A Punic Bes, a protective god probably with origins in Egypt. It was used by commoners, and could serve as a protection of a house and a family.
Vases and statues of Punic origin.
Remains of Punic columns, illustrating well how complete the Roman destruction of Carthage was.
The main hall of the museum, with a splendid Roman mosaic on the floor. It is unfortunately badly lit, and trying to see it from the staircase is actually best done binoculars.
To be a museum of the greatest Punic city, the Carthage Museum disappoints. And the reason is as ever the Roman destruction of 146 BCE. Yet, there are more than enough bits and pieces here to start creating an image of the distant past. The smaller the item, the more likely that it has survived in one piece. Small statuettes, vases and oil lamps are dominating the Punic sections. Styles are simplistic, yet not too different from Roman counterparts. Larger items on display at the museum are mainly from the Roman era, including statues (of which some are large, take a look at the one on top of the staircase) and mosaics. All in all, the conclusion is still that this museum is nothing compared to the quality of exhibits and presentation in the Bardo Musuem in Tunis.
Roman mosaic.
