The Archaeology of Phoenician Religion

Undergraduate / Graduate

The Phoenicians were crucial players in the history of the ancient Mediterranean, yet whole aspects of their culture are poorly understood due to the scarce literary sources that are not external, written by Greeks and Romans. In this class we approach Phoenician-Punic religion through archaeological materials as well as art and inscriptions, and discuss the challenges and possibilities of a "bottom-up" reconstruction. Discussion-based sessions will be organized by types of materials, ritual contexts and practices, and debated questions, such as: votive and funerary cultures (including magic, amulets), the question of infant sacrifice, religious symbols and iconography (including aniconism), temple architecture and domestic cultic spaces, the religion of seafarers, interaction between Phoenician and local religions (e.g., in the Aegean, Italy, Iberia), and religion of the senses.