Carthage, Zeugitana (Second Punic War)

[B]Carthage, Zeugitana (Second Punic War; 218-211 BC.) EL 3/8 Shekel[/B] [u]Obv[/u]: Wreathed head of Tanit wearing single-pendant earring and necklace; small A at base of grain-ears; facing left. [u]Rev[/u]: Horse standing; facing right. [u]Attribution[/u]: Jenkins & Lewis XV 480; Sear 6484; cf. SNG Copenhagen 334. [u]Provenance[/u]: CNG e112 (4/13/05,lot# 82) [u]Weight[/u]: 2.76 gm. [u]Maximal Diameter[/u]: 17 mm [u]Axis[/u]: 12 [u]Note[/u]: Electrum (30%) 3/8 Shekels of the Second Punic War (216-211 BC) - Produced in Carthage and shiped to Italy between the Battle of Trasimene & Hannibal's second occupation of Sicily. Production ceased as the war in southern Italy started to turn against Carthage and its allies. Tanit, chief goddess of Carthage, equivalent of Astarte. Although she seems to have had some connection with the heavens, she was also a mother goddess, and fertility symbols often accompany representations of her. She was probably the consort of Baal Hammon (or Amon), the chief god of Carthage, and was often given the attribute "face of Baal." Although Tanit did not appear at Carthage before the 5th century BC, she soon eclipsed the more established cult of Baal Hammon and, in the Carthaginian area at least, was frequently listed before him on the monuments. In the worship of Tanit and Baal Hammon, children, probably firstborn, were sacrificed. Ample evidence of the practice has been found west of Carthage in the precinct of Tanit, where a tofet (a sanctuary for the sacrifice of children) was discovered. Tanit was also worshiped on Malta, Sardinia, and in Spain. GK145