Baal Hammon and Tinnit in Carthage. The Tophet between the Origins and the Development of the Colonial World

Phoenician colonisation entailed the creation of "another" world. This process was achieved through the foundation of stable settlements, which became the bases of a new and multiform cultural panorama. A specific part of the colonial ecumene - the area included between central-western North Africa, Malta, Sicily and Sardinia - chose the tophet as one of its most representative cultural products, closely connected to some principles governing the formation of that group. In the sanctuary, two deities took on the role of protecting and perpetuating the values of the communities: Baal Hammon and Tinnit. To follow their history is to follow the history of these colonial societies, their birth, their growth and the relationship between tradition and innovation involved in the creation of the "new" world.