a Phoenician thing," he might be invoking a sense of foreign, perhaps even exotic or slightly outlandish, but ultimately ancient and accepted wisdom or folklore. It lends a certain mystique and antiquity to the idea, making it seem less like a novel invention and more like a timeless truth.
• Practicality over Truth: The "noble lie" is not presented as literally true, but as a useful fiction. The reference to it being a "Phoenician thing" subtly hints at its nature as a constructed narrative, akin to the myths and fables that might circulate in various cultures, rather than a verifiable historical fact. Plato, through Socrates, is pragmatic here: the truth of the story is less important than its beneficial effect on the stability and justice of the city.

In essence, Plato uses the "Phoenician thing" to imbue his concept of the noble lie with a sense of venerable, perhaps even mystical, antiquity and an acknowledged element of crafted narrative. It's a rhetorical move to make a potentially controversial idea more palatable by framing it as something akin to ancient, widely accepted (even if fictional) tales from a culturally significant foreign land.