Cirta steles explained

The Cirta steles are almost 1,000 Punic funerary and votive steles found in Cirta (today Constantine, Algeria) in a cemetery located on a hill immediately south of the Salah Bey Viaduct.

The first group of steles were published by Auguste Celestin Judas in 1861. The Lazare Costa inscriptions were the second group of these inscriptions found; they were discovered between 1875 and 1880 by Lazare Costa, a Constantine-based Italian antiquarian. Most of the steles are now in the Louvre.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] These are known as KAI 102–105.

In 1950, hundreds of additional steles were excavated from the same location – then named El Hofra – by André Berthier, director of the Gustave-Mercier Museum (today the Musée national Cirta) and Father René Charlier, professor at the Constantine seminary. Many of these steles are now in the Musée national Cirta.^[4] Over a dozen of the most notable inscriptions were later published in Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften and are known as 106-116 (Punic) and 162-164 (Neo Punic).

Judas steles

In 1861 Auguste Celestin Judas published a series of 19 inscribed steles in the Annuaire de la Société archéologique de la province de Constantine. Between 1857 and 61 more than 30 such steles had been collected by the Archaeological Society, of which a dozen in 1860 alone.^[5] Judas noted that the locations of the finds had been difficult to ascertain, his understanding was as follows:^[6]

Of the nineteen inscriptions of which I have spoken, two, nos. II and XVII, come from Coudiat-ati; sixteen from the location of the new Christian cemetery, to the west and 500 meters from Coudiat-ati, 725 meters from Constantine. For number I, no indication.

Costa steles

Overview

On the death of Lazare Costa, Antoine Héron de Villefosse and Dr Reboud negotiated the acquisition of all of Costa's steles for the Louvre. Although not all the steles made it to the Louvre, more were found.^[7]

Concordance

A concordance of 135 of the steles was published by Jean-Baptiste Chabot in 1917,^[8] and later by the Louvre in 1987.

Costa	AO	Bertrandy	RES	KAI	KI	NE 433-434
1 = 44	5198	30
2	5189	22	1551
3	5196	28	1550			9
4	5242	74
5	5275	107	1549
6 or 5 bis	27606	133
7	5259	91	1565			12
8	5234	66	334	105	98
9	5258	90
10	5201	33	1553
11	5264	96
12	5281	113
13	5279	111	1552
14	5225	57
15	5306	123
16	5191	23	328
17	5308	125	333
18	5307	124	337
19	5309	126	1564			11
20	5240	72
21	5261	93
22	5211	43
23	5311	128	330
24	5268	100
25	5200	32	1554		94	7
26	5310	127
26 bis	5270	102
27	27608	135
28	1024	13	1558			5
29	5186	19
30	5226	58	1559
31	5197	29	327	104	97
32	5269	101	329
33	5247	79
34	5232	64
35	5257	89
36	5227	59	1562
37	5272	104
38	5210	42
39	5252	84
40	5203	35
41	5284	114
42	5260	92
43	5221	53
45	5075	16
46		(lost)
47	5208	40
48	5230	62
49	5280	112
51	5224	56
52	27607	134
53	5235	67
53 bis	5295	116
54	5209	41	1555			2
55	5217	49
56	5195	27
57	27605	132
58	5223	55
59	5220	52	1561
60	5215	47	1560
61	5305	122
62	5263	95
63	5213	45
63 bis	5229	61
64	5205	37
65	5273	105
66	5233	65
67	5304	121
68	5194	26
69	5256	88
70	5266	98	1556
71	5216	48	1557
72	5231	63
73	5262	94
74	5255	87	336		99
75	5249	81	340
76	5192	24	1563			4
77	5251	83
78	5276	108
79	1026	15
80	5253	85
81	1020	9	1535
82	5212	44
83	5278	110
84	5301	118
85	5222	54
86	5238	70
87	5218	50
88	5248	80
89	5219	51
90		(lost)
91	1018	7	1536			3
92	5312	129
93	1023	12	339	103		10
94	1013	2	1537
95	5188	21
96	1021	10	1538
97	5314	131
98	1015	4	338 and 1539
99	1016	5	1540
100	5193	25	335
102	5245	77
103	5250	82	332
104	1017	6	1542
105	5202	34
106	5246	78
107		(lost)
108	5244	76
109	5207	39
110	5204	36
111	5237	69
112	1014	3	1546
113	1019	8	1547
114	5302	119	1548
115	1025	14
116	5271	103
117	5243	75
118	5206	38
119	5214	46
120	5239	71
121	5236	68
122	5254	86
123	5241	73
124	5300	117
125	5199	31
126	5142	17
127	5313	130
128	5187	20
129	5303	120
130	5274	106
131	5277	109
132	1012	1	1544	102	95	8
133	1022	11	1545			6
134	5228	60
135	5289	115
	5092	140
	5099	141
	5115	142
	5185	18	1541
	5265	97
	5267	99
	5282	136
	5285	137
	5286	138
	5287	139

Gallery

Berthier steles

Overview

At the southern exit of the city, on the El Hofra hill, about 150m (490feet) southeast of what was then the "Transatlantic Hotel" (today a branch of the Crédit populaire d'Algérie), the construction of a large Renault garage (today Garage Sonacome) was begun in spring 1950. The hill is at the confluence of the Rhumel River and its tributary Oued Bou Merzoug, just south of the Salah Bey Viaduct. On May 6, 1950, the excavator struck a mass of stelae grouped over a length of about 75m (246feet), laid flat and forming a kind of wall whose height did not exceed the thickness of four stelae while the width varied from NaNm (-2,147,483,648feet).^[4]

The stelae were not found in situ: all appear to have been broken with intention (all were broken and many of the inscriptions were mutilated), and then transported to a sort of dumping ground.

By September 1950, about 500 fragments had been found, more than half of which bearing inscriptions;^[4] in total 700 stelae and fragments were found, of which 281 were Punic and neo-Punic stelae, totally or partially legible, 17 were Greek inscriptions and 7 were Latin inscriptions. Almost all the steles were published by Berthier and Charlier, except for three – one long Punic inscription which was too faint, and two Neo Punic inscriptions which were later published by James Germain Février (KAI 162–163).

Some are dated to the reign of Massinissa or the reign of his sons; they range from 163-2 BCE until 148-7 (the year of Massinissa's death) and perhaps until 122-1 (under Micipsa). Number 63 (KAI 112) mentions the simultaneous reign of the three sons of Massinissa – Micipsa, Gulussa and Mastanabai, and one of the stelae contains a complete transliteration of a Punic text in Greek characters (page 167).

Bibliography

BERTHIER André - CHARLIER René, 1952–55, Le sanctuaire punique d'El-Hofra à Constantine. 2 volumes
- James Germain. Février. . Review: Le sanctuaire punique d'El Hofra à Constantine, par André Berthier et René Charlier. Préface d'Albert Grenier, membre de l'Institut, 1955. Revue des Études Anciennes. 57. 1955. 3–4. 410–412.
Book: Bertrandy, François . Sznycer . Maurice . Caubet . Annie . Gautier . Jeanne . Marcillet-Jaubert . Jean . Les stèles puniques de Constantine . Musée du Louvre, département des Antiquités orientales Réunion des musées nationaux - Grand Palais . FeniXX . 1987 . 978-2-7118-7714-0 . fr.
Book: MacKendrick, P.L. . The North African Stones Speak . University of North Carolina Press . 2000 . 978-0-8078-4942-2 . 194.

External sources

Notes and References

https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/punic-stele-triangular-pediment Punic stele with triangular pediment
Book: Cahen, Abr.. Inscriptions Puniques et Neo-Puniques de Constantine. 1879. Alessi et Arnolet., Recueil des notices et mémoires de la Société Archéologique du Département de Constantine, volume 19, 1878, pages 252 onwards and plates
V Reboud, Quelques Mots sur les Steles Neo Puniques Découvertes par Lazare Costa, Recueil des notices et mémoires de la Société Archéologique du Département de Constantine, volume 18, 1877, pages 434 onwards, and plates
Grenier Albert. Nouvelles archéologiques d'Algérie. In: Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, 94^e année, N. 4, 1950. pp. 345-354. DOI : https://doi.org/10.3406/crai.1950.78583
Auguste Celestin Judas, 1861, Inscriptions Numidico-Puniques Découvertes a Constantine, Annuaire de la Société archéologique de la province de Constantine 1860-61, Société archéologique, historique et géographique du département de Constantine: "Dans le cours des quatre dernières années seulement, plus de trente pierres avec des inscriptions ou des anaglyphes numidico-puniques ont été découvertes dans l'antique capitale de Massinissa. Plusieurs des inscriptions apportent, si je ne me trompe, un nouveau jour à l'étude de la langue introduite par les Carthaginois... En novembre 1860, une nouvelle trouvaille a eu lieu; elle comprenait une douzaine de pierres.... Les textes qui m'ont paru, à l'aide de ces instruments, susceptibles de lecture sont au nombre de dix-neuf; des copies, les unes réduites, les autres de grandeur réelle, en sont présentées aux plancbes I à IX."
Auguste Celestin Judas, 1861, Inscriptions Numidico-Puniques Découvertes a Constantine, Annuaire de la Société archéologique de la province de Constantine 1860-61, Société archéologique, historique et géographique du département de Constantine: p.89 "Des dix-neuf inscriptions dont j'ai parlé,-deux, les nos II et XVII, proviennent dû Coudiat-ati; seize de l'emplacement du nouveau cimetière chrétien, à l'ouest et à 500 mètres du Coudiat-ati, à 725 mètres de Constantine. Pour le n° I, nulle indication."
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65802736/f281.item Les Inscriptions de Constantine au Musee de Louvre par Philippe Berger
Book: Chabot, Jean-Baptiste. Punica: XVIII Steles Punique de Constantine; II. Collection Costa. Journal asiatique. 1917. Société asiatique. 50–72. Jean-Baptiste Chabot.