Precinct of Baal Hammon

Ba’al Hammon was first among the Carthaginian gods. Depicted as a bearded man with curling ram horns, he was a sky god, responsible for storms and weather. His sphere of influence therefore was directly linked to seafaring and farming, both of which were important to a sea-going empire and a nation on the edge of a desert. His temples were always open to the sky. In Carthage itself the main sanctuary was Jebel Bu Kornein, a great hill overlooking the bay. Here incense and sacrifices were offered to Ba’al. Stories of children being sacrificed in his flames were probably wildly exaggerated by Roman writers, although Carthaginians were conscious of the need for sacrifice to be sincere. Ba’al may well have a connection to fire, as 'Hammon' may well refer to the Phoenician word for brazier.