Hellenism as subaltern practice: rural cults in the Punic world

Placing Sanctuaries in Their Socio‐Political Landscapes: A Diachronic Approach to the Late Iron Age Communities in South‐East Iberia (Fourth–Second Centuries BC)

“…Parallels observed in other central and west Mediterranean sites lead us to link the introduction of this type in the Iberian sanctuaries to the increasing Mediterranean contacts that defined the period. They were widely imitated by the local communities that were in contact with the Carthaginians and, as it has recently been indicated, with ‘sailors and traders of Punic cultural background’ (Aranegui and Vives‐Ferrándiz , 256), including those in the region under investigation here (Marín and Horn , 9; Van Dommelen and López‐Bertrán , 284, 290).…”

“…Beyond these, other elements documented at the sanctuary, such as zoomorphic figurines (especially horses), piglet burials and bird bones, form part of a symbolic system that can be related to deities of fertility and agriculture. In any case, and despite the fact that these representations have been associated with Demeter (Lillo , 129), it is clear, as has recently been argued, that the presence of ‘Demeter materials’ does not necessarily involve the existence of a ‘Demeter cult and rituals’ (Van Dommelen and López‐Bertrán , 276).…”

“…This suggests that the exchange of ideas via such natural routes was crucial to the transformation of the iconographic language. Sanctuaries such as La Luz were another arena in which these influences and cultural contacts could be enacted, showing the appropriation and adaptation of foreign iconographies by local communities, which, within the new context, gave new meaning to those materials (Van Dommelen and López‐Bertrán , 298). Moreover, from this perspective, the establishment of the city of Qart‐Hadasht (Cartagena) as part of the Carthaginian expansion in southern Spain was also a key factor, and led, in the words of S. Keay (, 305), to closer contact between the Iberians and ‘the broader Hellenised Mediterranean’.…”

“…In any case, it is clear that the presence of these new elements does not imply the adoption of Greek traditions and Demeter rituals. They were ‘accepted’, transformed and integrated into local traditions, in a process that transformed both Greek and local, and which led to new cultural forms (Van Dommelen and López‐Bertrán , 297).…”

Colonial Representations and Carthaginian Archaeology

“…In this regard, I believe that the recent debate on the Hellenization of the Punic world from the perspective of religious practices is having a very salutary effect (Melliti ; Bonnet ; van Dommelen and López‐Bertran in press). In my opinion, however, the debate should in future undertake a deep reanalysis of the architecture and urban structure of Carthage and other Punic cities, because of the significant role played by these factors in the emergence of the colonial discourse still prevalent in textbooks.…”