The sanctuaries

In addition to cities, the Phoenician presence in Sardinia was marked by the creation of new sanctuaries, the dimension of the “sacred” being one of the crucial elements that contributes to defining the cultural identity of every civilization, especially in the ancient world. Sacred areas had to be present in all urban centers.

At present, however, it is not always easy to identify these areas, mainly because of the continuity of settlement.
The necropolises were also part of the sacred spaces, as demonstrated by the eloquent signs of the religious rituals practiced on the occasion of burials.

Even more marked is the function of a “sacred place” of that peculiar space in the Phoenician-Punic world represented by Tofet, where the deposition of the ashes of dead children (due to natural causes or, according to an ancient opinion, sacrificed) in the very first years of life was accompanied by a ritual that must also include the sacrifice of animals, as demonstrated by archaeological data.

Of particular importance must have been the so-called temple of Antas (Fluminimaggiore). It is a place of worship dedicated to the deity called “Sid Addir Babai” (later renamed in the Roman context “Sardus Pater Babai”), a deity with healthy prerogatives, whose origin seems to date back to the Nuragic environment and then moved into the Phoenician-Punic cultural sphere first and then Roman.

Update

22/9/2023 - 10:24