Carthaginian (Punic) Child Gravestone Text Translations (170 BCE)

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

Gravestone from the child cemetery of Carthage.
Gravestone from the child cemetery of Carthage. Now at the Tunisian National Bardo Museum. 
Photo by Pascal Radigue via Wikimedia commons online at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St%C3%A8le_signe_tanit.jpg

Child Gravestone Text from Carthage Blames Death On Drought (170 BCE)

(Sept 5, 2023) 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.  

The child's cemetery is mistakenly called the "Tophet" from its use in the Hebrew scripture as a place for child sacrifice. These texts indicate no child sacrifices were involved.

The goddess indicated by the shape of the tombstones is Selene.  Initial scholarship thought this goddess was Tanit but not such deity exists in properly translated ancient texts.

References

  1. Lexicon Used: Alphabetic Akkadian Lexicon - 4th Edition 2023. Online at: https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:55809/
  2. Letter Chart Used:  Central Mediterranean Letters
  3. Deity Summary: Ancient Pagan Paradigm

Sheldon, N. (2020) The Tophet of Carthage: Archaeology and the Question of Sacrifice. From History and Archaeology Online at: https://historyandarchaeologyonline.com/the-tophet-of-carthage-archaeology-and-the-question-of-sacrifice/
Gravestone from the child cemetery of Carthage. Now at the Tunisian National Bardo Museum. Letter assignments by Olmsted.
Gravestone from the child cemetery of Carthage. Now at the Tunisian National Bardo Museum. Letter assignments by Olmsted.

Carthage Child Gravestone Text Lines 1 and 2 (Med Text 12)

(Sept 5, 2023) Revised due to corrected letter assignments

Translation in Akkadian

(read right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold)  
  1. IRu  Bu  Tu.  ITu  Ṣu  Tu.  LaNu  Ba'u  Ya[1] (Med 12.1)
  2. UYa  AQu  Nu  Ya.  Ba'u  IKu  Nu.  AMu  Nu (Med 12.2)
  3. Mu  A'u  BaQu.  AMu  MaNu  EŠu.   Lu  RaBa  Nu (Med 12.3)
  4. 'Bu  Qu  KaYu  U  EŠu.  Lu. Ru  AGu  Tu. (Med 12.4)
  5. A  Ru  MiTu  MuRa  Gi (Med 12.5)

(Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)

In English


  1. Astrological-Powers nourish astrology-magic.  Omens activate astrology-magic.  The Imager (Asher) is being nested by the en[emy]. 
  2. The fate-curse's expectations have not been revealed. The nest's (network) irrigation has been revealed.  The Reed-Boat (Ayu) has been revealed.
  3. The fertility-fluid's motion-powers are being swarmed (with astrology magic).  The Reed-Boat's (Ayu) life-supporting is being confused. A lack of authority is being revealed.
  4. Life-priest's life-threads are being prodded and confused. The lack eagle-vultures is from being angry with the life-threads. 
  5. Those eagle-vultures are undermining the rainstorm's energy.  
Carthage and Rome just prior to the first Punic war of 264 BCE. Wikimedia Commons

History of Carthage at This Time

(August 29, 2022) The First Punic War started in Sicily 264 BCE and lasted until 241 BCE with Carthage coming out on the losing side. In the peace treaty Carthage paid large reparations to Rome and Sicily was annexed by Rome. The end of the war sparked a major but unsuccessful revolt within the Carthaginian Empire by mercenary troops and many Carthaginian colonies. This is called the Mercenary War and it lasted until 238 BCE.

Near the end of this chaos and contrary to the peace treaty, the Romans took over the Carthaginian islands of Sardinia and Corsica just off their coast. These continuing tensions led to another war in 218 BCE which led to the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossing the Alps into Italy. But the Carthaginians did not have siege technology needed to take Rome so all they could do was raid the countryside while Rome supplied itself via trade since it now had command of the sea.

Because Rome could not defeat Hannibal’s experienced army, Rome invaded the weakly defended Carthaginian homeland in 204 BC. This led to Hannibal's recall and  his new local army was defeated at the battle of Zama in 202 BC. Carthage then sued for peace and signed a peace treaty in 201 BC which stripped Carthage of most of its colonies and imposed a large indemnity to be paid over 50 years. It also severely restricted the size of its armed forces and prohibited Carthage from attacking anyone else without permission. Carthage ceased to be a military threat. When this indemnity was paid off Rome declared war on Carthage for a third time in 149 BCE and razed Carthage itself in 146 BCE.

Major Mediterranean Droughts Based on Water Level of Dead Sea

(August 29, 2022) This figure shows a drought around 170 BCE and the start of  the Great Drought which ended the Bronze Age starting around 1200 BCE.

Reference


Michael McCormick, Ulf Büntgen, Mark A. Cane, Edward R. Cook, Kyle Harper, Peter Huybers, Thomas Litt, Sturt W. Manning, Paul Andrew Mayewski, Alexander F. M. More, Kurt Nicolussi and Willy Tegel (Autumn 2012) The Journal of Interdisciplinary History Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 169-220 (52 pages). Online at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41678664?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Abae7746fcbe71d8aee4ed23754af16f9&seq=16#page_scan_tab_contents

Child Gravestone Text Talks About Chaos (Med Text 27)

Child gravestone as displayed in the Carthage National Museum.  
Photo by Pascal Radigue via Wikimedia commons online at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St%C3%A8le_navire_MN_carthage.jpg

Translation (Med Text 27)

(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.

Translation in Akkadian

(read right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold) 
  1. IRu  Bu  Zu.  ITu  Nu  Tu.  NuNu  Bu  [ ] (Med 27.1)
  2. Wu  E.  +  Nu  Ru  ARu.  +  Nu  Bu  [ ] (Med 27.2)

(Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)

In English


  1. Astrological-powers can nourish emanations (life powers like sun rays, rain).  Omens can reveal astrology-magic.  Chaos can nourish  [end of line destroyed] 
  2. Crimp nothing.  +  Reveal the eagle-vulture's control. +  Reveal the nourishments for [end of line destroyed] 

Punic Stele With Skydome At Top and Selene At Bottom

(August 22, 2023) This Punic stele with text was found at the sanctuary of el-Hofra in Cirta,  (Constantine) Algeria.. It is dated to the 200's century BCE.  Stele is now at the Louvre with number AO 5191. Its Text is almost readable from this picture but not enough to do a quality translation.
Photo from  Wikimadia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St%C3%A8le_votive_punique._Signe_de_Tanit_et_Caduc%C3%A9e._Mus%C3%A9e_du_Louvre,_AO_5191.jpg

Punic gravestones from Cirta on display in the Louvre, France.