The salt flats of Trapani and Marsala (This one pictured is in Nubia.) can trace their origins back to the Phoenicians who colonized and developed the area starting around 700 B.C. The Phoenicians, who soon after became known as Carthaginians because of their establishment of Carthage (i.e. modern-day Tunisia), were master mariners, fisherman, and traders….
Tag: phoenician
Collecting Water
The ruins of the ancient city of Solunto high up on the slope of Mount Catalfano show a sophisticated use of gravity for water collection, as illustrated here by what is left of a large public cistern that sits at the end of the main street. Founded by the Phoenicians circa 700 BC and then…
Go Figurines
The mixing of cultures throughout the Mediterranean, especially in coastal cities and towns, is evident throughout Sicily. Record of such are these “ushabti” housed in the G. Whitaker Museum on Mozia near Marsala. Ushabti are funerary figurines that were common in Ancient Egypt. Buried with the dead, they represent servants or serfs for the deceased…
Castle of Love
Erice boasts a 12th century castle—Il Castello di Venere or the Castle of Venus—that was built on top of an ancient Roman temple dedicated to the goddess of love. However, before the Roman iteration and the still standing current Norman castle, centuries before, the site was dedicated to the ancient Elimi tribe’s mother goddess of…
Prime Real Estate
A view of the island of Mozia from a distance. Mozia (or Motya) was one of the three major settlements in Sicily of the Phoenicians between the 8th and 7th centuries BC along with Solunto and Panormos (Palermo).
The Youth of Motya (Mozia)
The world-renowned “Youth of Motya” is a mid-5th century BC statue made of Parian marble. It was uncovered on the Island of Motya (or Mozia) in 1979 under a mound of dirt and rubble thought to have been created as a barricade during an ancient siege. It has finally returned to Motya after touring the…