Page:Archaeologia volume 38 part 1.djvu/247

 Recent Excavations at Carthage. 217 of Juno at the Lacinian promontory, to which all the Italians go, it was of all the things exhibited the one most admired. This, they say, came into the possession of Dionysius the Elder, and was sold by him to the Carthaginians for 120 talents. It was purple, and fifteen cubits in size ; it had bands above and below with figures of animals woven in, those above being Susian, those below Persian. In the midst were Jupiter, Juno, Themis, Minerva, Apollo, and Venus, and at each end was Alcimenes, and on each side Sybaris." The peplos was no doubt taken to Rome on the destruction of Carthage, and reconveyed to Carthage by the colony established by Gracchus, which from its name, Junonia, in all probability greatly venerated the goddess. On the occasion of the extraordinary marriage celebrated by Elagabalus between his god Baal and the Coalestis of Carthage, the peplos, no doubt, accompanied the statue of the goddess to Home. It was certainly taken back to Carthage, as we learn from Trebellius Pollio that the Africans on proclaiming Celsus emperor invested him with it. Its ultimate fate is unknown ; but the history we have of it is useful as serving to show the identity of the Dea Coelestis with the old Punic divinity. With regard to Baal-IIamon, the other divinity to whom the tablets are dedicated, he is doubtless the Belsamen mentioned in the Pumulus of Plautus. b His name is probably derived from that of Amoun-Ra, the Egyptian Jupiter, and he was the god Ammon whose worship prevailed so extensively in Africa. He has also been identified with the god Omanes, whom we have mentioned as associated with Anaitis in the temple at Zela in Cappadocia, and who shared the rites of the same goddess in Persia. Like Amoun-lla he was the chief of the gods and the Sun. Selden remarks," " Amanus sane Sol erat, ni fallor, ut Anaitis Luna." As chief of the gods he would be identified by the Greeks with Jupiter, and as the Sun with Apollo. Miinter e seems disposed to look upon him not only as Apollo, but also as Moloch or Saturn. This agrees with a passage in Damascius/ who savs <&oiWe? tl "Svpotrw Kpovav*H, ical BrjX, xal Bo>a6r)v ^n-wo/uzjowt.* The historians' 1 tell us that Hannibal took his vow of eternal hatred to Rome d De Diis Syris, syut. ii. c. viii. c Strabo, xv. 3, 15. e Religion der Karthager, p. 8. f Damascius, Vita Isidori ; in Photii Bibliotheca, cod. 242. BrjXo? STT EtxfyjjjToo, Ai/3u? Ke/tX^eros "A./j,fuov, and further on (1. 401), 'HeXto? Ba/3uwi>o5, eV 'EXXot AeXo ' h Polybius, iii. 11 ; Corn. Nepos, Hannibal, cap. 2. VOL. XXXVIII. 2 F
 * Act v. sc. 2, C".
 * Hist. Aug. Script. Triginta Tyranni ; de Celso.
 * Nonnus, Dionysiaca xl. Bacchus, addressing Hercules-Astrochiton, or the Sun, says (1. 392)
 * A9rts ety>t>s NeiXwo?, "Apcn/r K/sow?, 'Atravpiw: Zevs.