Punic rock tombs in North Africa
Punic rock tombs in North Africa can be found in northern Tunisia and northeast Algeria . The Punians are said to have brought the design with them from the Levant .
An original type of Punic rock chamber tomb occurs mainly in the heartland of Punic rule in North Africa (814–146 BC) between Cap Blanc and the Cape Bon peninsula . These are rectangular, underground rock chambers that can be reached via stairs that were also cut out of the rock. Simpler graves (like in Tuvixeddu in Sardinia ) have a rectangular shaft that has been sunk vertically into the rock. In the North African graves, the deceased were buried in sarcophagi , a Phoenician / Punic characteristic.
Haouanet
In the border area of the Punic heartland, another type of rock chamber tomb was created, the Haouanet . This independent type is referred to with the Arabic word for shop as Hanout (plural: Haouanet ) and is reminiscent of a kiosk that was carved out of the rock. The Haouanet evidently represent a further development of the Punic rock grave type. They are completely carved out of the rock, whereby rock protrusions and protrusions rising from the area were used to create a horizontal access to the chamber. The dating of these plants is open.
literature
- Gabriel Camps : Monuments et rites funéraires protohistoriques, Aux origines de la Berbérie , Paris, Arts et Métiers graphiques, 1962