Glossary

Acropolis Upper fortified part of an ancient city. amphora Large earthenware vessel with a narrow cylindrical neck and tapering bottom used for storing wine, oil, or grain. ashlar Hewn or squared stone used in wall construction. cremation Burial process of incineration for a corpse. emporion Important trade center or marketplace. faience Glazed composition consisting of a sand quartz core with a glassy surface glaze.

Kothon Artificially constructed dry dock used for the building or repairing of ships.

Mole Artificial causeway built of earth and stone rubble. murex shell Marine gastropod of the genus Murex; one species, Murex trunculus, was the source of the Phoenician purple dye. necropolis Cemetery of an ancient city. nuraghic Prehistoric civilization of Sardinia that flourished in the second millennium BC and was distinguished by the use of bronze metallurgy and the construction of large stone structures (called nuraghe) in the shape of truncated cone towers. orientalizing Native artistic design or motif that imitates or is influenced by Near Eastern pictorial models. pier-and-rubble construction Technique of Phoenician wall construction employing upright ashlar piers in alternation with zones of fieldstone rubble infill.

Pithos Large earthenware storage jar with a wide, round mouth. repoussce Technique of hammering a relief design up from the back of a piece of sheet metal.

Stele Freestanding upright stone slab used as a votive dedication or a gravestone.

Tophet Precinct of Punic ritual child sacrifice involving the cremation and subsequent offering of the victim’s charred remains in terracotta urns deposited in the ground; the term derives from a reference in the Hebrew Bible to a roasting area in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom where Israelite children were sacrificed by fire.