Punic

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Depiction of Puners on steles in Tunisia

The Romans referred to the Semitic Phoenicians of North Africa as Punians ( Latin Poeni ) . The terms “Punic”, “Phoenician” and “Carthaginian” are used largely synonymously. Etymologically , the name can be traced back to the Punic expression Ponnim , which means something like "inhabitant of the lower lands" (this is a reference to the conditions on the Levantine coast, where the Phoenician townspeople of the coastal regions in this way differed from the Canaanite tribes of the mountains of Lebanon ). The term is used synonymously especially for the Carthaginians , the inhabitants of their capital Carthage or the Carthaginian Empire , which also includes other Punic cities, but also for the inhabitants of Tire , Sidon and other Phoenician foundations in the entire Mediterranean area. Agadir , Gadir and Ajdir are considered to be Punic city foundations , with Aŷdīr meaning 'wall', 'fortification'. Furthermore, the city of Carthage and its colonies (such as Carthago Nova ) as well as numerous other cities in Spain, Africa ( Utica ) and Cyprus .

history

This term often appears in connection with the three Punic Wars . These were armed conflicts for supremacy in the western Mediterranean between Rome and Carthage in the years 264 to 146 BC. BC, which ended with the destruction of the Carthaginian sea empire.

After the destruction of Carthage, many thousands of people of Phoenician origin still lived in North Africa. They held a privileged position especially in the Numidian field. Their language became the official language in North Africa. Only after Carthage was re-founded as a Roman city from 46 BC. Chr. Began a Romanization . A strongly changed neo-Punic language developed, while the old forms were still adhered to in culture and religion. Gradually, however, the Latin language gained acceptance , although at the beginning of the fifth century Augustine registered the use of the Punic language and recognized its relationship with Hebrew .

language

The Punians spoke Punic , the late form of Phoenician , a Northwest Semitic language . According to Augustine, the Punic language was still spoken among the rural population in northern Africa in late antiquity . It is believed that Arabic was the first to completely displace Punic. Elements of the Punic can be found as a substrate in Berber .

literature