Carthaginian Child Tombstone Texts (200 BCE)
For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts
For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts
(Sept 5, 2023, updated March 20, 2025) This gravestone was found in the children’s cemetery in Carthage. It dates sometime after 400 BCE when texts first started to appear on gravestones there (Sheldon 2020) and before the destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE.
Punic children's cemetery is mistakenly called the "Tophet" from its use in the Hebrew scripture as a place for child sacrifice. All runic texts indicate no child sacrifices were involved.
The text mentions the crescent moon goddess Ayu who is likely represented by this stele's shape. Traditional scholarship claims this goddess was Tanit but no such deity exists in any runic text. Normally, Druid goddesses are identified by their arm positions (up = Selu/Selene, holding breasts = Ayu, folded under breasts = Kate/Hekate). This shape leaves the identification up to the text.
The text is blaming a drought on confused connections between the life threads made by eagle-vultures. Life threads bring the divine life powers (fertility fluids) down to earth where they trigger life manifestations. It reads:
(Sept 5, 2023, updated March 20, 2025)
(August 21, 2023) Image on this stone shows either the sun or moon under the sky-dome over a boat in a storm which represents chaos. The text seems to be about things which can cause the chaos which is probably being blamed for the death of this child. The texts goes on to provides a statement about how humans can prevent that.