The Sanctuary of Tanit

This is the Sanctuary of Tanit, just inland from the ancient harbour of Carthage. It is one of the most disturbing places to which I have ever been.

Tanit was the patron goddess of Carthage. On this site human sacrifices were made to her and to her consort Baal-Hammon. The sacrificed were usually the first born children of Carthaginian families and were killed at 2-3 years of age.

Diodorus described the ceremony thus: "The child would be ritually strangled, or have its throat cut, and the body would then be placed in the outstretched arms of the statue of Baal-Hammon, from where it would roll into the flames of the sacred pyre ..."

The site covers several acres and contains thousands of cinerary urns. Many of the burials are marked by a carved stone. The symbol of Tanit is everywhere, including on the stone at front-right.