page_title: Ancient Carthage
section_title: Religion
hierarchical_section_title: Ancient Carthage / Religion
caption_attribution_description: English: A Punic stela in Tophet, with a symbol of Tanit日本語: トフェにある、タニト神のシンボルマーク入りの墓標 Taken by (WT-shared) Shoestring in December, 2008 Location: Carthage
context_page_description: Carthage was an ancient Phoenician city-state and civilization located in present-day Tunisia. Founded around 814 BC as a colony of Tyre, within centuries it grew to become the center of the Carthaginian Empire, a major commercial and maritime power that dominated the western Mediterranean until the mid third century BC.
  After gaining independence in the seventh century BC, Carthage gradually expanded its economic and political hegemony across northwest Africa, Iberia, and the major islands of the western Mediterranean. By 300 BC, through a sprawling patchwork of colonies, vassals, and satellite states, it controlled more territory than any other polity in the region, and was one of the largest and richest cities in antiquity. Carthage's wealth and power rested primarily on its strategic location, which provided access to abundant fertile land and major trade routes. Its vast mercantile network, which extended as far as west Africa and northern Europe, provided an array of commodities from all over the ancient world, as well as lucrative exports of agricultural goods and manufactured products.
context_section_description: Like virtually all ancient societies, the Carthaginians worshiped numerous gods and goddesses, each presiding over a particular theme or aspect of nature. The Carthaginians practiced the Phoenician religion, a polytheist belief system derived from the ancient Semitic religions of the Levant. Although most major deities were brought from the Phoenician homeland, Carthage gradually developed unique customs, divinities, and styles of worship that became central to its distinct identity.
  Presiding over the Carthaginian pantheon was the supreme divine couple, Baal Ḥammon and Tanit. Baal Hammon had been the most prominent aspect of the chief Phoenician god Baal, but following Carthage's independence, became the city's patron god and the chief of the Carthaginian religion. He was also responsible for the fertility of crops. His consort Tanit, known as the "Face of Baal", was the goddess of war, a virginal mother goddess and nurse, and a symbol of fertility. Although a minor figure in Phoenicia, she was venerated as a patroness and protector of Carthage, and was also known by the title rabat, the female form of rab (chief); while nearly always coupled with Baal, she always mentioned first. The symbol of Tanit, a stylized female form with outstretched arms, appears frequently in tombs, mosaics, religious stelae, and various household items like figurines and pottery vessels. The ubiquity of her symbol, and the fact that she is the only Carthaginian deity with an icon, strongly suggests she was Carthage's paramount deity, at least in later centuries. In the Third Punic War, the Romans identified her as Carthage's protector.
  Other Carthaginian deities attested in Punic inscriptions were Eshmun, the god of health and healing; Resheph, associated with plague, war, or thunder; Kusor, god of knowledge; and Hawot, goddess of death. Astarte, a goddess connected with fertility, sexuality, and war, seems to have been popular in early times, but became increasingly identified through Tanit. Similarly, Melqart, the patron deity of Tyre, while relatively popular, was less so than in Carthage's mother city. His cult was especially prominent in Punic Sicily, of which he was a protector, and which was subsequently known during Carthaginian rule as "Cape Melqart". As in Tyre, Melqart was subject to an important religious rite of death and rebirth, undertaken either daily or annually by a specialised priest known as an "awakener of the god".
  
  Contrary to the frequent charge of impiety by Greek and Roman authors, religion was central to both political and social life in Carthage; the city had as many sacred places as Rome and Athens. Surviving Punic texts indicate a very well organized priesthood class, distinguished from most of the population by being clean shaven, who were drawn mostly from the elite sectors of society. As in the Levant, temples were among the wealthiest and most powerful institutions in Carthage, and were deeply integrated into public and political life. Religious rituals served as a source of political unity and legitimacy, and were typically performed in public or in relation to state functions. Temples were also important to the economy, as they supported a large number of specialised personnel to ensure rituals were performed properly. Priests and acolytes performed different functions for a variety of prices and purposes; the costs of various offerings, or molk, were listed in great detail and even bundled into different price categories. Supplicants were even accorded a measure of consumer protection, as temples gave notice that priests would be fined for abusing the pricing structure of offerings.
  The Carthaginians had a high degree of religious syncretism. Through its expansive political and commercial relations, Carthage incorporated deities from Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Italy; conversely, many of its cults and practices spread across the Mediterranean via trade and colonisation. Carthage also had communities of Jews, Greeks, Romans, and Libyans. The Egyptian god Bes was popular for warding off evil spirits, and
caption: Punic stela with a symbol of Tanit. Carthage, Tunisia.
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