The sacred pool of Ba'al: a reinterpretation of the ‘Kothon’ at Motya

• Autores: Lorenzo Nigro
• Localización: Antiquity, ISSN 0003-598X, Vol. 96, Nº 386, 2022, págs. 354-371
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The Phoenician island-city of Motya, off the west coast of Sicily, has long been a focus of archaeological research. Earlier excavations identified a large rectangular basin interpreted, by analogy with Carthage, as a ‘kothon’ or artificial inner harbour. Recent investigations of this feature, however, lead the author to a new interpretation. Rather than a harbour, the so-called ‘Kothon’ is revealed as a sacred freshwater pool at the centre of a monumental circular sanctuary hosting three large temples. The pool, watched over by a statue of Ba'al, also served as a surface for observing and mapping the movement of stars, as emphasised by the alignment of structures and features positioned around the sacred enclosure.