Semitic paganisms

[Andrew Dalby]

The Carthaginians were indebted to the Tyrians , not only for their origin , but for thier manners , language , customs, laws, religion, and their great application to commerce. They spoke the same language with the Tyrians, and these the same language with the Canaanites and Israelites; that is , the Hebrew tongue, or at least a language , which was entirely derived from it. Their names had commonly some particular meaning: Thus Hanno signified -Gracious, bountiful ; Dido - amiable, or well-beloved; Sophonisba- one who keepsfaithfully her husbands secrets. From the spirit of religion they likewise joined the name of God to their own , conformably to the genius--that is the Daemon- of the Hebrews. They also used the term 'Poeni Hoplite 'because they originated from phoenicia.

 

 

regards,

An interesting quote. I guess this was written not later than the 18th century? It's a fact that language development and reltionships didn't begin to be fully understood until after that date. At that same time, in fact, people were still saying that Scottish Gaelic was directly descended from Hebrew -- which seems like a fantasy idea now! And some people still insisted that ALL languages must be descended from Hebrew, since it survived from before the Flood.

 

The unknown author you quote was close to the truth, none the less. The languages he mentions are all related; he just didn't quite grasp how Hebrew was related to the others.

 

Interesting...Given that St Augustine is obviously christian and therefore relatively late, how come Punic is dead? Why is there no written punic texts anywhere?

 

There are inscriptions. There was once a literature and libraries; according to Roman sources the libraries of Carthage were given to the Numidian kings, and their eventual fate when Rome conquered Numidia is (I think) not known. The Romans themselves were only interrested in one text -- the Carthaginian farming manual, compiled by Mago. The Roman Senate financed the translation of this into Greek and Latin, by a Roman citizen who was fluent in Punic. Some recipes and instructions attributed to Mago, evidently preserved via these translations, still survive, quoted by Columella (in Latin) and in the Byzantine Greek text called Geoponica. And, so far as I know, that's all that remains of Punic literature.

 

To complete St Augustine's linguistic CV: he learned Greek when he went to school. He hated Homer, because Homer was a school text. He guesses that Greek kids who learned Latin at school must have hated Virgil in just the same way.

 

Nothing personal, Virgil ...

[P.Clodius]

The Roman Senate financed the translation of this into Greek and Latin, by a Roman citizen who was fluent in Punic. Some recipes and instructions attributed to Mago, evidently preserved via these translations, still survive, quoted by Columella (in Latin) and in the Byzantine Greek text called Geoponica. And, so far as I know, that's all that remains of Punic literature.

I'm surprised Pertinax isn't all over that recipe...I believe it was him that did a genuine roman cookout onetime!!