Location of Carthage and Carthaginian sphere of influence prior to the First Punic War (264 B.C.) CREDIT: Public domain
Location of Carthage and Carthaginian sphere of influence prior to the First Punic War (264 B.C.) CREDIT: Public domain
And then came Scipio ...
I have an archaeology professor who spent a lot of time digging up the Tophet, the child-sacrifice burial ground, of Carthage.
The Phoenicians lived in what is now Lebanon—and are a Canaanite people, culturally very similar to other neighbors of ancient Israel. The word “Tophet” is in the bible—as are many historical references to the Canaanite practice (too often adopted by the Hebrews too...) of live sacrifice of children to the gods Ashteroth or Baal.
The child would be burned alive (apparently after being drugged) in a brazier in front of the idol. This was usually done to appease the god(s) to ensure good crops and fertility...
The Tophet at Carthage has TENS OF THOUSANDS of grave pots—filled the the charred bones of babies and kids, many with gravestones. The charring is on the back of the bones, showing how the child was laid on its back over the fire. It was used over a period of 400 years.
According to my professor, human sacrifice of children was nearly universal when one looks at very ancient societies around the world. Even in “civilized” Rome (which ended up wiping Carthage out), setting unwanted babies outside to die by exposure...was a common practice, and something only stopped by Christianity.
It seems that when people don’t worship God, abortion, euthanasia, and even outright human sacrifice becomes common.
Thanks for the posting and the map
This is a nice summary of Carthage’s history.
