Punic War Text Translations from Carthage in Alphabetic Akkadian (246 to 146 BCE)

Two well preserved Punic texts from Carthage are translated and fully justified according to the scholar’s standard showing that Phoenician letter style texts are actually in the Akkadian empire language just like all other pre-Hellenistic Mediterranean texts. The black temple plaque has a poignant yet sophisticated argument blaming first one divine power then another for Carthage’s problems before ending with a statement blaming all the “high powers.” Despite admitting that their emotion magic is mostly ineffective, this text still implies it is their only hope against their enemy mentioned in Line 2. This “enemy” follows the sun/storm god “Atu” which can only be Rome. The temple plaque mentions these deities: Su (full moon god, father time), Atu (sun/storm god), Hu (healing sun god), the Revealer (Yahu), the Reed-Boat (goddess Ayu), and the Opener (goddess Utu). The second text is on a white gravestone from Carthage’s child cemetery (Tophet) and it is blaming some local drought on the lack of activity in the magical motion powers. Deities mentioned in the gravestone are the Revealer (Yahu) and Reed-Boat (crescent moon goddess Ayu). Neither text mentions Tanit, the supposed goddess of the Phoenicians, or child sacrifice