Byrsa’s golden jug tomb. New look at an old discovery.

Abstract

Delattre’s excavation diary indicates that the oinochoe tomb of Byrsa was discovered on August 19, 1889. The object which gives the name to the tomb is of very fine workmanship and was placed in the antechamber of the tomb. Emblematic, it quickly became one of the symbols of Punic Carthage.

From 1929, Jacobsthal integrated this container into the family of Rhodian jugs, dated from the end of the 7th and the beginning of the 6th century BC. It is believed today that these objects –the vast majority – come from workshops located in Eastern Greece, Magna Graecia, Etruria and Campania. However, Byrsa's jug is atypical and is considered, on the basis of its decor, as an object of Phoenician-Punic or Carthaginian origin. Its specifics, perhaps relating to a particular order, could provide us a reading key to the whole.

We would therefore like, through this article, to return to the grave, the jug and the identity of the deceased. For this, we will rely on data relating to funeral furniture and the practices associated with it, the architecture of the tomb and its position in the necropolis.

Key-words: “Rhodian” jug, funeral practices, identity, elite, exchange networks.