{{Short description|Anthropomorphic symbol of Punic goddess Tanit}} __NOTOC__ Sign of Tanit pendants from Ashkelon|thumb|right
The '''sign of Tanit''' or '''sign of Tinnit''' is an anthropomorph symbol of the Punic goddess Tanit, present on many archaeological remains of the Carthaginian civilization.
The symbol has many variants, but the basic form consists of a disc on top of a triangle, separated by a horizontal line, like a schematic image of a person.
Punic stele containing the sign of Tannit were uncovered in the hundreds in the site of El-Hofra in Cirta (Constantine, Algeria) and are showcased in the Louvre Museum.<ref>{{Citation |title=stèle |url=https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010121308 |access-date=2024-07-07 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bertrandy |first=S. |date=1994-02-01 |title=Cirta |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/2289 |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |language=fr |issue=13 |pages=1964–1977 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2289 |issn=1015-7344}}</ref>
A coin with the sign and a legend {{lang|grc|ΦΑΝΗΒΑΛΟΣ}} ''phanebalos'', presumably the Greek form of the Phoenician title of the goddess, i.e. {{script|Phoenician|𐤕𐤍𐤕 𐤐𐤍 𐤁𐤏𐤋}} ''tnt '''pn bʿl''''', "Tanit ''the face of Baal (Hammon)''", was found in Ashkelon.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yadin |first=Y. |author-link=Yigael Yadin |date=1967 |title=Symbols of Deities at Zinjirli, Carthage and Hazor |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23734250 |journal=Yediot Bahaqirat Eretz-Israel Weatiqoteha |language=Hebrew |volume=31 |issue=1/4 |pages=53 |jstor=23734250 |issn=2312-0061}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hill |first=George Francis |title=Catalogue of the Greek coins of Palestine |year=1914 |publisher= British Museum Board of Trustees |location=London |page=LIX |author-link=George Francis Hill |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Catalogue_of_the_Greek_Coins_of_Palestin/ZktmAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PR59&printsec=frontcover}}</ref>
The first report about the representations of the sign was in the beginning of the 19th century, on stele unearthed on the site of Carthage. Archaeological excavations have subsequently uncovered representations on other supports, such as mosaics or even on ceramics.
The excavations of tophet of Carthage, Sousse and Motya have highlighted the particularly important diffusion of the symbol in the western Mediterranean Basin, although the lack of discoveries on primitive Phoenician land may only be due to continued occupation of sites, making searches more difficult.<ref>{{cite book|first=Edward|last=Lipinski|title=Dictionnaire de la civilization phénicienne et punique|publisher=Brepols|year=1992|isbn=2503500331}}</ref>
Modern scholars associate the symbol with the goddess Tanit, partner of Ba'al Hammon and the most important goddess in the Punic religion. This identification is widely, but not universally, accepted. The motif may have had an apotropaic purpose, intended to offer protection from the evil eye.{{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}
The symbol is used in some contexts in modern Tunisia. For example, it has appeared on the Tanit d'or, the grand prize of the biennial Carthage Film Festival, since its establishment in 1966.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094229/awards IMDb, awards]</ref>
== Gallery == <gallery> File:Tanit symbols found at Ashkelon in modern Israel.png|Sign of Tanit pendants from Ashkelon File:Tunisise Carthage Tophet Salambo 03.JPG|Stele of the necropolis of Carthage File:Tophet Carthage.3.jpg|Stele of the necropolis of Carthage File:Tophet Carthage.5.jpg|Stele of the necropolis of Carthage File:Kerkouane2.JPG|Representation of Tanit's sign at Kerkouane File:DSC00097 - Edicola funebre greco-punica da Marsala - Foto G. Dall'Orto.jpg|Graeco-Punic funerary aedicule of Marsala, with painted Tanit's sign File:Carthago exhibition - Stela with Cultic Scene & Votive Inscription (49340901392).jpg|Tanit's sign on Lilybaeum stele File:Delos Haus der Delfine 02.jpg|Tanit's sign in a Delian mosaic in the house of the dolphins File:JCC 2018 opening ceremony 32.jpg|A Modern Tanit's sign at the opening ceremony of the Carthage Film Festival 2018 </gallery> [[File:Cirta hofra funerary stele 03 mus constantine (Livius).jpg|none|thumb|200x200px|Hundreds of Funerary Stele with the sign of Tannit were found in Cirta, Algeria are displayed in Louvre Museum]]
==See also== *Ankh *Poppy Goddess
== References == {{reflist|2}}
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Category:19th-century archaeological discoveries Category:Religious symbols Category:Carthaginian mythology Category:Tanit Category:Berber mythology