From Baal Hammon to Saturn, Continuity and Transformation in Sacred Places and Rituals (3rd century BC - 3rd century AD)

Abstract

The present paper is a study on the religious continuities and changes in North Africa from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD, therefore from the pre-Roman (“Phoenician-Punic”) to Roman era. Starting from the archaeological and epigraphic evidences, it combines and compares the documentation related to the so-called Tophet sanctuaries with that related to the temples dedicated to Saturn. The goal is to analyse the evolution and transformation of sacred places, rituals and representations of the deities throughout a historical context characterized by variegated and changeable political and religious landscapes.