Carthage Stone Text (170 BCE)

Punic texts exhibit either Phoenician or Aegean metaphysical biases. This one exhibits the Aegean bias of blaming the inappropriate mixing of spiritual powers. Phoenician texts generally are supportive of magic and the motion powers in contrast to their southern neighbors, the Israelites who were anti-magic and supportive of the life powers.

Carthage Stone as display at the Carthage National Museum in Byrsa, Tunisia. Photo from م ض via Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mus_Carthage.JPG
Carthage Stone as display at the Carthage National Museum in Byrsa, Tunisia. Photo from م ض via Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mus_Carthage.JPG

Line by Line Explanation

  1. Threads are the channels of the life network through which fertility fluids flow to trigger Yahu to manifest life forms. But, fertility fluids affected by negative human emotions which are not being covered  up but are instead being made manifest by the motion source god and full moon god Su. The sun god Hu represents the life network but it is not being properly formed.
  2. Thu is the hermaphrodite motion power deity for the connective layer of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm. He is the one who normally filters out negative human emotions but he is being intimidated by the source power of this motion powers which is Su.
  3. Eagle vultures are the familiars which edit the life network by cutting off unwanted links.
  4. Lack of drought depends on a working life network represented by the sun god Hu and the pushing of the fertility fluids through it by spiritual motion (wind) powers represented by the owl familiar.
  5.  Humans emotions are causing the misery 
  6.  The astrological motion powers are in control of human emotions right now.
  7. This line makes a connection between the life powers and motion powers by using the analogy of sex.

Translation of Carthage Stone Text Blames Drought on Negative and Unblocked Emotions (170 BCE)

(September 5, 2022) This text is blaming  a drought on negative and unblocked human emotions. Normally the connective hermaphrodite motion power deity, Thu, blocked most of these negative emotions before they could affect the flow of fertility fluids through the life network represented by sun god Hu. In this case Thu is being restrained by the astrological motion source powers represented by the full moon god Su.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 13)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. Lu Qu ḪaWu Le'u. IA Šu Qu. E ḪaSu. Su IMu Du. Mu Ta'u Ru. E ReTu A. Tu NūNu Bu Ḫu.
  2. Tu Lu Ṭu. MuTa Lu Ṭu U APu Nu. Ba'u I' QaRu. Apu Nu. Ba'u Yabu A Tu MaNu. ḪaNu Su Bu NuNu.
  3. Du RuQu Bu. Nu HuNu AWu. Hu Bu Ru. Nu MaṬu. Nu A Ma'u Ya Hu Mu. IWu Qu Se'u. Bu PaMu IDu RaQu.
  4. Bu Pamu ID RaQu. Bu Nu Be'u. Ya Ḫu Nu A Bu. NaBu PaMu ID Raqu. Lu IṢu ŠuḪu U Aku Nu A.
  5. Ṣu Ḫu RaQu Nu. Ṣu Qu EMu U Ṣu AMu. A Tu Ba'u. MaDu DaRu QaTu Du. IMu EQu Q. WA T A
  6. A Tu Imu Nu. Ṣu U Ḫu RaSu UMu. A NuNu MaWu. BaQu QeNu RaMu U Le'u IṢu Pu. IMu A Ḫu Pu 
  7. U'a Nu Tu. EMu Ḫu TaBu. Mu A Tu. INu AZu Qu. E A Pu Mu. E A U ṢȃLu AYu Lu Gi. Ya Le'u IMu NeKu

In English

  1. The lack of threading is the howling of the astrological-powers. Yahu (IA) is being the same as the threading. Nothing is being covered-up. Su manifests the emotions. Fertility-fluids are being pastured by the eagle-vultures. Nothing is being set by them. Anarchic magic is nourishing Hu.
  2. Magic is lacking Thu. The murderer is lacking Thu and veiling the Revealer (Yahu). The nest (network) determines the fate of Yahu (I'). Veiled is the Revealer. The nest's enemy is supported by this magic. Intimidation by Su is nourishing anarchy.
  3. Life-manifesting is being made difficult for the nourishments (fertility-fluids). The Revealer (Yahu) is being intimidated by the motion-powers. Hu is being nourished by the eagle-vultures. The Revealer is scarce. Those revelations are not being pushed by Hu's fertility-fluids. The redirection of threads is being inhibited. Nourishments are clamoring for the difficult life-channels. 
  4. Nourishments are clamoring for the ignored life-channels. Nourishments nest the Revealer. Shouldn’t Hu be revealing those nourishments? The Nourishment-Revealer (Yahu) is clamoring for the difficult life-channels. A lack of scarcity depends on the wind and emotion-owls will be revealing that.
  5. The activity of Hu is being difficult for the Revealer (Yahu). The activity of the threads is being supervised and activated by the Reed-Boat (Ayu). Her magic is nested. The creation of invisible-forms is ending in life-manifestations, (but) emotions are making ineffective the life-threads. Misery is from those magical-powers.
  6. This magic is revealed by emotions. Activity and Hu are being attacked by the storm-powers. This makes anarchic the waters. The swarm (stars) is taking possession of the emotional-releasing and the astrological powers are making-scarce the openings. Those emotions open Hu.
  7. Misery is being revealed by magic. The Supervisor (Ayu) arouses Hu. Fertility-fluids are crafted by magic for that. Moon-eyes are associating with the threads. None of this is opening-up the fertility-fluids. None of this is fighting Ayu’s lack of energy. Do not the astrological-powers emotionally-empower illicit-sex..
Carthage and Rome just prior to the first Punic war of 264 BCE. Wikimedia Commons

History of Carthage at This Time

(August 29, 2022) The First Punic War started in Sicily 264 BCE and lasted until 241 BCE with Carthage coming out on the losing side. In the peace treaty Carthage paid large reparations to Rome and Sicily was annexed by Rome. The end of the war sparked a major but unsuccessful revolt within the Carthaginian Empire by mercenary troops and many Carthaginian colonies. This is called the Mercenary War and it lasted until 238 BCE.

(Continue Reading)

Near the end of this chaos and contrary to the peace treaty, the Romans took over the Carthaginian islands of Sardinia and Corsica just off their coast. These continuing tensions led to another war in 218 BCE which led to the Carthaginian general Hannibal crossing the Alps into Italy. But the Carthaginians did not have siege technology needed to take Rome so all they could do was raid the countryside while Rome supplied itself via trade since it now had command of the sea.

Because Rome could not defeat Hannibal’s experienced army, Rome invaded the weakly defended Carthaginian homeland in 204 BC. This led to Hannibal's recall and  his new local army was defeated at the battle of Zama in 202 BC. Carthage then sued for peace and signed a peace treaty in 201 BC which stripped Carthage of most of its colonies and imposed a large indemnity to be paid over 50 years. It also severely restricted the size of its armed forces and prohibited Carthage from attacking anyone else without permission. Carthage ceased to be a military threat. When this indemnity was paid off Rome declared war on Carthage for a third time in 149 BCE and razed Carthage itself in 146 BCE.

Major Mediterranean Droughts Based on Water Level of Dead Sea

(August 29, 2022) This figure shows a drought around 170 BCE and the start of  the Great Drought which ended the Bronze Age starting around 1200 BCE.

Reference


Michael McCormick, Ulf Büntgen, Mark A. Cane, Edward R. Cook, Kyle Harper, Peter Huybers, Thomas Litt, Sturt W. Manning, Paul Andrew Mayewski, Alexander F. M. More, Kurt Nicolussi and Willy Tegel (Autumn 2012) The Journal of Interdisciplinary History Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 169-220 (52 pages). Online at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41678664?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Abae7746fcbe71d8aee4ed23754af16f9&seq=16#page_scan_tab_contents
Main Iron Age Letter Styles

Translation Resources Used

All texts translated to the scholar's standard.

Lexicon Used

Olmsted, D.D (January 1, 2022) Mediterranean Akkadian Lexicon 3rd Edition – 2022. DOI Permanent URL:   http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/nbb6-wg16. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/66851810/Mediterranean_Akkadian_Lexicon_3rd_Edition_2022

Letter Charts Used

Central Mediterranean Iron Age Letters

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 13)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. Lu Qu ḪaWu Le'u. IA Šu Qu. E ḪaSu. Su IMu Du. Mu Ta'u Ru. E ReTu A. Tu NūNu Bu Ḫu. (Med Text 13.1)
  2. Tu Lu Ṭu. MuTa Lu Ṭu U APu Nu. Ba'u I' QaRu. Apu Nu. Ba'u Yabu A Tu MaNu. ḪaNu Su Bu NuNu. (Med Text 13.2)

In English


  1. The lack of threading is the howling of the astrological-powers. Yahu (IA) is being the same as the threading. Nothing is being covered-up. Su manifests the emotions. Fertility-fluids are being pastured by the eagle-vultures. Nothing is being set by them. Anarchic magic is nourishing Hu.
  2. Magic is lacking Thu. The murderer is lacking Thu and veiling the Revealer (Yahu). The nest (network) determines the fate of Yahu (I'). Veiled is the Revealer. The nest's enemy is supported by this magic. Intimidation by Su is nourishing anarchy.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 13)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. (3) Du RuQu Bu. Nu HuNu AWu. Hu Bu Ru. Nu MaṬu. Nu A Ma'u Ya Hu Mu. IWu Qu Se'u. Bu PaMu IDu RaQu. (Med Text 13.3)
  2. (4) Bu Pamu ID RaQu. Bu Nu Be'u. Ya Ḫu Nu A Bu. NaBu PaMu ID Raqu. Lu IṢu ŠuḪu U Aku Nu A. (Med Text 13.4)

In English

  1. (3) Life-manifesting is being made difficult for the nourishments (fertility-fluids). The Revealer (Yahu) is being intimidated by the motion-powers. Hu is being nourished by the eagle-vultures. The Revealer is scarce. Those revelations are not being pushed by Hu's fertility-fluids. The redirection of threads is being inhibited. Nourishments are clamoring for the difficult life-channels. 
  2. (4) Nourishments are clamoring for the ignored life-channels. Nourishments nest the Revealer. Shouldn’t Hu be revealing those nourishments? The Nourishment-Revealer (Yahu) is clamoring for the difficult life-channels. A lack of scarcity depends on the wind and emotion-owls will be revealing that.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 13)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. (5) Ṣu Ḫu RaQu Nu. Ṣu Qu EMu U Ṣu AMu. A Tu Ba'u. MaDu DaRu QaTu Du, IMu EQu Q. WA T A (Med Text 13.5)
  2. (6) A Tu Imu Nu. Ṣu U Ḫu RaSu UMu. A NuNu MaWu. BaQu QeNu RaMu U Le'u IṢu Pu. IMu A Ḫu Pu (Med Text 13.6)

In English

  1. (5) The activity of Hu is being difficult for the Revealer (Yahu). The activity of the threads is being supervised and activated by the Reed-Boat (Ayu). Her magic is nested. The creation of invisible-forms is ending in life-manifestations, (but) emotions are making ineffective the life-threads. Misery is from those magical-powers.
  2. (6) This magic is revealed by emotions. Activity and Hu are being attacked by the storm-powers. This makes anarchic the waters. The swarm (stars) is taking possession of the emotional-releasing and the astrological powers are making-scarce the openings. Those emotions open Hu.

Translation in Akkadian (Med Text 13)

(read right to left. Capital letters on stone. Inner vowels inferred)
  1. (7) U'a Nu Tu. EMu Ḫu TaBu. Mu A Tu. INu AZu Qu. E A Pu Mu. E A U ṢȃLu AYu Lu Gi. Ya Le'u IMu NeKu (Med Text 13.7)

In English

  1. (7) Misery is being revealed by magic. The Supervisor (Ayu) arouses Hu. Fertility-fluids are crafted by magic for that. Moon-eyes are associating with the threads. None of this is opening-up the fertility-fluids. None of this is fighting Ayu’s lack of energy. Do not the astrological-powers emotionally-empower illicit-sex.