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How to Re-Place Carthaginian Votive Dedications into Context

Friends of ASOR present the next webinar of the 2024-2025 season on April 2, 2025, at 2:00 pm EDT, presented by Dr. Brien Garnand. This webinar will be free and open to the public. Registration through Zoom (with a valid email address) is required. This webinar will be recorded and all registrants will be sent a recording link in the days following the webinar.

Upcoming anniversaries of American excavations offer an opportunity to reassess the importance of Carthage, famous for its contacts and conflicts with Greeks and Romans across the Mediterranean and infamous for its alleged ritual infanticide. Two American teams conducted excavations at the city’s liminal open-air votive precinct, where one finds cremated infant remains buried in urns beneath stone memorials bearing dedications to the Mistress, Tinnit Visage-of-Ba‘l, and to the Lord, Ba‘l Hammon.

The Carthaginian precinct remained in use from the city’s foundation (ca.800 BCE) until its destruction by Rome (146 BCE). Thousands of inscribed stelae found there provide the vast majority ( > 90%) of the Phoenician-Punic epigraphic corpus and provide evidence for the development of alphabetic writing; uninscribed stelae add to iconographic repertoires; and key amulet and urn typologies arise from this site. In sum, no Phoenician precinct stands anywhere near equal in importance to this singular sanctuary, one of the most studied and least understood cultural features of Phoenician-Punic society. Interpretation of the site remains difficult—in no small part due to a lack of stratigraphic data since final reports have not been forthcoming.

The centennial and golden anniversaries of American excavations fast approach—one hundred years ago, F. W. Kelsey of the University of Michigan led a campaign under the auspices of the AIA (1925); fifty years ago, L. E. Stager of University of Chicago led another under the auspices of ASOR (1976-1979). Both teams excavated in the same propriété Regulus-Salammbô, with Stager’s Punic Project excavations picking up where Kelsey had left off. Even before the American campaigns, many stelae had already been extracted through clandestine or amateur excavation, including hasty extractions made just before Kelsey arrived on site, depriving us of their context. Nevertheless, our archival research at the University of Michigan has uncovered excavation records that, in combination with the Punic Project records, allow us to locate stela in plan and section. We have made practice scans of stelae, in the Netherlands and Denmark, in anticipation of scanning individual stela now held in Tunisian museum store rooms. This talk will demonstrate how 3D models of individual stelae can be replaced into their original positions by using archival site plans and annotated photographs and in reference to the positions of those stelae still in situ, and it will demonstrate how we can create a precise scale model of the Regulus-Salammbô sector.

Brien Garnand is a research associate of the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE) and a visiting researcher at the Netherlands Institute for the Near East (NINO), currently a member of a research group at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (IIAS). He has contributed to the final excavation report from the ASOR Punic Project Carthage excavations since 1993, recently co-editing a preview of that report in a thematic volume of the Journal of Ancient History (Infants as Votive Offerings 2023). Besides cataloging artifacts in the basement of the HMANE and in the store rooms of the Musée national de Carthage, he has scoured the archives of the F. W. Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan and the J. B. Chabot archives at the Université catholique de Louvain in preparation for an exhibition timed to correspond with the issue of the Punic Project final report on the the 50th/100th anniversaries of American excavations. He once served as assistant director of the Stanford University Excavations at Mt. Polizzo in Sicily, and he has extensive experience in North Africa, both in field survey (Project Jerba—University of Pennsylvania/AAR/INP) and in excavation (Carthage Bir Messaouda—University of Amsterdam/INP). His current research focuses on votive stelae, both putting the formulaic-poetic language of Phoenician inscriptions into the context of Ancient Near Eastern literature and putting the sanctuary of Tinnit and Ba‘l in Carthage into the context of votive precincts across the Mediterranean. A mobility grant from NINO (2022) allowed him to test 3D scanning methods, and a recent ASOR Dar Ben Gacem fellowship (2023) supported a research visit to the Carthage precinct where he prepared a preliminary 3D site model.

SPONSOR A WEBINAR!

Several levels of support from $50-$1,000 are available. Proceeds go towards membership scholarships and towards increasing ASOR’s virtual resources. Each sponsorship is tax-deductible and includes benefits! Sponsor a webinar here. 

WHY SPONSOR ONLY ONE?

Season Sponsorships are also available from the ASOR Online Store here!

Click here for more information on the benefits of becoming a season sponsor or sponsoring a single webinar.

BROWSE THE NEWS ARCHIVE

  • Friends of ASOR Tours: Archaeological Tour of Cyprus 2026
  • Shepard Urgent Action Grant Report: The Al Haniyah Emergency Documentation Project
  • 2025 Call for Vice President
  • Virtual Archaeology Initiative: 2025 Dig Diaries

Latest Posts from @ASORResearch

asor_research

Initiating and supporting research of the history and cultures of the Near East and wider Mediterranean world.


In a world of many gods, why did biblical Israel i
In a world of many gods, why did biblical Israel insist on worshiping only one? Israel's distinctive monolatry—a unique, covenantal bond with YHWH akin to marriage—shaped their identity. Michael B. Hundley explores this in the final article in a 4-part series in ANE Today. Click the link (https://anetoday.org/monolatry-to-monotheism/) in our bio. #anetoday


While conducting fieldwork this summer, ASOR invit
While conducting fieldwork this summer, ASOR invites you to make Dig Diaries! ⛏️ Dig Diaries can be short videos/reels 🎥 discussing research questions for your project, explaining an element of an excavation/survey, etc. We welcome creativity! Read more here: https://buff.ly/h1ZSfPZ (click the link in our bio). Submissions can be emailed to info@asor.org.


Friends of ASOR invites you to venture to the sea
Friends of ASOR invites you to venture to the sea in 2026 and join an unforgettable journey through Cyprus, where archaeology meets breathtaking Mediterranean beauty. Next summer, join 15+ ASOR archaeologists and immerse yourself in behind-the-scenes tours with scholars, archaeologists, excavators, and museum curators including visits to:

🏺 Idalion with Dr. Pamela Gaber
⛏️ Kalavasos excavation updates with Dr. Kevin Fisher
🍽️ Dinner conversations with Dr. William Dever
📚 Private tour and dinner at CAARI with Dr. Lindy Crewe 

Plus curated visits to Kourion, Nea-Paphos, and more. For more details: https://www.asor.org/foa/tours


Check out the 2025 issue of the Journal of Cuneifo
Check out the 2025 issue of the Journal of Cuneiform Studies. JCS 77 includes great articles from James Burgin, Stephen Moore, Niek Veldhuis, Jon Beltz, Céline Debourse, and more. Click the link (https://www.asor.org/news/2025/07/jcs77-toc/) in our bio to see the Table of Contents!


Tomorrow, August 1, is the deadline to submit post
Tomorrow, August 1, is the deadline to submit poster proposals for the Poster Session as part of the 2025 Annual Meeting. Submit your proposal via ASOR’s online portal before it's too late! Click the link (https://buff.ly/99Bkbqj) in our bio for instructions.


We are pleased to share that the Getty Research In
We are pleased to share that the Getty Research Institute has announced a call for applications from predoctoral, postdoctoral, and other scholars for its residential 2026–2027 grant cycle under the theme of "Provenance." The deadline is 1 October 2025. (Please note that these grants and fellowships are resident at the Getty in Los Angeles, California, and are not affiliated with ASOR.) Click the link (https://www.getty.edu/projects/getty-scholars-program/) in our bio!


Aayush Umesh, a 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwo
Aayush Umesh, a 2025 Eric and Carol Meyers Fieldwork Scholarship Recipient, excavated at Tall Hisban, Jordan, in May. While excavating an Ayyubid-era kitchen, Aayush immersed himself in analyzing agricultural practices from the time. Read his fieldwork report by clicking the link (https://www.asor.org/news/2025/07/fieldwork-report-umesh) in our bio. 
#Archaeology #Jordan #TallHisban


The #ObjectoftheWeek from this week's ANE Today: C
The #ObjectoftheWeek from this week's ANE Today: Ceramic water filter with bird motif, Fatimid period (969-1171 CE). Kelsey Museum 1971.1.13. Image source: https://buff.ly/t8oE9Uo #Egypt #Fatimid


Multiple characters in the bible can be classified
Multiple characters in the bible can be classified as gods. What characteristics make them gods, and what is the relationship between them? Read the third article in a 4-part series by Michael Hundley in the newest Ancient Near East Today by clicking the link in our bio.

📸  gallica.bnf.fr / Bibliothèque municipal de Rouen.


A reminder that ASOR invites poster proposals for
A reminder that ASOR invites poster proposals for the Poster Session as part of the 2025 ASOR Annual Meeting. The deadline to submit a poster proposal is August 1 and must be uploaded via ASOR’s online portal. Click the link in our bio to read the Call for Posters.


It is a busy and exciting time of year for many AS
It is a busy and exciting time of year for many ASOR-affiliated projects. Check out the latest edge-of-the-trowel news from the field. Survey, excavation, processing artifacts, visiting sites, talking to the public, hosting outreach events, remote sensing, conservation—these projects' social media accounts offer a slice-of-life look at archaeological projects. @eimawa_unimi @gmap_erbil @kurdqaburstanproject @maproject360 @mozia.unipa @phoenixprojesi @polatli_survey @syedra_antik_kenti @tellatchana @azekah_excavations @telltimaiproject @turkmenkarahoyukprojesi


ASOR is pleased to offer 10 grants of $250 each to
ASOR is pleased to offer 10 grants of $250 each to support student travel to the Annual Meeting this November. Students must be enrolled at an ASOR Institutional Member School to qualify for these grants. Not at an Institutional Member School? ASOR is also looking for Session Assistants who will receive hotel support in exchange for assisting with the hybrid aspects of the meeting. Click the link (https://www.asor.org/fellowships/annual-meeting-scholarships/student-travel-grants/) in our bio to learn more about applying! #asor25


The “Heritage Advocacy in North Africa” projec
The “Heritage Advocacy in North Africa” project ran from August 2021 to September 2023 with the aim of promoting cultural and religious freedom through heritage protection and advocacy in Morocco and Tunisia. This goal was grounded in the belief that involving people of all backgrounds in the active protection of ethnic and religious minority heritage could help strengthen relationships between communities and contribute to building more resilient societies. See our latest blog post (https://www.asor.org/chi/updates/2025/07/asor-north-africa-heritage) for the outcomes of this Cultural Heritage Initiatives project.


Lonnie Reid, a 2024 Fieldwork Scholarship recipien
Lonnie Reid, a 2024 Fieldwork Scholarship recipient, excavated at Qach Rresh in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Using magnetometry, Lonnie surveyed the Neo-Assyrian fields with a unique and precise method. Click the link (https://www.asor.org/news/2025/06/fieldwork-report-reid) in our bio to read about his experience!
#asorfieldwork #asordigs


The #ObjectoftheWeek from this week's ANE Today: P
The #ObjectoftheWeek from this week's ANE Today: Part of a model chariot, with an impression of the sun god Shamash rising over the mountains. Ceramic, ca. 2000 – 1600 BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art 48.131. Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/324049


Many people assume there is only one god in the Ol
Many people assume there is only one god in the Old Testament—one who is both omniscient and omnipotent. However, a closer look reveals many other gods who differ from the stereotype. Read the second article in a 4-part series by Michael Hundley in the latest ANE Today by clicking the link (https://anetoday.org/god-hebrew-bible-part1/) in our bio.

📸 ©2021 GrandPalaisRmn (Musée du Louvre) / Stéphane Maréchalle.


ASOR is turning 125—and we want you to be part o
ASOR is turning 125—and we want you to be part of the celebration! Our special anniversary dinner will take place during this year's Annual Meeting in Boston, and we hope you'll join us for this unforgettable evening of community, celebration, and reflection on ASOR's history. 

We'll be kicking off the festive occasion at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza. Enjoy an evening of exceptional dining, entertainment, and ASOR-themed activities, featuring speakers who have been integral to ASOR's mission. Your presence will help make this milestone truly meaningful. Register for the event by clicking the link in our bio.


Summer is in full swing, but it’s not too early
Summer is in full swing, but it’s not too early to think about your fall calendar. The Annual Meeting Program-at-a-Glance, as well as information about business meetings and special events, can be found on the 2025 ASOR Annual Meeting Schedules Page. Make sure to include the plenary address by Timothy P. Harrison and ASOR’s 125th Anniversary Celebration when you plan your ASOR 2025 itinerary. Check it out by clicking the link (https://www.asor.org/am/2025/schedules-2025) in our bio.


We did it (once again)! The 2025 fiscal year has o
We did it (once again)! The 2025 fiscal year has officially come to a close, and ASOR has set a record member participation rate for gifts this year thanks to our generous donors. It is truly gratifying to see our members and friends choosing to invest in ASOR and helping us make our work possible. Thank you again for your support!


ASOR was delighted to participate in the DC Day of
ASOR was delighted to participate in the DC Day of Archaeology Festival by @aitc_dc this past Saturday, June 28 at Tudor Place. The ASOR table included activities like a sandbox to dig up artifacts, puzzles, trivia, plus posters about our organization and free journals to give out! Read more by clicking the link in our bio. #dcdayofarchaeology



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