Paolo Xella
University of Pisa, Dipartimento "Civiltà e Forme del Sapere", Faculty Member
Key-words: Wisdom, Mesopotamia, Ugarit, Adapa, Baal.
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An increasing series of recent studies has reconsidered the social position of women in the Phoenician and Punic world. Thanks to data coming mainly from material culture, it has been possible to propose new scenarios, which partly modify... more
An increasing series of recent studies has reconsidered the social position of women in the Phoenician and Punic world. Thanks to data coming mainly from material culture, it has been possible to propose new scenarios, which partly modify the traditional evaluation. Here the ideology that can prudently be deduced from written sources, both direct and indirect, is taken into consideration. A look at epigraphic data concerning in particular the goddesses of the pantheon and the onomastic data, helps to shed new light on the 'female' at the symbolic level, characterised by specific values, different but apparently no less relevant than those attributed to the male universe.
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In questo contributo viene presentato lo studio preliminare di una lamina aurea iscritta ancora parzialmente inedita, proveniente dal santuario-tofet di Sulci (attuale S. Antioco, Sardegna). L’oggetto ha dimensioni molto ridotte (circa cm... more
In questo contributo viene presentato lo studio preliminare di una lamina aurea iscritta ancora parzialmente inedita, proveniente dal santuario-tofet di Sulci (attuale S. Antioco, Sardegna). L’oggetto ha dimensioni molto ridotte (circa cm 1,56 x 2,5) e reca, finemente incisa su una delle due
facce, un’iscrizione dedicatoria fenicia di almeno quattro righe. Durante il lavoro svolto presso il Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cagliari, dove la lamina è conservata, gli scriventi hanno potuto identificare altri due frammenti minori che, se anche non ricompongono il reperto nella sua
interezza, segnano comunque un progresso nella ricostruzione generale. Oltre a una prima lettura, traduzione e interpretazione del documento, che costituisce un unicum nelle attestazioni finora note dai contesti tofet, si affronterà il problema del suo originario contesto di appartenenza e saranno proposte alcune considerazioni su tipologia e funzione dell’oggetto.
facce, un’iscrizione dedicatoria fenicia di almeno quattro righe. Durante il lavoro svolto presso il Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cagliari, dove la lamina è conservata, gli scriventi hanno potuto identificare altri due frammenti minori che, se anche non ricompongono il reperto nella sua
interezza, segnano comunque un progresso nella ricostruzione generale. Oltre a una prima lettura, traduzione e interpretazione del documento, che costituisce un unicum nelle attestazioni finora note dai contesti tofet, si affronterà il problema del suo originario contesto di appartenenza e saranno proposte alcune considerazioni su tipologia e funzione dell’oggetto.
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In current debate about the nature of the Phoenician and Carthaginian cremation child sanctuary called tophet, and particularly about the rites performed in it, a very important but rather neglected aspect of research is a comparative... more
In current debate about the nature of the Phoenician and Carthaginian cremation child sanctuary called tophet, and particularly about the rites performed in it, a very important but rather neglected aspect of research is a comparative assessment which takes into account the data offered by ethno-anthropological research on early childhood. It is of utmost importance that historians, philologists and archaeologists are aware of evidence on infanticide and ritual killing in other epochs and societies. Only in this way it is possible to escape the traps of ethnocentrism, abandoning the idea that our system of values is ontologically valid for the whole human history.
The in-depth knowledge of the enormous comparative material can reveal much, not only about the ancient ideology of tophet’s users, but also of modern scholars who refuse – sometimes, more emotionally than intellectually – to accept even the theoretical possibility of sacrificing children.
The in-depth knowledge of the enormous comparative material can reveal much, not only about the ancient ideology of tophet’s users, but also of modern scholars who refuse – sometimes, more emotionally than intellectually – to accept even the theoretical possibility of sacrificing children.
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Phoenician and Carthaginian infant cremation sanctuaries (tophet), attested throughout the central Mediterranean (north Africa, Sardinia and Sicily, and perhaps Malta), up to this point lack convincing archaeological evidence in the... more
Phoenician and Carthaginian infant cremation sanctuaries (tophet), attested throughout the central Mediterranean (north Africa, Sardinia and Sicily, and perhaps Malta), up to this point lack convincing archaeological evidence in the Phoenician motherland and the far western Mediterranean. This study collects and re-examines the evidence of its Levantine origin of historical order, (the chronology of the settlements and the almost contemporary installation of tophet precincts in them), epigraphic (the inscription of Nebi Yunis) and literary (biblical testimonies and some Greek and Latin writers). Taken as a whole, this documentation strongly leads us to exclude an explanation of the tophet as a novelty introduced by the migrants, but an ancient traditional institution that derived in all probability from the city of Tyre.
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Phoenician and Carthaginian infant cremation sanctuaries (tophet), attested throughout the central Mediterranean (north Africa, Sardinia and Sicily, and perhaps Malta), up to this point lack convincing archaeological evidence in the... more
Phoenician and Carthaginian infant cremation sanctuaries (tophet), attested throughout the central Mediterranean (north Africa, Sardinia and Sicily, and perhaps Malta), up to this point lack convincing archaeological evidence in the Phoenician motherland and the far western Mediterranean. This study collects and reexamines the evidence of its Levantine origin of historical order, (the chronology of the settlements and the almost contemporary installation of tophet precincts in them), epigraphic (the inscription of Nebi Yunis) and literary (biblical testimonies and some Greek and Latin writers). Taken as a whole, this documentation strongly leads us to exclude an explanation of the tophet as a novelty introduced by the migrants, but an ancient traditional institution that derived in all probability from the city of Tyre.
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International audienc
International audienc
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Il presente contributo si propone di riesaminare la questione dell’identita fenicia come si e andata delineando negli studi, in sintetico parallelo con il problema delle « origini » etrusche. Dopo una premessa di carattere metodologico,... more
Il presente contributo si propone di riesaminare la questione dell’identita fenicia come si e andata delineando negli studi, in sintetico parallelo con il problema delle « origini » etrusche. Dopo una premessa di carattere metodologico, incentrata sull’approccio che riceve la questione identitaria in campo socio-antropologico, si delinea brevemente la storia degli studi fenici, dalla fondazione a opera di Sabatino Moscati, alla situazione presente. Una rapida valutazione delle evidenze, interne e esterne, suggerisce sicuramente di non abbandonare i termini Fenicio e fenici, ma di limitarne l’uso alla loro funzionalita euristica, considerando che, dal punto di vista storico, l’orizzonte e molto piu ampio e articolato di quanto non si tenda generalmente a ritenere. Piuttosto che di « identita fenicia », si deve parlare di « identita cittadine », per i vari centri, che non hanno mai dato manifestazioni di coscienza nazionale unitaria.
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Traduction italienne, Rome, 1995International audienc
Research Interests: Humanities and Art
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Book also available in Italian language at https://www.electa.it/en/product/carthago-il-mito-immortale-2/This volume is published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name presented in Rome, at the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo... more
Book also available in Italian language at https://www.electa.it/en/product/carthago-il-mito-immortale-2/This volume is published on the occasion of the exhibition of the same name presented in Rome, at the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo from 27 September 2019 to 29 March 2020. The curatorial project, as a whole, arises from the scant attention paid so far to the famous North African metropolis: while the Phoenicians have already been the subject of some exhibitions (the most famous being that at Palazzo Grassi in 1987), until now Carthage has not been the subject of equal interest, despite the progress of studies. The work of excavation and research in recent decades therefore gives the volume an objective and elevated scholarly interest, offering the opportunity to provide an up-to-date picture of our knowledge and also to report some outstanding new insights and discoveries. Apart from archaeology, it is characterised by a plunge into modernity, with the role of Carthage in the collective imagination through an extraordinary collection of contemporary illustrations that includes literature, comics, music, videogames and, of course, cinema. We have therefore sought to approach a subject familiar to most people with a distinctive approach: Carthage cannot fail to immediately evoke Rome, since the events of the two great Mediterranean metropolises were historically entwined.Together with this volume, the exhibition catalogue is also being published, covering the event section by section and presenting the whole series of over 400 exhibits from major Italian and international collections.Peer reviewe
Research Interests: Ancient History, Archaeology, Classical Archaeology, Mythology, Phoenicians, and 15 moreMediterranean Studies, Mediterranean, History of the Mediterranean, Carthage (Archaeology), Underwater Archaeology, Mediterranean archaeology, Mediterranean and North Africa, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Carthage (History), Punic Wars, Second Punic War, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Phoenician Punic Religion, Roman Archaeology, and Electa
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Xella Paolo. La figure du « Prince prédestiné » au Proche-Orient ancien : destin des puissants et volonté des dieux. In: Pouvoir, divination et prédestination dans le monde antique. Besançon : Institut des Sciences et Techniques de... more
Xella Paolo. La figure du « Prince prédestiné » au Proche-Orient ancien : destin des puissants et volonté des dieux. In: Pouvoir, divination et prédestination dans le monde antique. Besançon : Institut des Sciences et Techniques de l'Antiquité, 1999. pp. 159-173. (Collection « ISTA », 717
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Cette etude propose des remarques generales concernant l’interpretation du phenomene tophet a la lumiere des debats recents. L’on insiste sur la necessite d’interpretations fondees sur la connaissance et l’exploitation de toutes les... more
Cette etude propose des remarques generales concernant l’interpretation du phenomene tophet a la lumiere des debats recents. L’on insiste sur la necessite d’interpretations fondees sur la connaissance et l’exploitation de toutes les sources, ainsi que des theories qui abordent tous les volets du probleme, sans se limiter a des aspects particuliers. L’on reconsidere la question des rapports entre urnes et steles, en concluant que la deposition des urnes et l’erection des marqueurs votifs sont les actes conclusifs d’une ceremonie unitaire. L’on aborde enfin la question de la presence de sepultures infantiles dans les necropoles proches d’un tophet, a la lumieres des resultats recents issus des fouilles menees a Motye (Sicile), une donnee qui ne peut pas etre expliquee de maniere adequate par la theorie du tophet comme necropole infantile. Par contre, l’interpretation du tophet comme lieu de culte ou les nouveau-nes ou les bebes (et des animaux) etaient sacrifies aux dieux suite a un vœu est compatible avec toutes les sources et fournit des reponses convaincantes a des questions qui resteraient autrement sans explication.
Research Interests: Philosophy, Humanities, Art, Phoenicians, Inscriptions, and 10 moreNecropolis, Historical Studies, Stelae, Tophet, Nécropole, Phéniciens, Urnes, Stèles, Pallas, and Urns
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KTU 1.48, malgre son mauvais etat (verso illisible, recto lacunaire), est d'un interet certain pour la connaissance des pratiques culturelles d'Ugarit, en ce que les victimes sacrificielles y sont quasi exclusivement des oiseaux.... more
KTU 1.48, malgre son mauvais etat (verso illisible, recto lacunaire), est d'un interet certain pour la connaissance des pratiques culturelles d'Ugarit, en ce que les victimes sacrificielles y sont quasi exclusivement des oiseaux. Il semble que ce texte rapporte les modestes offrandes d'un petit groupe de fideles (corporation des oiseleurs?) et reflete une pratique de religion populaire. L'A. compare le vocabulaire de KTU 1.48 a celui du Tarif de Marseille, le document phenicien eclairant le texte ugaritique.
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Résumé/Abstract Ce texte ne parle pas en toutes lettres d'un premier-né humain à sacrifier| il peut aussi bien s' interpréter comme désignant un jeune animal, et c'est le sens le plus probable, vu l'absence de... more
Résumé/Abstract Ce texte ne parle pas en toutes lettres d'un premier-né humain à sacrifier| il peut aussi bien s' interpréter comme désignant un jeune animal, et c'est le sens le plus probable, vu l'absence de témoignages contemporains pour les sacrifices d'enfants.
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... Esso è seguito da un secondo segno, costituito da un tratto verticale più lungo che, come tale, po-5 Ho discusso di questo testo con Maria Giulia Amadasi, a cui sono riconoscente per suggerimenti e proficui scambi di idee. ...
Research Interests: Ancient History, Digital Humanities, Art, Semitic languages, Phoenicians, and 15 moreMediterranean Studies, Corpus Linguistics, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, History of the Mediterranean, Phoenician, Northwest Semitic Epigraphy, Hebrew Bible and Ancient Near East, Mediterranean archaeology, Phoenician Punic Archaeology, Northwest Semitics, North-West Semitic Epigraphy, Epigraphy, Phoenician and Punic Studies, Semitic Philology, and Data Bases
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L'A. propose une reflexion sur les origines historiques du rite du bouc emissaire. Si il s'interesse au livre biblique du Levitique, ce n'est pas pour en faire une exegese religieuse : il cherche plutot a exprimer un point de... more
L'A. propose une reflexion sur les origines historiques du rite du bouc emissaire. Si il s'interesse au livre biblique du Levitique, ce n'est pas pour en faire une exegese religieuse : il cherche plutot a exprimer un point de vue d'historien des religions. L'Ancien Testament n'est ici que le temoin documentaire d'une pratique vraisemblablement generalisee a l'ensemble du Bassin mediterraneen, comme le recours aux religions comparees semble le suggerer. Le rite d'Ebla n'est qu'un exemple parmi d'autres : les rites ougaritiques en Syrie en sont la preuve
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Cette etude examine l’etymologie et la portee semantique du terme phenico-punique tʿlyh, atteste a Carthage et vraisemblablement aussi a Guelma. Le mot se rapporte a un objet de production artisanale et le probleme se pose de verifier... more
Cette etude examine l’etymologie et la portee semantique du terme phenico-punique tʿlyh, atteste a Carthage et vraisemblablement aussi a Guelma. Le mot se rapporte a un objet de production artisanale et le probleme se pose de verifier s’il se rencontre aussi a Cos, dans une celebre inscription bilingue greco-phenicienne. Il s’agit d’essayer de montrer que, a Cos, l’on a affaire a un terme different, c’est-a-dire tʿl, qui se refere a une structure du port local, bâtie par le prince sidonien ʿAbdalonim / Abdalonymos, “pour le salut de tous les marins”.
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L'examen de la photographie de KTU 2.23 impose la restitution du nom divin b'l spn, comme l'ont propose M. Liverani, O. Eissfeldt et C. H. Gordon. Ce dieu apparait ainsi comme le protecteur de la dynastie d'Ougarit, en... more
L'examen de la photographie de KTU 2.23 impose la restitution du nom divin b'l spn, comme l'ont propose M. Liverani, O. Eissfeldt et C. H. Gordon. Ce dieu apparait ainsi comme le protecteur de la dynastie d'Ougarit, en face d'Amon protecteur du pharaon auquel la lettre est adressee
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Dans le monde phénico-punique est attesté un certain nombre de noms divins" doubles" associant deux authentiques théonymes. Le répertoire des noms divins" doubles" semble aujourd'hui considérablement réduit et... more
Dans le monde phénico-punique est attesté un certain nombre de noms divins" doubles" associant deux authentiques théonymes. Le répertoire des noms divins" doubles" semble aujourd'hui considérablement réduit et c'est en particulier le dieu Réshep qui paraît devoir ...
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Website of SEL Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici sul Vicino Oriente antico - Nuova serie (Ricerche storiche e filologiche sulle clture del Vicino Oriente e del Mediterraneo antico). Consulted on 24/10/2019.