Archaeology

LORENZO NIGRO
LORENZO NIGRO

In consistency with the educational purposes of the whole teaching course, aim of the teaching unit is to give students knowledge and comprehension skills in the field of PHENICIO-PUNIC ARCHEOLOGY ADVANCED , that complete and/or reinforce those acquired in the first grade of studies. Moreover, it will make the students able to approach orginal themes in a research context, making more complex judgments, communicating knowledge and its process, and studying the subject in an independent and self-educational way.

Specific knowledge of the archaeology of Motya, as a case study in Phoenician and Punic Archaeology.

The expected learning outcomes are knowledge and understanding of the methodologies applicable to Phoenician-Punic archaeology, the contextualisation of cultural heritage and issues relating to its development. Furthermore, at the end of the course, students should demonstrate the ability to apply the knowledge acquired and an independent form of judgement that allows them to rework the topics covered during the lessons, in order to develop independent and original reasoning and interpret data to reconstruct cultural frames of reference. Finally, students should demonstrate communication skills to convey what they have learned during the course with clarity and methodological rigour, in order to communicate the importance of knowledge of Phoenician-Punic archaeology as a common Mediterranean root, also with the aid of modern technologies, both to specialists and to the non-specialist public.

Basic knowledge of the geography, history and archaeology of the Mediterranean and basic knowledge of Phoenician-Punic archaeology are considered important; knowledge of English and French is essential.

The course aims to provide an in-depth overview of the phenomenon of the tophet, a peculiar form of sacred area found in various Phoenician-Punic settlements in the Mediterranean, analysing its origins, evolution, archaeological characteristics and religious and cultural implications.
Through the integrated examination of archaeological, epigraphic and historical-literary sources, the tophets of key sites such as Carthage, Mozia and Sant'Antioco will be explored in order to reconstruct the related ritual practices, religious beliefs and social dynamics.
The course also aims to address the controversial debate regarding the meaning and function of the tophet in light of the most recent discoveries and interpretations. Through a critical and comparative approach, we will seek to focus on the tophet as an element of identity in the Phoenician-Punic world, capable of reflecting the modes of interaction with local populations, the cultural influences received and the strategies of religious and political affirmation in the context of the western Mediterranean.

M. G. Amadasi Guzzo e J. Á. Zamora López, The epigraphy of the tophet, in Tophet 2013, p. 159-192.

H. Bénichou-Safar, Le tophet de Salammbô à Carthage. Essai de reconstitution, Parigi, 2004 (Collection de l’École française de Rome, 342).

P. Bernardini, Organised settlements and cult places in the Phoenician western expansion between the 9th and 7th centuries BCE: a reflection on the tophet, in Tophet 2013, p. 1-22.

C. Bonnet, On gods and earth: the tophet and the construction of a new identity in Punic Carthage, in E. S. Gruen (a cura di), Cultural identity in the ancient Mediterranean, Los Angeles, 2011, p. 373-387.

P. Bordreuil, À propos du culte des ancêtres au Levant au IIe millénaire: quelques données ougaritiques, in Semitica et Classica, 7, 2014, p. 31-36.

R. F. Docter et alii, Interdisciplinary research on urns from the Carthaginian tophet and their contents, in Palaeohistoria, 43- 44, 2001-2002, p. 417-433

P. Van Dommelen, Urban Foundations? Colonial Settlement and Urbanization in the Western Mediterranean, 2005, Proceedings of the British Academy 126:143-167.

A. Ferjaoui, Le témoignage de Tertullien sur le sacrifice d’enfants à Saturne à la lumière des données ostéologiques du sanctuaire de Henchir El-Hami (Tunisie), in RStudFen, 40.2, 2012, p. 245-249.
G. Garbati, Baal Hammon and Tinnit in Carthage: the tophet between the origin and the expansion of the colonial world, in Tophet 2013, p. 49-64.

B. K. Garnand, J. A. Green, L. E. Stager, Infants as offerings: palaeodemographic patterns and tophet burial, in Tophet 2013, p. 193-222.

Lipiński 1988 = E. Lipiński, Sacrifices d’enfants à Carthage et dans le monde sémitique oriental, in Carthago 1988, p. 151-162.
Lipiński 1992 = E. Lipiński, Tannit et Ba‘al-Ḥamon, in HBA, 15-17, 1988-1990, p. 209-250.


M. M. McCarty, The Tophet and Infant Sacrifice Get access Arrow, 2019, p. 310–325.

P. G. Mosca, The tofet: a place of infant sacrifice?, p. 119-312.

A. Orsingher, Vessels in tophet sanctuaries: the archaic evidence and the Levantine connection, in Cult and ritual on the Levantine coast and its impact on the Eastern Mediterranean realm. Proceedings of the international symposium Beirut 2012, Beirut, 2015 (BAAL, 10, hors-série), p. 561-590.

J. Crawley Quinn, The cultures of the tophet: identification and identity in the Phoenician diaspora, in E. S. Gruen (a cura di), Cultural identity in the ancient Mediterranean, Los Angeles, 2011, p. 388-413.
J. Crawley Quinn, Tophets in the «Punic World», in Tophet 2013, p. 23-48.

P. Smith et al., Aging cremated infants: the problem of sacrifice at the tophet of Carthage, in Antiquity, 85.329, 2011, p. 859- 874.

L.E. Stager, The rite of child sacrifice at Carthage, in J.G. Pedley (a cura di), New light on ancient Carthage. Papers of a symposium sponsored by Kelsey museum of archaeology, University of Michigan marking the 50th anniversary, Ann Arbor, 1980, p. 1-11.
L.E. Stager, Carthage: a view from the tophet, in H.G. Niemeyer (a cura di), Phonizer im Western, Magonza, 1982, p. 155-166.
L. E. Stager, Rites of spring in the Carthaginian tophet, Leida, 2014.

L. E. Stager e S.R. Wolff, Child sacrifice at Carthage: religious rite or population control? (Archaeological evidence for a new analysis), in Biblical archaeological review, 10.1, 1984, p. 30-51.

F. Stavrakapolou, The Jerusalem tophet. Ideological dispute and religious transformation, in Tophet 2013, p. 136-158.

P. Xella, «Tophet» . An overall interpretation, in Tophet 2013, p. 259-281

Lessons are held in Italian, with the aid of PowerPoint presentations, excavation reports and archaeological finds. Attendance is compulsory.

Attendance is compulsory in order to achieve the set educational objectives.

The final assessment of the course will be based on:

1. Active participation in thematic seminars: during the semester, intermediate seminars will be organised to explore specific case studies or interpretative issues in depth. Participation in these meetings – including through short presentations or guided discussions – will contribute to the continuous assessment of the knowledge acquired and to the verification of effective participation in the training programme.

2. Final oral exam: an interview aimed at verifying critical understanding of the topics covered during the course, the ability to analyse archaeological sources and contexts, as well as independent judgement in the elaboration of the main topics addressed.

The overall assessment will take into account both the final exam (in terms of clarity of presentation, mastery of content and ability to summarise), during which questions will be asked on the topics covered during the lectures and discussed in the reference bibliography, and the commitment and quality of the contribution during the seminars.
Attendance at lectures and seminars, active participation in class, and knowledge of the recommended bibliography are essential for passing the exam, while reasoning skills and independent study are also useful.
To pass the exam, a mark of at least 18/30 is required. Students must demonstrate that they can express themselves using appropriate language, that they have acquired sufficient knowledge of the basic topics covered during the lectures and that they are able to navigate the basic aspects of the discipline.
To achieve a score of 30/30 with honours, students must demonstrate that they have acquired excellent knowledge of all the topics covered during the course, being able to connect them in a logical and coherent manner, as well as reasoning skills and independent study skills.

Internship simulation

• Part I – The historical and religious context of the tophetThis first section is dedicated to the historical, cultural and religious context of the tophet phenomenon, set within the broader context of the Phoenician-Punic presence in the Mediterranean between the 9th and 2nd centuries BC.Topics covered:1. Phoenician colonisation;2. Religion and society in Phoenician-Punic communities;3.    Baal Hammon, Tanit and the Phoenician pantheon;4.    Ancient literary sources (Greek, Latin and Biblical authors);5.    The Tophet in the construction of Punic identity.


• Part II – Archaeology of the tophet: structures, materials and interpretationsThe second part of the course focuses on the archaeological analysis of tophets, with in-depth studies of their structure, stratigraphy, votive materials and interpretative issues. 1.    History of excavations and research2.    Morphology and topography of tophets in the Mediterranean3.    Key sites with related tophets: Carthage, Mozia, Sulky/Sant'Antioco4.    Main archaeological evidence: urns, cippi, inscriptions5.    Analysis of human and animal remains: innovative methodologies6.    New interpretations and current debatea


• Part III – Thematic seminars and critical discussionThe third part of the course is seminar-based and interactive: students will be involved in guided discussions, individual or group presentations and critical readings of sources and case studies.Planned activities:1.    Reading and commentary on epigraphic and literary sources2.    Analysis of selected scientific articles3.    Presentations on specific case studies4.    Debates on controversial issues (human sacrifice, the social function of the tophet, modern ideological interpretations)