Temples in the Sacred Area of the Kothon at Motya and their Levantine prototypes: recent discoveries of Sapienza University of Rome (original) (raw)
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Temples in Motya and their Levantine prototypes: Phoenician religious architectural tradition
Recent archaeological investigations in Motya by Rome «La Sapienza» University brought about a series of sacred buildings and clarified several aspects of already known ones, revealing the deep roots linking the Sicilian colony to its homeland. If the Temple of the Kothon, dedicated to Baal in the southern quadrant of the city, encompassed by a monumental Circular Temenos, and the Temple of “Cappiddazzu” (possible devoted to Melqart), show the transmission to the West of the architectural typologies of monumental royal sanctuaries, the Four Rooms Building and the Long-Room tripartite temple, other sacred places, like the Shrine of Astarte in Area F or the Temple of the same Goddess again in the Sacred Area of the Kothon may be also considered Punic developments of the religious architectural tradition of the Levant.
From Tyre to Motya: the temples and the rise of a Phoenician colony
Recent discoveries in Motye in the area of the Temple of the Kothon, where the earliest Phoenician settlement in the Sicilian island were identified, have shown a direct connection with Tyre (two Cypriote like amphorae of the same types retrieved in the necropolis of Tyre al-Bass) strenghtening the idea that Motye arose according to a plan which had Tyre as model for its urban layout: two main temples - one to the north, the other to the south - were the main poles of the city
Rendiconti Online della Società Geologica Italiana, 2021
The present study focuses on archaeobotanical analyses performed at the Phoenicians site of Motya, a small island (ca. 45 ha) located in the Stagnone di Marsala, in western Sicily. The study of macro-remains focused on two closed contexts: a votive favissa by the sacred area of "Cappiddazzu", and a disposal pit in Area D, both dating between the 8 th and the 6 th century BC. In the latter context, palynological analyses were also performed. The study allows to reconstruct sacred and secular aspects of humanenvironment interactions of Phoenicians at Motya, also providing information regarding past environment. Concerning the ritual sphere, ceremonial meals likely accompanied animal sacrifices. Food and flower offerings are also attested. Interesting is the finding of officinal plants and plants toxic to livestock. From the secular perspective, information was gathered on human diet, crop processing, import products and land exploitation. Finally, a combination of palynology and anthracology has allowed to describe the environment and highlight changes that occurred with time.
A History of Water Series III. Volume 1: Water and Urbanization. Edited by T. Tvedt and T. Oestigaard, I.B. Tauris, London/New York 2014, pp. 89-106
Water played a primary role in Near Eastern religious beliefs and cults. The Phoenicians, one of the foremost populations living in the Levant at the beginning of the first millennium BC, erected their cult buildings close to natural spring waters, and the water was collected inside huge sanctuaries, such as Bostan esh-Sheikh in Lebanon, Amrit in Syria, and many other sacred compounds. Moreover, the presence of fresh water has been one of the necessary conditions for the rising of a city since early urbanization. This chapter aims to present and discuss the case study of the Phoenician site of Motya, where a sacred compound, named “Temple of the Kothon” was erected close to a freshwater spring by the first settlers coming from the homeland. This highlights how the creation of this sacred area molded the later urban plan of the city. The Temple is strictly linked to an artificial basin, the so-called “Kothon,” which collects the water of the under-hearth spring. This arrangement has close similarities to some of the most important sacred compounds of the Phoenician homeland, both from an architectural and a cult point of view. After a brief introduction about the Phoenician origins of the city of Motya, the main architectural phases of the Temple of the Kothon and the principal finds will be described, and the cult installations found inside the Temple, and the role the water held in the cult, will be interpreted in light of the results of recent excavations
The Temple of Astarte "Aglaia" at Motya and Its Cultural Significance in the Mediterranean Realm
Religious Convergence in the ancient Mediterranean, 2019
Recent excavations at Motya by the Sapienza University of Rome and the Sicil-ian Superintendence of Trapani have expanded our information on the Phoenician goddess Astarte, her sacred places, and her role in the Phoenician expansion to the West during the first half of the first millennium BCE. Two previously unknown religious buildings dedicated to this deity have been discovered and excavated in the last decade. The present article discusses the oldest temple dedicated to the goddess, located in the Sacred Area of the Kothon in southwestern quadrant of the island (Zone C). The indigenous population worshipped a major goddess at the time of Phoenician arrival, so that the cult of Astarte was easily assimilated and transformed into a shared religious complex. Here, the finds that connect Astarte of Motya with her Mediterranean parallels are surveyed. These in sum, demonstrate the centrality of religious ideology in Levantine expansion to the West as a means for constructing an inclusive West Phoenician cultural identity.
S. Blackley, B.J. Collins (eds.), Religious Convergence in the Ancient Mediterranean (Studies in Ancient Mediterranean Religions), Atlanta: Lockwood Press, 2019
Votive deposits in the Temple of the Kothon devoted to Baal, excavated by Rome La Sapienza University Expedition to Motya in recent years, provide a highly representative set of data for considering religious and cultural features of Phoenicians’ culture in the West. The analysis of faunal and malacological remains, and the study of items and pottery found inside such deposits, brought new clues for disentangling the procedures and the meanings of ritual customs and cult practices. Fruits and food offerings, as well as animal slaughter performed in the sacred area give back a clear picture of Phoenician religious traditions as reelaborated in western Sicily.
Towards a Definition of the Pre-Classical Phoenician Temple in the Southern Levant
Palestine Exploration Quarterly, 2018
Though our knowledge of Iron Age Phoenician cultic architecture is quite limited, the available data suggests that pre-Classical Phoenician temples followed a similar plan which displayed several unique architectural features. This plan originated from a long held, Bronze Age, Canaanite tradition which became especially prominent along the northern Levantine coast from the Middle Bronze Age II, appearing alongside other temple plans. This article aims to demonstrate that during the Iron Age and most of the Persian period, this temple plan became the predominant temple type in Phoenicia and its dependencies. It was only during the late Persian period, that a drastic change occurred, and this millennia-old plan was abandoned in favor of other temple types. Nevertheless, it appears that despite this seemingly radical change, the most notable feature of the traditional plan was preserved.