Carthage, North Africa (A Suburb of Modern Tunis, Tunisia)
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Gods of glass? The wide, staring eyes on these 2-inch tall glass figurines, discovered in the ancient Phoenician city of Carthage, have led to their identification as protective amulets, eternally watching for evil spirits. The male faces with thick, wavy beards may represent the patriarch of the Phoenician pantheon, Baal Hammon; whereas the figure with a shorter beard may be Melqart (a deity associated with the king) or Eshmoun (the god of healing).
A loop on the top of the heads (visible on the upper two examples) was used to string the amulets on a necklace. The discovery of such amulets in Phoenician tombs suggests that their protective function was thought to continue in the afterlife.
Dating from the fourth to third century B.C., the amulets were probably produced locally by the sand-core technique: Damp sand was molded into the form of the bead and then wrapped in cloth, which was then fixed to the end of a cane and dipped into a crucible of molten glass. Threads of contrasting color pulled from other crucibles were then pressed into the hot surface to create facial features and curls of hair. Phoenician artisans were known for their production of small-scale luxury objects that could easily be transported along their extensive system of maritime trade routes. Similar glass amulets have been found in the Phoenician homeland on the eastern Mediterranean coast, in the cities of Byblos, Tyre and Sidon, as well as in Phoenician settlements on the islands of Cyprus, Sicily and Sardinia.
Gods of glass? The wide, staring eyes on these 2-inch tall glass figurines, discovered in the ancient Phoenician city of Carthage, have led to their identification as protective amulets, eternally watching for evil spirits. The male faces with thick, wavy beards may represent the patriarch of the Phoenician pantheon, Baal Hammon; whereas the figure with a shorter beard may be Melqart (a deity associated with the king) or Eshmoun (the god of healing). A loop on the top of the heads (visible on the upper two examples) was used to string the amulets on a necklace. The discovery of […]
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