C ARTHAGE & TUNIS, TUNISIA
Our guide, Tarek, observed that Carthage contained “activity” monuments, such as the hippodrome (for horse racing), an amphitheater for gladiatorial fights (with a capacity of 40,000), and a theater for comic and tragic shows (capacity 12,000). Apparently then, as now, theater was not as popular as the fights. Better preserved are the “hygiene” monuments: the baths, a huge public latrine, and a brothel. The ruins of an open-air sacrificial area referred to as the Tophet or Sanctuaire Punique, lie near the old Punic port in Carthage. Phoenicians are believed to have practiced human sacrifice in an attempt to pacify the gods during times of instability and turmoil. The Carthaginians were no exception, and sacrificed children to the sun god Baal Hammon and the moon goddess Tanit for many centuries. At Tophet, we saw stelae—stone monuments— associated with children’s graves, which were decorated with incised geometric figures, amphorae, and depictions of Tanit, goddess of the fertility and fecundity. Excavation is far from complete, and archaeologists believe there are as many as 20,000 urns here containing the charred bones of sacrificial children. The five-level site is flanked by modern homes; I can hardly imagine what it must be like living amidst so much history. Nearby is another amazing archaeological site, the Antonine Baths. Once the third largest complex of baths in the entire Roman Empire, the crumbling ruins are now surrounded by lush palm groves. The main pool here was as large as a modernday Olympic pool, and there were also a multiple caldaria, frigidaria, and tepidaria— temperature-controlled pools and rooms “to prevent any thermic shock,” as Tarek put it. All Carthaginian citizens (except slaves) used the baths, and it was not unusual to spend as much as half a day here, relaxing and philosophizing with friends. Not much remains of the upper level, but we roam among the extensive ruins of the lower level, including thick support walls, aqueducts, tall white marble columns, ornate Corinthian capitals, and arched doorways. The keystone technique for building arches is said to have originated here. Also, stone floors of the upper
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