St. James's Auctions
Auction 65 21 Sep 2022
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North Africa, Carthage, trishekel, Second Punic War, c. 221-202 BC, wreathed head of Tanit l., rev. horse r., palm behind, monogram beneath (Punic ŢŠ), wt. 19.40gms. (CNP.164b; SNG.341-343), good very fine
Tanit, the chief goddess of Carthage, specialised in fertility. She was linked to the chief god of Carthage, Amon, first arriving in the fifth century BC, but her cult quickly overtook that of Amon. It is thought that the followers of Tanit would sacrifice their first-born children to the goddess and god, and there is a children's cemetery dating to this period in Carthage, where many stele are inscribed with the deities' names. Some scholars now question this view. Tanit was worshipped in Malta, Sardina and Spain also.
(Estimate: 50-100 GBP)
Tanit, the chief goddess of Carthage, specialised in fertility. She was linked to the chief god of Carthage, Amon, first arriving in the fifth century BC, but her cult quickly overtook that of Amon. It is thought that the followers of Tanit would sacrifice their first-born children to the goddess and god, and there is a children's cemetery dating to this period in Carthage, where many stele are inscribed with the deities' names. Some scholars now question this view. Tanit was worshipped in Malta, Sardina and Spain also.
(Estimate: 50-100 GBP)