Eternal Civilizations

Genius Terrae Africae: The Egyptian goddess Sekhmet in Carthage > Tanit? Genius Terrae Africae? Terracotta statue, Height: 1.80m, Neo-Punic Epoch, First century CE Punic Africa? Proconsularis? From the sanctuary of Baal, Thinissut, Bir Bouregba, Nabeul, 1903 Bardo National Museum, Tunis * Genius Terrae Africae (the genie of African territory) or Tanit in the form of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet , with a lioness’ head, an Egyptian headdress and a costume that evokes entrapped bird wings, holding a conical object (vase? cornet?), an inscription in Latin from behind ( G.T.A ). * Tanit   was a  Punic  and  Phoenician  goddess, the chief deity of  Carthage   alongside her consort  Baal-hamon . She was the goddess of fertility, motherhood and sky.  S he is given the  epithet   pene baal  (' face of Baal ') and the title  rabat , the female form of " rab"  ('chief'), " rabt ".  In North...

Neptune of Sousse (Tunisia) Neptune , god of sea, stands in his chariot drawn by two hippocampi (sea horses). He holds his trident in his right hand. Roman villa, Hadrumetum (Actual Sousse ). Mosaic (Stone and glass paste). Roman epoch, Middle of the third century CE. From Wad Blibane, Sousse. Sousse Archaeological Museum Photo by: Raafat Reda Ahmed Neptune ( Neptunus ) Roman Originally, a god of freshwater. Neptune became associated with the Greek sea god Poseidon early in Roman history. Unlike the people of Greece, the people of Rome were not seafarers, so Neptune played only a small role in their lives. He did, however, keep many of his freshwater characteristics as he took on the stories of Poseidon , who inhabited the saltwater seas around Greece. The Romans celebrated the festival of the Neptunalia on July 23, the height of summer, when freshwater often was scarce. They would make sacrifices to Neptune in hopes of easing those water shortages. A sanc...

Sarcophagus of the Priestess of Isis in Carthage Sarcophagus lid with representation of a winged lady (probably a priestess of Egyptian goddess Isis). 4th-3rd century BCE 197 x 68 x 76 cm marble Carthage, Rabs necropolis. Carthage National Museum, Tunis. The female figure on this sarcophagus lid holds an incense jar in one hand and a dove in the other. She is wearing a crown with a hawk, a veil and an elegant robe on which traces of black paint and gold have been found. The lid displays a number of cultural influences. It is thought to have been made in Carthage by a Greek craftsman as the marble comes from Greece and the robe follows Greek fashion. However, representing the dead-on sarcophagus lids in this manner was more of an Etruscan custom and the crown is on the Egyptian style. An illustration of a sarcophagus lid from  Carthage  depicting a priestess of  Isis . (Carthage National Museum, Byrsa, Tunisia) By: Raafat Reda Ahmed. ...

Imhotep  (fl. 27th century B.C.E.)  Statue of Imhotep at Louvre Museum, Paris, France. Author: Louvre Museum. His name in ancient egyptian language was " ii m Htp " and it means '' He who comes in peace ". He was a priest-physician, vizier,  and designer of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara .  Imhotep was an official of the Third Dynasty who served  four kings of Egypt, but he was best known as the vizier and high priest of PTAH in the reign of DJOSER  (2630–2611 B.C.E.). He designed and supervised the  building of the STEP PYRAMID at SAQQARA as Djoser’s mortuary  complex.  He was a commoner by birth, born to  Kaneferu and Ankh-Kherdu . Both parents are listed in an  inscription found at WADI HAMMAMAT .  Rising through the ranks in the court and in the temple, Imhotep became treasurer of Lower Egypt, “ the First  After the King ” of Upper Egypt, the administrator of the  Great Palace, the high priest ...

Catacombs of Sousse- Tunisia The honor of the discovery of Hadrumetum (actual Sousse in Tunisia)’s catacombs belongs to the first colonel of the forth regiment of the Algerian skirmishers, Sir. Vincent in 1888, and were methodically excavated from 1903. Five catacombs in total (the Catacombs of Good shepherd, the Catacombs of Severus, the Catacombs of Agrippa, the Catacombs of Hermes, and a fifth one not yet named or entirely discovered), are all located in the northwestern region of Sousse, and they contain openings that were used to lightning and ventilation. And they were also lit with oil lamps placed in wall openings. Each catacomb got its name from the funerary inscriptions which were found inside them. In the etymologic point of view, the term ‘ Catacomb ’ refers to the place on the ‘ Via Appia ’ in Rome, where a famous underground cemetery was built, embracing the holy remains of the apostles “ Peter ” and “ Paul ”. Some scholars refer the name to...

Mummy Yields Earliest Known Egyptian Embalming Recipe The salve predates the peak of mummification in the region by some 2,500 years. The mummy lays delicately curled in the fetal posit now rests in a museum in Turin, Italy, it assumed its vulnerable pose thousands of years ago in Egypt, baked in the searing sands near the banks of the Nile. Dating to some 5,600 years ago, the prehistoric mummy at first seemed to have been created by chance, roasted to a decay-resistant crisp in the desert. But new evidence suggests that the Turin mummy was no accident—and now researchers have assembled a detailed recipe for its embalmment. The ingredient list represents the earliest known Egyptian embalming salve, predating the peak mummification in the region by some 2,500 years. But this early recipe is remarkably similar to the later embalming salves used in extensive rituals to help nobles like King Tut pass into the afterlife. “ It's really interes...