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<p><i>Tophets</i> are Phoenician or Punic sanctuaries where cremated infants and young children were placed in urns and ritually interred. Classical and biblical authors and modern scholars have focused on purported ritual sacrifice within these cultures and contexts, regardless of a lack of supporting archaeological evidence for these claims. By contrast, this article explores the postmortem treatment of subadults found in a <i>tophet</i> at the Neo-Punic site of Zitha, near modern Zarzis, Tunisia, reconstructing how individuals were treated at the time of death and if the treatment was tied to issues of care. This is done by analyzing the biological profile of the individuals, thermal alterations generated during burning, and treatment of the body/remains afterwards. We did find evidence that individuals were buried with high levels of postmortem care, including careful burning and placement in the urns. We found no direct evidence of sacrifice for any individual examined.</p>

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Postmortem Care of Subadults from the Neo-Punic Tophet at Zitha, Tunisia

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年6月5日

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  • Jessica I. Cerezo-Román,
  • Thomas R. Fenn,
  • Brett Kaufman,
  • Hans Barnard,
  • Glenys McGowan,
  • Ali Drine,
  • Sami Ben Tahar,
  • Rayed Khedher,
  • Megan Daniels

摘要

Tophets are Phoenician or Punic sanctuaries where cremated infants and young children were placed in urns and ritually interred. Classical and biblical authors and modern scholars have focused on purported ritual sacrifice within these cultures and contexts, regardless of a lack of supporting archaeological evidence for these claims. By contrast, this article explores the postmortem treatment of subadults found in a tophet at the Neo-Punic site of Zitha, near modern Zarzis, Tunisia, reconstructing how individuals were treated at the time of death and if the treatment was tied to issues of care. This is done by analyzing the biological profile of the individuals, thermal alterations generated during burning, and treatment of the body/remains afterwards. We did find evidence that individuals were buried with high levels of postmortem care, including careful burning and placement in the urns. We found no direct evidence of sacrifice for any individual examined.