Monte Sirai
| Monte Sirai | ||
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| height | 191 m | |
| location | Sardinia ( Italy ) | |
| Coordinates | 39 ° 10 '48 " N , 8 ° 29' 10" E | |
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The Monte Sirai is a 191 m high volcanic mesa north of Carbonia in the province of Cagliari in Sardinia . Its plateau is partly covered by a Phoenician- Punic settlement, which was here at the intersection of the connections to the Sulkis , to the fertile plains of the Cixerri and the Campidano .
history
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The approximately 750 BC Phoenician settlement founded in BC was integrated into the much older nuragic building. Between 550 and 520 BC It was destroyed either by the Sardinians, at the time of the unsuccessful expedition of Malchos , or by the Punic , who, however, rebuilt it. Around the year 360 BC The place was fortified. In the 3rd century BC BC, probably after Sardinia was taken over by the Romans without a fight , the place lost its importance, but there was a lively settlement activity. During the Roman Civil War, the nearby Roman Sulcis sided with the Pompeians. With Octavian's victory in 38 BC The Monte Sirai and Sulcis sank into insignificance. Although the Romans have been around since 238 BC. Were masters of the island, Carthaginians initially continued to inhabit Monte Sirai. Their houses have a striking resemblance to the "furriadroxiu", the deserted courtyards of the Sulcis and the Iglesiente . They were probably covered with beams and wooden shingles according to Punic custom, because no roof tiles were found.
Since this city was not overbuilt, one can clearly see its plan, the shape of the houses and the construction method Opus africanum from the excavations that have been ongoing since 1963 and the exposed foundation walls . The city has an acropolis , a necropolis and a tofet .
The acropolis
The main tower of the only briefly complete acropolis was converted into a two-part Punic temple. The sacrifices took place in one room and a stone sculpture of a goddess was found in the other. The rudimentary torso is probably a representation of the Astarte . Eyebrows, lips, nose, oversized ears and hair in strict curls are emphasized. Similar representations are known from reliefs from the 7th century BC. From the Middle East , but also from Etruria . A male terracotta mask combines early Greek and Egyptian influences. Similar masks were found in Carthage and Utica .
The necropolis
The necropolis is located in a depression below the Acropolis, where layers of marl emerge under the trachyte . In this soft rock in the 7th century BC Around 50 Phoenician cremation graves and from around 500 BC. A dozen Punic chamber tombs were laid out in BC. Since the chamber tombs for collective or multiple burials were created, their inputs are up to three meters deep Dromoi accessible by stairs. Occasionally the locking plates of the access are still present. The relationship to the town of Sulki is evident in the way the graves are built and designed, especially in the custom of having sculptures carved out of the rock watch over the rest of the dead. The relief of a Tanit standing upside down in grave 5 can only be explained by Sardinian influences on the last Punians of Sardinia. The grave goods on Monte Sirai are much less demanding than those in Sulki.
The Phoenician cremation graves are shallow pits in which a wide range of sepulchral rites are displayed. Some graves contained a funeral urn , in others the remains of the deceased, who had been burned on a pyre above the grave pit , were found under a cover of stones and earth. Some body burials are unusual for the Phoenicians.
The Tofet
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As Topheth (from Aramaic tephaya , "Stove") researchers call a "fire pit" or a sacred place of the Phoenicians in which they sacrificed to the gods of children and small animals. On Monte Sirai there is a coarse temple, of which the foundation walls have been preserved. The division of Phoenician temples can be seen with particular reference to the north direction. Investigations showed that the tophet essentially emerged in the Punic period. Most of the around 300 urns and over 100 steles were made from the middle of the 4th to the 2nd century BC. BC, well into Roman times, deposited. The motifs depicted on the steles correspond to the models of the mother city of Sulki, but are designed to be less demanding. Many steles show naive representations that can only be explained by the influence of the Sardinian population.
Exhibitions
Some artifacts from the settlement are exhibited in the Museo Villa Sulcis (former home of the director of the Carbonia mines ).
The site of the excavation is presented as an archaeological park .
See also
literature
- Piero Bartoloni, Sandro Filippo Bondì, Sabatino Moscati: La penetrazione fenicia e punica in Sardegna: Trent'anni dopo. In: Memorie / Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei , Classe di Scienze Morali, Storiche e Filologiche, Ser. 9, Vol. 9.1 (1997) ISSN 0391-8149
- Lorenza Campanella: Ceramica punica di età ellenistica da Monte Sirai. Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche, Istituto per la civiltà fenicia e punica “Sabatino Moscati”, Rome 1999.
