Tophet of Carthage

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The Tophet of Carthage is an ancient open-air sanctuary and cemetery associated with the Phoenician-Punic city of Carthage, historically linked to child burials and debated sacrificial practices.

Aliases (1)

Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf Phoenician-Punic religious site
archaeological site
cemetery
sanctuary
archaeologicalDiscipline Phoenician-Punic archaeology
archaeologicalExcavation excavations in the 20th century
associatedWithCity ancient Carthage
associatedWithCulture Phoenician civilization
Punic civilization
country Republic of Tunisia
dedicatedToDeity Baal Hammon
Tanit
evidenceType animal remains
cremated human remains
inscriptions mentioning vows and offerings
hasAlternativeName Sanctuary of Tanit and Baal Hammon at Carthage
Tophet de Carthage
hasFeature ash-filled urns
enclosure walls
field of stelae
stone markers
heritageStatus UNESCO World Heritage Site component
inscriptionsLanguage Punic
interpretedAs cemetery for children who died young
possible site of child sacrifice
knownFor open-air sanctuary layout
stelae with religious inscriptions and symbols
urn burials of infants and young children
linkedToEvent Roman destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE
locatedIn Carthage
North Africa
Tunisia
modernAccess open to visitors
near modern city of Tunis
partOf archaeological site of Carthage
partOfUNESCOSite Archaeological Site of Carthage
religiousTradition Canaanite religion
Phoenician religion
researchTopic Phoenician-Punic funerary practices
ancient Mediterranean religions
child sacrifice debate
symbol crescent and disk motifs
raised-hand motifs
sign of Tanit
timePeriod 1st millennium BCE
UNESCOWorldHeritageSiteSince 1979
usedFrom 8th century BCE
usedUntil 2nd century BCE

Referenced by (3)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Tophet of Carthage ("Tophet de Carthage")
hasAlternativeName
Archaeological Site of Carthage
hasPart
Carthage National Museum
nearbySite

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