The island of Motya
(modern Mozia) off the
west coast of Sicily
holds several remarkable places of interest: the Villa Withaker with its
museum, the Phoenician or Punic cemetery, and the sanctuary of Khoton dedicated to the goddess Astarte.
Joseph Whitaker was an intellectual entrepreneur from Palermo
who excavated the island in the first two decades of the 20th century. He
organized his rich collection of ceramics, glass, coins, vases, jewelry,
terracotta artefacts, and mosaics in separate rooms of his estate. This display
shows how a private collector could present his precious finds to his friends
and guests. At the same time, it is a unique view of archaeology on Motya that yielded so many Punic
artifacts.
The museum's pride is the white marble statue of a charioteer that was
found buried in a shallow grave on the road to the sanctuary (see: Amazing charioteers).
Remarkably, this statue was made almost simultaneously as the bronze charioteer
of Delphi,
whose body was more static and elongated, probably to fit better inside his
chariot.
When visiting the Tophet, the Punic cemetery at the northern end of the
island, one can only be impressed by the many child graves. The remains were
either put inside a terracotta urn or buried in a rectangular box whose lids
are generally lost. A very moving confrontation! The nearby necropolis was used
from the end of the 8th century until the end of the 6th century BC.
At the seaside, one recognizes the two gate towers from the 5th century
BC. Here, we have to imagine the now inundated road that is connected to the
mainland. By low tide, carts with larger wheels could cross the isthmus, giving
the impression to walk on water. It has been dated to the 6th-5th century BC.
At the other end of the island, the artificial basin of Khoton has
been exposed, actually a sacred area that goes back to the 8th century BC. It
is here that a large temple facing the water was discovered. Inside this
temple, there were initially two upright steles and an obelisk. Viewing the
night sky at the winter equinox, the stones framed the constellation of Orion,
which corresponds to the Phoenician god Baal. During the spring equinox, the
temple's portal framed the same divinity, together with Venus, the Phoenician
Astarte. Terracotta remains of a female statue were unearthed inside the
temple. They belonged to the goddess Astarte, establishing that the temple was
dedicated to her.
Also known as Anahita, Innana, or Ishtar, Astarte embodies the qualities
of water, especially the fertilizing flow of water (see: The powerful goddess Anahita in Persia).
The pool in front of her temple clearly refers to these qualities. She is also
linked to the night sky, fertility, fecundity, and war. Besides Babylon,
her main centers of worship in and around the Mediterranean were Sidon, Tyre,
and Byblos,
as well as Malta and Sardinia. As mentioned in my post about Anahita in Persia, we
should remember that Alexander must
have been well-aware of the role Anahita played in the realm of the Persian
gods. Like so many other Greeks of his days, he may have assimilated her with
Aphrodite.
During the latest excavation campaign, a beautiful head of the goddess
Astarte was found. It was made of terracotta covered with a shiny layer of
white on her face, red for her curly hair, and gold for her divine diadem. It
could be dated to between 520 and 480 BC. The head was discovered inside a
round votive pit and a relief rosette that shows traces of gilding. The rosette
is one of the most widespread and popular symbols in the eastern Mediterranean and further inland, confirming the
Phoenician goddess's presence. Also, the mold of a dolphin with a large naive
eye was discovered.
The face of Astarte represents an astral goddess (based on the rosette)
and a marine goddess (based on the dolphin). She is the Lady of life, goddess
of fertility, love, and the sea and navigation, of fresh and seawater. The
terracotta is Greek, although made in Sicily
as was customarily done by the Phoenicians of Motya.
Recent archaeological investigations have shed new light on Motya as the oldest city in Sicily. This sacred area
of the Kothon is set
around a rectangular pool 52.5 m long. It was bordered by a circular temenos
measuring 118 m in diameter, encircling three larger temples. The Kothon was dedicated to Baal, the
main Phoenician god, lord of the sea, god of the storm and fertility, and to
his companion, the goddess Astarte who had her own little temple there.
Eventually, the mighty Astarte/Aphrodite of Motya survived as she merged with the goddesses of the
peoples who already lived here.
Once again, it makes me wonder how much Alexander knew about these western territories and their
beliefs. The fact is that we may never find the answer.
[Except for the first two pictures, the next ones come from The Archaeology News Network]
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