Carthaginian Deities
Most of the Carthaginian gods were inherited from the Phoenicians, their founders. Similarly to Rome with Greece, they were changed. Because Carthage was founded on the ancient city of Tyre, so the Tyrannize god, Melquart, patron of Tyre, also played a similar role in Carthage. Melquart was very important in Carthaginian life. A good portion of all citizen's profits went to the temple of Melquart. Another important deity was Baal Hammon, who took many incarnations. Some additional gods included Eshmun, Reshef, Rasap, and Shadrap. An important deity who was not inherited from the Phoenicians was Tanit, who was known as a mother goddess. She was considered more important than both Melquart and Baal Hammon. Gods were also adapted from Greek culture, including Demeter and Persephone. Isis, and Egyptian goddess, also had a temple in Carthage. Carthaginian Religion was basically a melting pot of many religions in its general area.
Religious Figures
According to the founding legend of Carthage, Dido, a queen, picked up a high priest of Astarte when fleeing Tyre, and promised that his children, as well as himself, would be high priests. The high priests was the first religious class in Carthage. The head of the priests, known as rb khnm, was also a senator and the council of 104. A committee made up of 10 senators controlled religious matters. Most of the religious positions were inherited throughout generations. The rb khnm was assisted by other lower priests, known as khnms. Although little is known about education, priests may have run schools.
Temples and Rituals
There were many different temples to many different gods in Ancient Carthage. It is speculated that there were as many temples in Carthage as were in Rome, but little remains as a result of the third Punic war, when the Romans burnt Carthage to the ground. many historians speculate that their temples were similar to Phoenician temples. Many different rituals were performed outside of the temple, such as prayers and offerings to the gods. One particular ritual was the practice of human sacrifice, known as molk. Children especially were common sacrifices. They were sacrificed using fire, and were forced to wear a smiling mask to hide their tears from the god they were to be sacrificed for. Women were prohibited from entering the temples, except for the case of priestesses who served female gods, in which they could enter their own temple.
It is clear that Carthage had a powerful religion, and religious standards. Like Rome, this enabled them to hold order over their citizens. The practice of human sacrifice proves the citizens devotion to their religion. Carthaginian religion is one of the factors that made it a powerful civilization.