ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Daily Life: the Phoenicians and Carthage

A ten‑minute glimpse into how Phoenician and Carthaginian people lived, worked, ate, and dressed in their bustling Mediterranean world.

Chapters

0:07 Homes and Neighborhoods
1:43 Food and Work
3:10 Family and Social Life
4:20 Clothing and Adornment

On-screen text

0:07 Homes and Neighborhoods
0:14 Homes and Neighborhoods
0:31 Rectangular stone house with central courtyard Historical record · Excavations at the Tophet of Tyre, 1992, UNESCO report
0:58 Stone stalls line a paved market street Historical record · Excavation of the market street in Kerkouane, 2001, pp. 112‑115
1:16 Sarcophagus inscription names family Historical record · Eshmunazar II sarcophagus inscription, 5th c BC, Louvre
1:34 Leather sandals with hobnails Historical record · Leather shoe soles from Tyre, 7th c BC, British Museum
1:43 Food and Work
1:50 Food and Work
2:07 Amphorae held wine and olive oil The Institute's interpretation · R. B. R. et al., Chemical analysis of Carthaginian amphorae, Journal of Archaeological Science 2020
2:25 Fish‑salting vats with drainage Historical record · Excavations of the fish‑salting installations at Carthage, 1998, pp. 78‑80
2:43 Stone olive‑press with lever Historical record · Olive‑press remains at Sidon, 2005, Sidon Museum catalogue
3:01 Broad‑hull merchant ships The Institute's interpretation · Polybius, Histories 1.45 (2nd c BC)
3:10 Family and Social Life
3:26 Sarcophagus inscription names family Historical record · Eshmunazar II sarcophagus inscription, 5th c BC, Louvre
3:53 Terracotta child figurines found Historical record · Toy figurines from Carthage, 3rd c BC, Carthage Museum collection
4:11 Stone stalls line a paved market street Historical record · Excavation of the market street in Kerkouane, 2001, pp. 112‑115
4:20 Clothing and Adornment
4:28 Statue shows long robe and head‑scarf Historical record · Statue of a Phoenician woman, Louvre, Ma 1105
4:46 Gold necklace with carnelian inlays Historical record · Gold bead necklace from Kerkouane, 4th c BC, Tunisian National Museum
5:04 Leather sandals with hobnails Historical record · Leather shoe soles from Tyre, 7th c BC, British Museum

Sources

Historical record: Excavations at the Tophet of Tyre, 1992, UNESCO report · UNESCO World Heritage site report, Kerkouane, Tunisia, 1997 · Excavation of the market street in Kerkouane, 2001, pp. 112‑115 · Eshmunazar II sarcophagus inscription, 5th c BC, Louvre · Leather shoe soles from Tyre, 7th c BC, British Museum · Excavations of the fish‑salting installations at Carthage, 1998, pp. 78‑80 · Olive‑press remains at Sidon, 2005, Sidon Museum catalogue · Toy figurines from Carthage, 3rd c BC, Carthage Museum collection · Statue of a Phoenician woman, Louvre, Ma 1105 · Gold bead necklace from Kerkouane, 4th c BC, Tunisian National Museum

The Institute's interpretation: R. B. R. et al., Chemical analysis of Carthaginian amphorae, Journal of Archaeological Science 2020 · Polybius, Histories 1.45 (2nd c BC) · Appian, Punic Wars 21 (2nd c AD) · M. L. Stager, Women in Phoenician society, Levant 2012

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 190 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (14) — the next things to make

Exterior view of a mud‑brick house with a stone base and a raised wooden platform visible inside.
Exterior view of a mud‑brick house with a stone base and a raised wooden platform visible inside.
Laborers arranging fish in shallow vats, water flowing through stone channels.
A worker pulls a heavy stone lever, crushing olives placed in a shallow basin.
A worker pulls a heavy stone lever, crushing olives placed in a shallow basin.
A market vendor weighing grain on a balance while a city official watches.
A market vendor weighing grain on a balance while a city official watches.
Family and Social Life: Illustrate family structures, gender roles, and childhood in Phoenician and Carthaginian society.
A woman seated at a vertical loom, weaving a bright woolen cloth.
A woman seated at a vertical loom, weaving a bright woolen cloth.
A living woman dressed in a flowing wool robe and veil, walking through a courtyard.
A woman adjusting a glittering gold necklace at a market stall.
A woman seated at a vertical loom, weaving a bright woolen cloth.
A woman seated at a vertical loom, weaving a bright woolen cloth.