Giuseppe Garbati | Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) (original) (raw)
Books by Giuseppe Garbati
Al di là. Gli uomini, gli dèi, la morte in contesto fenicio, 2022
Gli dèi proteggono dalla morte, custodiscono gli uomini nella morte, difendendone il riposo. Ma a... more Gli dèi proteggono dalla morte, custodiscono gli uomini nella morte, difendendone il riposo. Ma anche gli dèi possono avvicinarsi pericolosamente alla soglia che separa la vita dall'aldilà, fino a scomparire negli Inferi (sia pure per poi tornare). Non sempre, tuttavia, l'universo dei morti, divinità comprese, si presenta temibile e spaventoso; dalla terra, infatti, germogliano le colture, la cui abbondanza è anch'essa espressione delle potenze sovrumane. A simili tematiche è dedicato questo libro: protagonisti sono gli uomini, gli dèi e la morte, analizzati come componenti dinamiche di quei percorsi che l'uomo intraprese nell'Antichità per elaborare culturalmente il decesso, provando in qualche modo a gestirlo e a controllarlo. Al centro dell'indagine si collocano i Fenici, le cui variegate comunità, tra l'Oriente e l'Occidente mediterraneo del I millennio a.C., formularono diverse soluzioni per affrontare la morte, sulla base degli specifici quadri culturali di riferimento.
Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean. "Identity" and Interculturality in the Levant and Phoenician West during the 5th-2nd Century BCE, 2021
Hegemonies, Connections and Contextual Specificities. Towards the Phoenician West (5th-2nd Centur... more Hegemonies, Connections and Contextual Specificities. Towards the Phoenician West (5th-2nd Centuries BCE) " 151 Bruno D'Andrea, The Tophets of North Africa between the 4th and the 1st Centuries BCE: Practices of Belonging, Phenomena of Innovation and Strategies of Appropriation " 167 Imed Ben Jerbania, Funerary Practices and Material Culture of the Two Punic Necropoleis in the Bizerte Region: Cap Zbib and Beni Nafa " 189 Meritxell Ferrer, Reshaping Identities in "Times of Crisis": A View from Sicilian Punic Cemeteries, 6th-4th Centuries BCE " 213 Anna Chiara Fariselli, Tharros, the Coastal Cities of Punic Sardinia and the Carthaginian Geopolitics from the 5th to the 3rd Century BCE " 231
EDITORIAL Ida Oggiano This issue of the Rivista di Studi Fenici happily coincides with a number o... more EDITORIAL
Ida Oggiano
This issue of the Rivista di Studi Fenici happily coincides with a number of significant developments in the magazine’s long history: new management, a new scientific and editorial committee, a new design and, not least, a monograph dedicated to one of the greatest exponents of the discipline in which the Rivista is the most important scientific organ.
The launch of this volume of the Rivista, then, forms part of a renewal that is located within a solid tradition of study – that devoted to the Phoenician and Punic civilizations – founded by Sabatino Moscati. Indeed, this new deal intends to follow the path marked out in the course of the 43 years of the Rivista, but at a different pace, dictated by the natural evolution of a discipline characterized by constant change. New themes, new regions, new chronological scopes and, above all, new kinds of methodological approach give ever greater topicality and interest to the study of the history of the Mediterranean of the first millennium BCE from the Phoenician perspective. Today this increasingly means highlighting the indistinct rather than the clearly defined: seafarers, founders of “colonies”, heirs and propagators of the Syro-Palestinian traditions, early assimilators of the traditions of others and, therefore, representatives of an identity in a continuous state of renewal.
It is in this spirit that the members of the scientific committee have been chosen, scholars from diverse backgrounds and from various countries which, since ancient times or more recently, have played a role in the history and the study of the Phoenician and Punic world. The aim is to make the Rivista di Studi Fenici a meeting place for the multiple new realities that today nourish and strengthen the discipline. It is a discipline whose raison d’être is still valid precisely because it has been able to reinvent itself beyond the confines of academic categories by concentrating on the study of the Mediterranean context which, thanks to the movement of the Levantine populations, has expanded both geographically and chronologically. Following the early days of the discipline, when the focus was on finding the “Phoenician” elements that had hitherto been ignored in studies, often deliberately, a mature phase in the research has been reached which aims to investigate the interaction between the diverse peoples of the Mediterranean rather than the outcome of that phenomenon, i.e. the birth of cultural characteristics thought to be specific to each particular group. The plasticity of the identity of the phonikes, often viewed negatively, can now be regarded as a quality of extraordinary topicality that sees the fil rouge of their history (formed from an amalgam of language and cults, objects and images) become interwoven with the histories of other peoples, changing colour and at times unravelling, across locations and time.
With this issue, we hope that the Rivista di Studi Fenici can become a reference point for high-level contributions on the history of the Phoenicians, the Punics, and all those who came into contact with them and contributed to enriching their shifting identity. The pages of the Rivista will thus be an ideal space which, as a result of dialogue between scholars of diverse backgrounds and nationalities, will be a locus for academic debate that is free of the political and cultural boundaries that so dramatically mark these sad times in which we live.
Tra le coste del Levante e le terre del tramonto. Studi in ricordo di Paolo Bernardini, 2021
Sono passati quasi tre anni da quando Paolo ci ha lasciati. Era l'inizio dell'estate del 2018. Sa... more Sono passati quasi tre anni da quando Paolo ci ha lasciati. Era l'inizio dell'estate del 2018. Sapevamo della sua malattia e della tenacia e determinazione con le quali l'aveva affrontata. Sapevamo della lotta che stava conducendo e del "percorso a ostacoli" che stava attraversando, ma la notizia della sua scomparsa ci ha colti ugualmente impreparati, incapaci di credere che non lo avremmo più avuto al fianco nelle nostre vite. Perché Paolo oltre ad essere il collega preparato con il quale era piacevole e stimolante discutere su ogni aspetto della disciplina, era anche l'Amico sincero, sempre pronto ad ascoltare e a incoraggiare. Il vuoto che ci ha lasciato è incolmabile, ma leggere e rileggere i suoi scritti ci ha aiutato in questi anni a rendere il distacco meno doloroso, a continuare a dialogare con lui in una forma nuova, inaspettatamente ricca di emozioni e significati, appagante. È difficile descrivere l'emozione che ci ha colti nel leggere insieme per la prima volta le pagine inedite di Paolo, che la moglie Sandra ci ha donato affinché le componessimo in un libro. La sua scrittura così nitida ed efficace ci ha riportati indietro nel tempo a quelle discussioni infinite e stimolanti, che ci lasciavano spesso esausti, ma consapevoli di aver arricchito il nostro bagaglio culturale e umano. Non è nostra intenzione ricordare in queste righe il complesso e multiforme percorso scientifico di Paolo, già oggetto di riflessioni da parte di alcuni di noi, ma evocare la forza e l'attualità del suo pensiero. Nella serrata dialettica fra passato e presente, che è la cifra costante dell'opera di Paolo, un aspetto ci piace evidenziare, frutto delle continue riflessioni sulle dinamiche dell'irradiazione fenicia in Occidente: la visione del Mediterraneo come punto d'incontro fra uomini di culture e lingue diverse animati dal desiderio di conoscersi e confrontarsi. Con Paolo condividiamo la certezza che la strada segnata dai naviganti del passato sia l'unica percorribile, perché su quella strada si è innestato "un potente e inarrestabile processo di conoscenza e di crescita"; allo stesso tempo condividiamo le sue apprensioni perché quel percorso si è oggi drammaticamente incrinato. Dare voce al suo pensiero per un mondo condiviso e non lacerato dagli egoismi individuali crediamo sia il modo migliore per ricordarlo. Siamo grati ai molti amici e colleghi che hanno aderito con trasporto a questa iniziativa, consapevoli che le pagine seguenti non possono dare conto di tutte le relazioni professionali e personali intrattenute da Paolo nel corso della sua lunga e intensa carriera; in particolare il nostro riconoscente pensiero va a Mario Torelli per il toccante ricordo che ha voluto dedicare al "suo allievo" Paolo e che apre questo volume. Siamo comunque sicuri che a questi scritti tanti altri se ne aggiungeranno, perché con Paolo vorremo dialogare ancora intensamente e a lungo.
Contributi in rivista by Giuseppe Garbati
Civiltà e Religioni, 2024
A Phoenician inscription found in Larnaka (Cyprus) in 1990 records the offering of a trophy to th... more A Phoenician inscription found in Larnaka (Cyprus) in 1990 records the offering of a trophy to the god Baal Oz, “Lord of Strength”. The object was dedicated by Milkyaton, king of Kition and Idalion, during the first year of his reign (392/391 BCE). The offering followed the victory that was won – granted by the god, as the epigraph states – over certain enemies (who are not named in the text). Quite apart from its importance for the reconstruction of the eventful history of Cyprus, the document is undoubtedly of interest since it represents to date the only attestation of the onomastic formula b‘l ‘z. The objective of these notes is therefore to re-examine the inscription as a whole in an attempt to frame historically the figure of Baal Oz and to recognize some of the mechanisms through which divine qualifiers were “constructed” in the Phoenician context.
Vicino Oriente 28, 2024
The present reflections are dedicated to the study of the most ancient data, found in the Western... more The present reflections are dedicated to the study of the most ancient data, found in the Western Mediterranean, relating to the cult of Phoenician divinities. Through some case studies, I will try to highlight how diversified and variable, on the religious level (and, more broadly, from the cultural perspective), was the world that the Levantine communities contributed to build in the new chosen territories.
The TCM Project. Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean: Aims, Approaches and Perspectives, in Rivista di Studi Fenici 48, pp. 131-136, 2020
Rivista di Studi Fenici 38, 2010 (2011), pp. 157-181
Rivista di Studi Fenici 40, 2014 (2012), pp. 159-174.
This paper aims to propose some re ections about collective identity, starting from a speci c cas... more This paper aims to propose some re ections about collective identity, starting from a speci c case study: a small corpus of Phoenician inscriptions, widespread from Tyre to Ibiza, whose dedication formulae de ne the god Melqart bsr, b<l sr and <l hsr. Recalling the homeland (Tyre, sr) and the founding memory of the origins, such a documentation allows to follow some steps of a sort of "Tyrian" identity creation, in the perspective of a cultural phenomenon of construction and "pretense".
Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici 28, 2011, pp. 107-113.
The "Hybrid" Structure of DECF and the Path of Data Reconstruction The structure of the Encyclope... more The "Hybrid" Structure of DECF and the Path of Data Reconstruction The structure of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Phoenician Civilization is based on a set of lemmata and cross-references. These make up an interrelated system intended to set out the documentation in an analytical way. The DECF is conceived as a hybrid work because it includes entries of varying length and complexity. This disparity depends both on the nature of each particular topic and on the quantity of available data, but also derives from the methodological assumptions underlying the DECF. In fact, the Dictionary is largely intended to go beyond the descriptive level, by providing supporting data accompanied by theoretical and critical annotations. Following this perspective, the DECF numbers the so-called "macro-entries" (as religion, economy, art, etc.), whose complexity cannot be reduced to a simple and synthetic discussion.
Th e following notes are devoted to a topic which has progressively acquired a central position i... more Th e following notes are devoted to a topic which has progressively acquired a central position in the framework of the studies dedicated to the history of Sardinia, especially for what concerns the phases included between the 4th and the 1st century BC: we refer to the (possible) role played by the worship of the Greek goddess Demeter in the island. It was not so long ago, in fact, that some aspects of the devotional expressions attested in the rural territories (and in the urban centres as well) aft er the end of the 5th century, specifi cally of those interpreted as related to the agrarian and fertility dimension, were ascribed to the personality and the mythology of that deity. For some time, however, the nature of Demeter's cult, or even its real existence in Sardinia, has been seriously put in question. Following some recent investigations, which have faced the topic again, it could be useful, then, to retrace the main questions and to propose some considerations.
Divine Roaming: Deities on the Move between Phoenician, Aramaic and Luwian Contexts, in RSF 47, 2019, pp. 7-26
From about the second half of the 9th century BCE, Phoenician, Aramaic and Luwian communities beg... more From about the second half of the 9th century BCE, Phoenician, Aramaic and Luwian communities began to experience a phase of intensive contacts. Among the most representative expressions of the interrelations were the religious traditions and, in particular, the presence in some western Syrian and southeastern Anatolian contexts of divine figures (such as Pahalatis/Baalat [?], Baal Hammon, Melqart, Baal Shamem and Eshmun) who for the most partaccording to some widely accepted readings-probably originated in Phoenician territories. The aims of the present observations are to revisit the available data and to attempt to understand the possible position occupied by those gods and goddesses in the framework of cultural relations, being their cult diffused, and shared, among the above-mentioned communities.
Maria Eugenia Cadeddu e Cristina Marras (a cura di), Linguaggi, ricerca, comunicazione Focus CNR (= Plurilinguismo e Migrazioni 1), 2019
Rivista Di Studi Fenici, 1999
Byrsa 39-40, 2021
This paper is dedicated to the study, through the epigraphic data, of the forms assumed by the cu... more This paper is dedicated to the study, through the epigraphic data, of the forms assumed by the cult of Melqart in the Phoenician West. The main goal is to trying to reconstruct some functions of the deity within but also outside the portrait forged by classical literary sources, which describe the god, as is well known, as the protector of the colonies and colonists, giving him this role in relation with the very early stages of the Phoenician presence in the western Mediterranean.
Semitica et Classica 14, 2021
Revue annuelle publiée par l'Association Semitica & classica, avec le concours du CNRS et le sout... more Revue annuelle publiée par l'Association Semitica & classica, avec le concours du CNRS et le soutien de l'UMR 8167 « Orient & Méditerranée » (Mondes sémitiques, Antiquité classique et tardive, Monde byzantin, Médecine grecque, Islam médiéval, Mondes pharaoniques).
Al di là. Gli uomini, gli dèi, la morte in contesto fenicio, 2022
Gli dèi proteggono dalla morte, custodiscono gli uomini nella morte, difendendone il riposo. Ma a... more Gli dèi proteggono dalla morte, custodiscono gli uomini nella morte, difendendone il riposo. Ma anche gli dèi possono avvicinarsi pericolosamente alla soglia che separa la vita dall'aldilà, fino a scomparire negli Inferi (sia pure per poi tornare). Non sempre, tuttavia, l'universo dei morti, divinità comprese, si presenta temibile e spaventoso; dalla terra, infatti, germogliano le colture, la cui abbondanza è anch'essa espressione delle potenze sovrumane. A simili tematiche è dedicato questo libro: protagonisti sono gli uomini, gli dèi e la morte, analizzati come componenti dinamiche di quei percorsi che l'uomo intraprese nell'Antichità per elaborare culturalmente il decesso, provando in qualche modo a gestirlo e a controllarlo. Al centro dell'indagine si collocano i Fenici, le cui variegate comunità, tra l'Oriente e l'Occidente mediterraneo del I millennio a.C., formularono diverse soluzioni per affrontare la morte, sulla base degli specifici quadri culturali di riferimento.
Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean. "Identity" and Interculturality in the Levant and Phoenician West during the 5th-2nd Century BCE, 2021
Hegemonies, Connections and Contextual Specificities. Towards the Phoenician West (5th-2nd Centur... more Hegemonies, Connections and Contextual Specificities. Towards the Phoenician West (5th-2nd Centuries BCE) " 151 Bruno D'Andrea, The Tophets of North Africa between the 4th and the 1st Centuries BCE: Practices of Belonging, Phenomena of Innovation and Strategies of Appropriation " 167 Imed Ben Jerbania, Funerary Practices and Material Culture of the Two Punic Necropoleis in the Bizerte Region: Cap Zbib and Beni Nafa " 189 Meritxell Ferrer, Reshaping Identities in "Times of Crisis": A View from Sicilian Punic Cemeteries, 6th-4th Centuries BCE " 213 Anna Chiara Fariselli, Tharros, the Coastal Cities of Punic Sardinia and the Carthaginian Geopolitics from the 5th to the 3rd Century BCE " 231
EDITORIAL Ida Oggiano This issue of the Rivista di Studi Fenici happily coincides with a number o... more EDITORIAL
Ida Oggiano
This issue of the Rivista di Studi Fenici happily coincides with a number of significant developments in the magazine’s long history: new management, a new scientific and editorial committee, a new design and, not least, a monograph dedicated to one of the greatest exponents of the discipline in which the Rivista is the most important scientific organ.
The launch of this volume of the Rivista, then, forms part of a renewal that is located within a solid tradition of study – that devoted to the Phoenician and Punic civilizations – founded by Sabatino Moscati. Indeed, this new deal intends to follow the path marked out in the course of the 43 years of the Rivista, but at a different pace, dictated by the natural evolution of a discipline characterized by constant change. New themes, new regions, new chronological scopes and, above all, new kinds of methodological approach give ever greater topicality and interest to the study of the history of the Mediterranean of the first millennium BCE from the Phoenician perspective. Today this increasingly means highlighting the indistinct rather than the clearly defined: seafarers, founders of “colonies”, heirs and propagators of the Syro-Palestinian traditions, early assimilators of the traditions of others and, therefore, representatives of an identity in a continuous state of renewal.
It is in this spirit that the members of the scientific committee have been chosen, scholars from diverse backgrounds and from various countries which, since ancient times or more recently, have played a role in the history and the study of the Phoenician and Punic world. The aim is to make the Rivista di Studi Fenici a meeting place for the multiple new realities that today nourish and strengthen the discipline. It is a discipline whose raison d’être is still valid precisely because it has been able to reinvent itself beyond the confines of academic categories by concentrating on the study of the Mediterranean context which, thanks to the movement of the Levantine populations, has expanded both geographically and chronologically. Following the early days of the discipline, when the focus was on finding the “Phoenician” elements that had hitherto been ignored in studies, often deliberately, a mature phase in the research has been reached which aims to investigate the interaction between the diverse peoples of the Mediterranean rather than the outcome of that phenomenon, i.e. the birth of cultural characteristics thought to be specific to each particular group. The plasticity of the identity of the phonikes, often viewed negatively, can now be regarded as a quality of extraordinary topicality that sees the fil rouge of their history (formed from an amalgam of language and cults, objects and images) become interwoven with the histories of other peoples, changing colour and at times unravelling, across locations and time.
With this issue, we hope that the Rivista di Studi Fenici can become a reference point for high-level contributions on the history of the Phoenicians, the Punics, and all those who came into contact with them and contributed to enriching their shifting identity. The pages of the Rivista will thus be an ideal space which, as a result of dialogue between scholars of diverse backgrounds and nationalities, will be a locus for academic debate that is free of the political and cultural boundaries that so dramatically mark these sad times in which we live.
Tra le coste del Levante e le terre del tramonto. Studi in ricordo di Paolo Bernardini, 2021
Sono passati quasi tre anni da quando Paolo ci ha lasciati. Era l'inizio dell'estate del 2018. Sa... more Sono passati quasi tre anni da quando Paolo ci ha lasciati. Era l'inizio dell'estate del 2018. Sapevamo della sua malattia e della tenacia e determinazione con le quali l'aveva affrontata. Sapevamo della lotta che stava conducendo e del "percorso a ostacoli" che stava attraversando, ma la notizia della sua scomparsa ci ha colti ugualmente impreparati, incapaci di credere che non lo avremmo più avuto al fianco nelle nostre vite. Perché Paolo oltre ad essere il collega preparato con il quale era piacevole e stimolante discutere su ogni aspetto della disciplina, era anche l'Amico sincero, sempre pronto ad ascoltare e a incoraggiare. Il vuoto che ci ha lasciato è incolmabile, ma leggere e rileggere i suoi scritti ci ha aiutato in questi anni a rendere il distacco meno doloroso, a continuare a dialogare con lui in una forma nuova, inaspettatamente ricca di emozioni e significati, appagante. È difficile descrivere l'emozione che ci ha colti nel leggere insieme per la prima volta le pagine inedite di Paolo, che la moglie Sandra ci ha donato affinché le componessimo in un libro. La sua scrittura così nitida ed efficace ci ha riportati indietro nel tempo a quelle discussioni infinite e stimolanti, che ci lasciavano spesso esausti, ma consapevoli di aver arricchito il nostro bagaglio culturale e umano. Non è nostra intenzione ricordare in queste righe il complesso e multiforme percorso scientifico di Paolo, già oggetto di riflessioni da parte di alcuni di noi, ma evocare la forza e l'attualità del suo pensiero. Nella serrata dialettica fra passato e presente, che è la cifra costante dell'opera di Paolo, un aspetto ci piace evidenziare, frutto delle continue riflessioni sulle dinamiche dell'irradiazione fenicia in Occidente: la visione del Mediterraneo come punto d'incontro fra uomini di culture e lingue diverse animati dal desiderio di conoscersi e confrontarsi. Con Paolo condividiamo la certezza che la strada segnata dai naviganti del passato sia l'unica percorribile, perché su quella strada si è innestato "un potente e inarrestabile processo di conoscenza e di crescita"; allo stesso tempo condividiamo le sue apprensioni perché quel percorso si è oggi drammaticamente incrinato. Dare voce al suo pensiero per un mondo condiviso e non lacerato dagli egoismi individuali crediamo sia il modo migliore per ricordarlo. Siamo grati ai molti amici e colleghi che hanno aderito con trasporto a questa iniziativa, consapevoli che le pagine seguenti non possono dare conto di tutte le relazioni professionali e personali intrattenute da Paolo nel corso della sua lunga e intensa carriera; in particolare il nostro riconoscente pensiero va a Mario Torelli per il toccante ricordo che ha voluto dedicare al "suo allievo" Paolo e che apre questo volume. Siamo comunque sicuri che a questi scritti tanti altri se ne aggiungeranno, perché con Paolo vorremo dialogare ancora intensamente e a lungo.
Civiltà e Religioni, 2024
A Phoenician inscription found in Larnaka (Cyprus) in 1990 records the offering of a trophy to th... more A Phoenician inscription found in Larnaka (Cyprus) in 1990 records the offering of a trophy to the god Baal Oz, “Lord of Strength”. The object was dedicated by Milkyaton, king of Kition and Idalion, during the first year of his reign (392/391 BCE). The offering followed the victory that was won – granted by the god, as the epigraph states – over certain enemies (who are not named in the text). Quite apart from its importance for the reconstruction of the eventful history of Cyprus, the document is undoubtedly of interest since it represents to date the only attestation of the onomastic formula b‘l ‘z. The objective of these notes is therefore to re-examine the inscription as a whole in an attempt to frame historically the figure of Baal Oz and to recognize some of the mechanisms through which divine qualifiers were “constructed” in the Phoenician context.
Vicino Oriente 28, 2024
The present reflections are dedicated to the study of the most ancient data, found in the Western... more The present reflections are dedicated to the study of the most ancient data, found in the Western Mediterranean, relating to the cult of Phoenician divinities. Through some case studies, I will try to highlight how diversified and variable, on the religious level (and, more broadly, from the cultural perspective), was the world that the Levantine communities contributed to build in the new chosen territories.
The TCM Project. Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean: Aims, Approaches and Perspectives, in Rivista di Studi Fenici 48, pp. 131-136, 2020
Rivista di Studi Fenici 38, 2010 (2011), pp. 157-181
Rivista di Studi Fenici 40, 2014 (2012), pp. 159-174.
This paper aims to propose some re ections about collective identity, starting from a speci c cas... more This paper aims to propose some re ections about collective identity, starting from a speci c case study: a small corpus of Phoenician inscriptions, widespread from Tyre to Ibiza, whose dedication formulae de ne the god Melqart bsr, b<l sr and <l hsr. Recalling the homeland (Tyre, sr) and the founding memory of the origins, such a documentation allows to follow some steps of a sort of "Tyrian" identity creation, in the perspective of a cultural phenomenon of construction and "pretense".
Studi Epigrafici e Linguistici 28, 2011, pp. 107-113.
The "Hybrid" Structure of DECF and the Path of Data Reconstruction The structure of the Encyclope... more The "Hybrid" Structure of DECF and the Path of Data Reconstruction The structure of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Phoenician Civilization is based on a set of lemmata and cross-references. These make up an interrelated system intended to set out the documentation in an analytical way. The DECF is conceived as a hybrid work because it includes entries of varying length and complexity. This disparity depends both on the nature of each particular topic and on the quantity of available data, but also derives from the methodological assumptions underlying the DECF. In fact, the Dictionary is largely intended to go beyond the descriptive level, by providing supporting data accompanied by theoretical and critical annotations. Following this perspective, the DECF numbers the so-called "macro-entries" (as religion, economy, art, etc.), whose complexity cannot be reduced to a simple and synthetic discussion.
Th e following notes are devoted to a topic which has progressively acquired a central position i... more Th e following notes are devoted to a topic which has progressively acquired a central position in the framework of the studies dedicated to the history of Sardinia, especially for what concerns the phases included between the 4th and the 1st century BC: we refer to the (possible) role played by the worship of the Greek goddess Demeter in the island. It was not so long ago, in fact, that some aspects of the devotional expressions attested in the rural territories (and in the urban centres as well) aft er the end of the 5th century, specifi cally of those interpreted as related to the agrarian and fertility dimension, were ascribed to the personality and the mythology of that deity. For some time, however, the nature of Demeter's cult, or even its real existence in Sardinia, has been seriously put in question. Following some recent investigations, which have faced the topic again, it could be useful, then, to retrace the main questions and to propose some considerations.
Divine Roaming: Deities on the Move between Phoenician, Aramaic and Luwian Contexts, in RSF 47, 2019, pp. 7-26
From about the second half of the 9th century BCE, Phoenician, Aramaic and Luwian communities beg... more From about the second half of the 9th century BCE, Phoenician, Aramaic and Luwian communities began to experience a phase of intensive contacts. Among the most representative expressions of the interrelations were the religious traditions and, in particular, the presence in some western Syrian and southeastern Anatolian contexts of divine figures (such as Pahalatis/Baalat [?], Baal Hammon, Melqart, Baal Shamem and Eshmun) who for the most partaccording to some widely accepted readings-probably originated in Phoenician territories. The aims of the present observations are to revisit the available data and to attempt to understand the possible position occupied by those gods and goddesses in the framework of cultural relations, being their cult diffused, and shared, among the above-mentioned communities.
Maria Eugenia Cadeddu e Cristina Marras (a cura di), Linguaggi, ricerca, comunicazione Focus CNR (= Plurilinguismo e Migrazioni 1), 2019
Rivista Di Studi Fenici, 1999
Byrsa 39-40, 2021
This paper is dedicated to the study, through the epigraphic data, of the forms assumed by the cu... more This paper is dedicated to the study, through the epigraphic data, of the forms assumed by the cult of Melqart in the Phoenician West. The main goal is to trying to reconstruct some functions of the deity within but also outside the portrait forged by classical literary sources, which describe the god, as is well known, as the protector of the colonies and colonists, giving him this role in relation with the very early stages of the Phoenician presence in the western Mediterranean.
Semitica et Classica 14, 2021
Revue annuelle publiée par l'Association Semitica & classica, avec le concours du CNRS et le sout... more Revue annuelle publiée par l'Association Semitica & classica, avec le concours du CNRS et le soutien de l'UMR 8167 « Orient & Méditerranée » (Mondes sémitiques, Antiquité classique et tardive, Monde byzantin, Médecine grecque, Islam médiéval, Mondes pharaoniques).
Rivista di Studi Fenici 50 (https://open.rstfen.cnr.it/index.php/rsf/issue/view/10), 2022
Ten years ago, on the occasion of the publication of the fortieth number of the Rivista di Studi ... more Ten years ago, on the occasion of the publication of the fortieth number of the Rivista di Studi Fenici, I had the opportunity to begin my line of research on the problem of Phoenician identity. The main purpose of my contribution published in that issue, which had the emblematic title “Fingere l’identità fenicia”, was to explore some of the
problems that I considered fundamental to a renewed formulation of the question (which was first raised in 1963 by Sabatino Moscati). A decade on from that contribution, therefore, on the occasion of the fiftieth issue of the Rivista di Studi Fenici, I would like to revisit the main aspects of the problem, exploring some parts of it in more depth. Above
all, I aim to reflect on the point we have now reached in relation to a theme that is central – as identity certainly is – to studies dedicated to Phoenician culture.
Bryn Mawr Classical Review, 2024
A. Latzer-Lasar, C.G. Williamson, Making Place in the Ancient City (Journal of Urban Archaeology 9), 2024
Rivista di Studi Fenici 51, 2023
Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 2023
The present contribution examines relations between deities in the Phoenician context. Its princi... more The present contribution examines relations between deities in the Phoenician context. Its principal aim is to reconstruct some of the ways in which the Phoenicians conceived of the divine dimension, its protagonists, and the connections between them.
Bollettino di Archeologia Online, 2021
This paper illustrates the results of the first two excavation campaigns (2016, 2017) in a sector... more This paper illustrates the results of the first two excavation campaigns (2016, 2017) in a sector of the Phoenician and Punic settlement of Pani Loriga (Santadi, Sardinia): the area of the s.c. "Casematte" (Area C), located along a terrace flanking the "acropolis". Activity focused on "ambiente 1", the first of a series of eleven rectangular structures. These were identified and partially explored in the late 1960s by Ferruccio Barreca and Giovanni Tore, who also assigned them a defensive function. On the basis of the stratigraphic sequence recognized so far-it should be emphasized that the excavation is still in progress-it is now possible to date the use of the "ambiente 1" between early 5 th and 4 th centuries BC. The finding of particular objects, such as a kernos, associated with rooster and deer bones and river pebbles, and of many domestic artifacts, concentrated in a small structure near the NW corner, led us to propose that ritual activities took place in this area. However, only further investigations will explain the function of the structure, as well as of the entire complex.
in V. Cicolani, G. Florea (edd.), Autoreprésentations et représentations culturelles en Europe : symbolisme et expression de l’idéologie dans les sociétés de l’âge du Fer de l’Europe tempérée, Pessac, Ausonius Éditions, collection NEMESIS 2, 2024, 9-16, [en ligne] https://una-editions.fr/a-focus-..., 2024
Now more than ever, the term and the notion of identity are central to historical research. Howev... more Now more than ever, the term and the notion of identity are central to historical research. However, their use, which is widely accepted, is not without problems: as cultural anthropology studies have clearly shown, the word often proves to be ineffective in terms of the development of research and therefore of historical interpretation. In the brief notes that follow, I will take stock of the situation, retracing the major problems posed by the identitarian logic and attempting to assign identity itself the correct position and function with regard to historical investigations, taking account of its original values and meanings.
A. Palamidis - C. Bonnet, What’s in a Divine Name? Religious Systems and Human Agency in the Ancient Mediterranean, Berlin-Boston, 2024
In academic research, much of our effort is devoted to reassessing scholarly assumptions and upgr... more In academic research, much of our effort is devoted to reassessing scholarly assumptions and upgrading our knowledge according to new data and/or innovative methodological frameworks. This paper shares these concerns relating to what scholars often too quickly regard as "the god Baal". By analysing the whole extant epigraphic documentation attesting the term bʿl from Phoenicia and Cyprus, made possible thanks to the MAP database, we will argue that scholars should be more prudent in evoking this divine entity as such, and act accordingly when studying his cult, diffusion and iconography.
"The Phoenicians in Italy", in M. Maiuro (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy (1000--49 BCE), Oxford, 2024
Driven mainly by the search for minerals and the establishment of new markets, the Phoenicians re... more Driven mainly by the search for minerals and the establishment of new markets, the Phoenicians reached the western Mediterranean at the beginning of the first millennium BCE. Part of a far-reaching phenomenon that saw the arrival in the west of different groups from the Levant, Cyprus, and the Aegean, they gave birth, in about two centuries, to a number of settlements that covered the vast area between Malta, North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and the Iberian peninsula. In all the regions where they had a stable presence, the Phoenicians participated in numerous forms of settlement, the character of which cannot be reduced to a single pattern derived from a pre-organized and consistent plan. This chapter traces the development of the Phoenician presence in central Italy and on the two main Italian islands.
A. Ercolani, I. Oggiano (a cura di), Scrittura e scritture. Invenzione, innovazione e applicazione (Collezione di Studi fenici 53), Roma, 2023
Bonnet et alii, Naming and Mapping the Gods in the Ancient Mediterranean. Spaces, Mobilities, Imaginaries, 2022
The article is devoted to the study of the relationships between the sanctuary cult and the funer... more The article is devoted to the study of the relationships between the sanctuary cult and the funerary cult in the Phoenician context
G. Bourogiannis, Beyond Cyprus: Investigating Cypriot connectivity in the Mediterranean from the Late Bronze Age to the end of the Classical period, Athens, 2022
The present paper offers some reflections on the attestation in the western Phoenician Mediterran... more The present paper offers some reflections on the attestation in the western Phoenician Mediterranean of certain deities –namely Pumay, Pygmalion, Eshmun-Melqart and Reshef-Melqart– which may testify to connections of some kind with Cyprus. Its main goal is to provide food for thought on the contribution that the island culture may have made to the formation and development of the Phoenician West.
A. Roppa – M. Botto – P. van Dommelen (edd.), Il Mediterraneo occidentale dalla fase fenicia all’egemonia cartaginese. Dinamiche insediative, forme rituali e cultura materiale nel V sec. a.C., 2021
The aim of the present contribution is to outline some aspects of the religious landscape of Sard... more The aim of the present contribution is to outline some aspects of the religious landscape of Sardinia from the end of the 6th through the 5th century BC. This period is traditionally linked to Carthaginian overseas expansionist policy, which probably implied a gradual shift in the cultural landscape of the region, involving adaptations and changes in the ideologies of local communities. Investigation of the forms and ways of devotion is used as a fresh perspective on the cultural and religious aspects that developed in this remarkable period.
B. Costa - É. Guillon (eds.), Insularité, îléité, insularisation en el Mediterráneo fenicio y púnico (Eivissa 2017), 2020
Impressió, maquetació i disseny: Edicions MIC TREBALLS DEL MUSEU ARQUEOLÒGIC D'EIVISSA I FORMENTE... more Impressió, maquetació i disseny: Edicions MIC TREBALLS DEL MUSEU ARQUEOLÒGIC D'EIVISSA I FORMENTERA, sèrie fundada per Jordi H. Fernández el 1979, s'intercanvia amb tota mena de publicacions afins d'Arqueologia i d'Història, per tal d'incrementar els fons de la Biblioteca del Museu Arqueològic d'Eivissa i Formentera. TREBALLS DEL MUSEU ARQUEOLÒGIC D'EIVISSA I FORMENTERA, serie fundada por Jordi H. Fernández en 1979, se intercambia con toda clase de publicaciones afines de Arqueología e Historia con el fin de incrementar los fondos de la Biblioteca del Museo Arqueológico de Ibiza y Formentera. TREBALLS DEL MUSEU ARQUEOLÒGIC D'EIVISSA I FORMENTERA, series founded by Jordi H. Fernández in 1979, is exchanged with all sorts of publications devoted to Archaeology and History in order to increase the bibliographical collection of the Archaeological Museum of Ibiza and Formentera Library.
G. Garbati - T. Pedrazzi (eds.), Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean. "Identity" and Interculturality in the Levant and Phoenician West during the 5th-2nd Centuries BCE, 2021
The TCM Project: Studies and Reflection on (Phoenician) Identity, in S. Celestino Pérez – E. Rodríguez González (edd.), Un viaje entre el Oriente y el Occidente del Mediterráneo. IX Congreso Internacional des Estudios fenicios y púnicos (Mérida, 22-26 octubre de 2018), Mérida 2020, pp. 917-923.
in A. Ercolani – P. Xella (edd.), Encyclopaedic Dictionary of Phoenician Culture, I. Historical Characters, Leuven-Paris-Bristol (CT) 2018, pp. 110-111, 116, 124-125, 154, 157-159, 160-161, 221.
C. Del Vais – M. Guirguis – A. Stiglitz (edd.), Il tempo dei Fenici. Incontri in Sardegna dall’VIII al III sec. a.C., Nuoro, pp. 296-301
C. Del Vais – M. Guirguis – A. Stiglitz (edd.), Il tempo dei Fenici. Incontri in Sardegna dall’VIII al III sec. a.C., Nuoro 2019, pp. 340-351.
C. Del Vais – M. Guirguis – A. Stiglitz (edd.), Il tempo dei Fenici. Incontri in Sardegna dall’VIII al III sec. a.C., Nuoro 2019, pp. 276-287
B.A. Robinson - S. Bouffier - I. Fumadó Ortega (eds.), Ancient Waterlands, Aix-en-Provence, 2019
in E. Ferrer Albelda – Á. Pereira Delgado (edd.), Los Negocios de Plutón. La economía de los santuarios y templos en la Antigüedad (Sevilla, 24 y 25 de noviembre de 2016), Sevilla 2018 (Spal Monografías, 28), pp. 63-92.
in G. Garbati (ed.), Cercando con zelo di conoscere la storia fenicia. Atti della giornata di studi dedicata a Sergio Ribichini (Roma, 20 marzo 2015), Roma 2018., 2018
in T. Tortosa - S.F. Ramallo Asensio (eds.), El tiempo final de los santuarios ibéricos en los procesos de impacto y consolidación del mundo romano (Murcia, 12-14 de Noviembre de 2015), Madrid 2017, 231-246.
Giuseppe Garbati - Tatiana Pedrazzi (eds.), Transformations and Crisis in the Mediterranean. 'Identity' and Interculturality in the Levant and Phoenician West during the 8th-5th centuries BCE, Rome 2016 (RSF, Suppl; CNR edizioni), pp. 209-228.
The terracotta “grinning” masks are certainly among the most typical artefacts of western Phoenic... more The terracotta “grinning” masks are certainly among the most typical artefacts of western Phoenician coroplastic
production. They have been the subject of important studies and research, which have elaborated the classification and cataloguing
of the products, providing the basis for an analysis of the social and economic background, and for an understanding of their
function, iconography and meaning. Nevertheless, several grey areas continue to characterize the role of these artefacts within the
framework of Phoenician culture, especially with regard to interpreting their symbology and, particularly, one of their essential
features, namely the concealment of the wearer’s “identity” and the subsequent process of reconstructing another identity (in front
of the community). Therefore, examining some recent scholarly contributions and archaeological discoveries and according to an
'identitarian' perspective, the present study aims to retrace some of the main problems and to suggest new or updated lines of
interpretation.
Presentazione del Volume: 17 novembre 2016, ore 9.30 C.N.R. Piazzale Aldo Moro, 7 ROMA Aula Marco... more Presentazione del Volume:
17 novembre 2016, ore 9.30
C.N.R. Piazzale Aldo Moro, 7 ROMA
Aula Marconi
INTERVENGONO:
Alessandro Naso (Direttore dell'Istituto di Studi sul Mediterraneo Antico)
Ida Oggiano (Direttore della Rivista di Studi Fenici, ISMA)
Maria Eugenia Aubet (Universitad Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona)
Paolo Bernardini (Università degli Studi di Sassari)
Giorgio Bejor (Università degli Studi di Milano)