Wyróżnienie bogini Tanit przez Barkidów (237–201 p.n.e.)?
The role of goddess Tanit in the religious worship of the Barcids (237–201 BCE)?

Summary/Abstract: The article explores the role of goddess Tanit in the religious worship of the Barcids. Numismatic research into Punic currency suggests that the Barcids worshipped Heracles-Melqart and goddess Tanit, and that these deities gained increasing importance in the religious life of this influential Carthaginian family. The origins of Tanit are difficult to trace, but this presumably Phoenician deity was rooted in the Carthaginian theological system as the female consort of Baal-Hammon, and she was often given the attribute of the “face of Baal” (Tanit-pene-Baal). Despite the fact that Tanit was one of the deities in the Barcids’ pantheon and theological system, she was not a chief goddess. Analyses of numismatic sources and Hannibal’s propaganda in the literature suggest that Tanit’s status probably changed towards the end of the Second Punic War. Comparative analyses of the Carthaginian religious system indicate that the Barcids took advantage of Tanit’s popularity and far-reaching acclaim to strengthen Phoenician-Punic influences. In this sense, Tanit’s status could have been elevated to serve the Barcids’ propaganda, rather than to instill profound changes in the theological foundations of their religious system. The decision to increase Tanit’s prestige was motivated by purely political and pragmatic reasons.

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