Page:Archaeologia volume 38 part 1.djvu/246

216 Recent Excavations at Carthage. luminosa culmina, maris salubria flamina, inferorum deplorata silentia, nutibus meis dispense. Cujus numen unicura, multiformi specie, ritu vario, nomine multijugo totus veneratur orbis. Me primigenii Phryges Pessinunticam nomi- nant Deum matrem ; hinc Autochtones Attici Cecropiam Minervam ; illinc fluctuantes Cyprii Paphiam Venerem ; Cretes sagittiferi Dictynnam Dianam ; Siculi trilingues Stygiam Proserpinam ; Eleusinii vetustam Beam Cererem : Junonem alii, Bellonam alii, Hecatam isti, Rhamnusiam illi ; et qui nascentis Dei Solis inchoantibus illustrantur radiis ./Ethiopes, Ariique, priscaque doctrina pollentes ^Egyptii, ccerimoniis me propriis percolentes, appellant vero nomine Reginam Isidcm." After thus setting forth her titles, she gives him directions how to rid himself of his asinine form, and exhorts him to become one of her priests. There can be little doubt then that Tanith is to be looked upon as the great goddess of Carthage, the Ccelestis, Urania, or Juno of the Romans." Her temple is supposed to have been situated on an eminence in close proximity to the Hill of St. Louis or Byrsa, and a little to the north of it, near a spot marked by Falbe o. 53. It vas of great size and magnificence, surrounded by shrines dedi- cated to all the gods related to her. b The hieron or sacred inclosure was in Roman times no less than two miles in extent. It would even appear from Silius Italicus and others, that it contained the temple and grove of Kronos or Saturn. In A.I). J{{)9 this hieron, which had been long closed, and become overgrown with thorny bushes, was cleared out, and the temple consecrated to Christ, the Bishop Aurelius placing his scat on the spot once occupied by the statue of Cu-lestis. During the reign of Constantius III. (A.M. 421) all the temples were rased, and the ground converted into a cemetery. The street leading to the shrine and temple, which had been known as the Via Coelestis, was shortly afterwards destroyed by the Vandals. d The continuous worship of the goddess of Carthage may perhaps be inferred from the history of her veil or peplos. In the Mirabiles Auscultationes, usually ascribed to Aristotle, we find the following passage : e " They say that a garment was made for Alcimenes, the Sybarite, of such magnificence, that at the Panegyry I St. Ambrose says, " Quern Coelestem Afri, Mitram Persje, plerirjue Venerem colunt pro diversitate nominis, non pro nuniinis varietate." Epist. 1, xviii. 30. Sec also Hurodian, lib. v. ' Omnium deoruni suorum sedibus vallatum. Liber de promissis et pncdictionibus, part iii. c. xxxviii. 44 ; ascribed to S. Prosper of Aquitaine, and printed with his works. c Liber de prom, et pnedict., part iii. c. xxxviii. The writer seems to have been present at the consecra- tion. II Victor Vitensis, De Persec. Vandal, lib. i. c. iii. 1 Mirab. Auc. No. xcvi. Some editions read " Alcisthenes." See also Athenseus, lib. xii. c. 58, who adds that it was described by Polemo in a treatise on the sacred garments at Carthage.