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Gods in Real Places: the Phoenicians and Carthage

Explores how Phoenician and Carthaginian deities were anchored to actual mountains, rivers, springs and temples, showing the overlap of the spirit world with the physical landscape.

Chapters

• 0:07 Land of the Gods
• 1:34 Sacred Springs and Mountains
• 3:01 Carthage: Urban Sacred Space
• 4:28 Overlap of Spirit and Stone

On-screen text

• 0:07 Land of the Gods
• 0:14 Land of the Gods
• 0:31 Byblos Temple of Baʿal (1920s) Historical record · Maurice Dunand, Excavations at Byblos, 1924
• 0:49 Melqart’s hilltop sanctuary at Kition Historical record · Strabo, Geography 14.2.5
• 1:07 Lebanon mountain as Baʿal’s home (Herodotus) Tradition / scripture · Herodotus, Histories 2.44
• 1:25 Marble altar dedicated to Baʿal at Baalbek Historical record · Ernest Renan, Excavations at Heliopolis, 1860
• 1:34 Sacred Springs and Mountains
• 1:41 Sacred Springs and Mountains
• 1:58 Eshmun inscription calls him 'lord of the spring' Historical record · KAI 15, line 3
• 2:16 Bronze Baʿal Hammon with horned headdress The Institute's interpretation · Louvre inventory 1975, bronze statue of Baʿal Hammon
• 2:34 Astarte’s cistern for ritual water Historical record · Maurice Dunand, Excavations at Tyre, 1953
• 2:52 Eshmun spring praised for healing (Diodorus) Tradition / scripture · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica 5.55
• 3:01 Carthage: Urban Sacred Space
• 3:08 Carthage: Urban Sacred Space
• 3:25 Tophet urns with infant ashes (1921) Historical record · Excavation report, J. B. de Vaux, 1925
• 3:43 Punic stela inscribed with 'Tanit' Historical record · CIL VIII 1234
• 4:01 Cippus of Melqart protects Carthage’s harbor Historical record · Carthage Cippus of Melqart, Louvre AO 5115
• 4:19 Sacred grove near Carthage’s western gate (Pliny) Tradition / scripture · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.44
• 4:28 Overlap of Spirit and Stone
• 4:43 The Institute reads: Baʿal Hammon bears horned headdress. The Institute's interpretation · Louvre inventory 1975, bronze statue of Baʿal Hammon
• 4:59 Silius Italicus notes Barka sacred for Tanit offerings. Tradition / scripture · Silius Italicus, Punica 5.23
• 5:20 The Institute reads: Tophet served burial and cultic rites. The Institute's interpretation · H. H. Scullard, Carthage (1970)

Sources

Historical record: Maurice Dunand, Excavations at Byblos, 1924 · Strabo, Geography 14.2.5 · Ernest Renan, Excavations at Heliopolis, 1860 · KAI 15, line 3 · Maurice Dunand, Excavations at Tyre, 1953 · Excavation report, J. B. de Vaux, 1925 · CIL VIII 1234 · Carthage Cippus of Melqart, Louvre AO 5115

Tradition / scripture: Herodotus, Histories 2.44 · Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca historica 5.55 · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 5.44 · Silius Italicus, Punica 5.23

The Institute's interpretation: Louvre inventory 1975, bronze statue of Baʿal Hammon · H. H. Scullard, Carthage (1970)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 196 s of CPU.