While their political institutions were praised, Carthaginian religious life was severely criticized by classical authors above all because of the persistence of human sacrifice. The intensity of religious beliefs was likewise commented on. Naturally the cults at Carthage have similarities with those of Phoenicia from which they derived. The
supreme male deity of the Phoenician world was known in Africa as Baal Hammon, the meaning of the epithet Hammon apparently being fiery and expressive of his solar aspect. He was identified in Roman times with Saturn. In the fifth century he was outstripped, at any rate in popular worship, by a goddess named Tanit. The name is apparently Libyan and the growth of her cult is associated with the acquisition of territory in Africa, because it had pronounced fertility aspects, owing much to the Greek goddesses Hera and Demeter. Crude representations of a female figure with arms raised occur on hundreds of stelae from Carthage and elsewhere. These two deities overshadowed the rest, though we know also of Astarte, Eshmoun (identified with Aesculapius the divine healer) and Melkart, the particular protector of the mother city Tyre. The institution of human sacrifice is proved archaeologically by discoveries not only at Carthage and Hadrumetum but also at Cirta, in Libyan territory but much influenced by Carthaginian culture, and at a number of settlements outside Africa. The discoveries are of sacred enclosures containing urns with the calcined bones of children, often marked by stelae referring to a sacrificial offering generally to Baal Hammon but often to Tanit as well. According to our sources (which have doubtful features) the sacrifices were always of males, were annual, and an obligation on the leading families. The practice certainly declined but an incident in —310 shows that it could be revived in moments of crisis when its neglect was held responsible for divine displeasure. There is no doubt that the emphasis of Carthaginian religious ideas was on the necessity of appeasing the capricious power of the gods. The great majority of Carthaginian names were theophoric, no doubt with the same intention; for example, Hamilcar means favoured by Melkart and Hannibal favoured by Baal. Besides human sacrifice, there was an elaborate sacrificial system involving other victims, and a priesthood including both full
-time priests and others who were not members of a separate caste. In spite of their contacts with Egypt the Carthaginians appear to have attached little importance to the idea of life after death, in this respect being like the early Hebrews. Inhumation was the general rule and the grave-goods moderate; many tombs contained small grotesque masks of terracotta which are assumed to have an apotropaic significance. The Carthaginians were far less influenced even at a late date by Greek civilization than the Etruscans and Romans though they were by no means altogether untouched by it. The cult of Demeter and Kore was officially installed in the city but there was no widespread hellenization of tn<, traditional cults. Artistically the minor crafts of Carthage show little influence, but the few remains of the second century show that by that date architectural influences emanating from the Greek world were being felt not only at a Carthaginian site (Dar Essafi in Cap Bon) but also in Libyan territory (Dougga). Phoenician was used as a literary language, but none of its products has survived. We know of a treatise on agriculture by a certain Mago which was translated into Latin, and it is clear that Mago made use of Greek books on the subject; we hear also of some Carthaginian followers of Greek philosophy.
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Zitat von Nishi
Danke. Hat ja dann doch auch was positives... 
