Reade Punic inscriptions
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The Reade Punic Inscriptions refer to four Phoenician-language funerary inscriptions discovered in 1836-1837 by Sir Thomas Reade, who had recently been appointed as the British consul general in Tunis.
The inscriptions — three from Carthage and one from Numidia — were documented and published in the appendix (Appendix Altera) of the second volume of Wilhelm Gesenius’s Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae; Gesenius had received the inscriptions via Friedrich August Rosen shortly before he was due to publish the volume.[1]
Discovery
The inscriptions were discovered in or before 1835 during a wave of European interest in Punic antiquities. According to Gesenius, the inscriptions were copied and drawn by Filippo Basiola Honegger,[2] a German associate of Reade.
Three inscriptions were found embedded in reused masonry within the ruins of Carthage. The fourth was discovered in “Numidia”, carved directly into a rock. The original stones were transported to England, while drawings remained with Reade.
Inscriptions
The numbers below follow Wilhelm Gesenius’s Scripturae Linguaeque Phoeniciae – they were the last four inscriptions listed out of the 83 inscriptions analyzed in the publication.
LXXXI – Carthaginian XI (CIS I 179)
A funerary monument of eight lines, largely legible and engraved on a dressed stone slab. The inscription names the deceased, their father, and grandfather, followed by a eulogy. The script is consistent with late Punic funerary customs.
LXXXII – Carthaginian XII (CIS I 441)
Similar in type to LXXXI, this inscription is engraved on fine limestone but partially broken at the top-right corner. Despite this, much of the text remains readable, and some divine invocations are preserved.
LXXXIII – Carthaginian XIII (CIS I 442)
A fragmentary inscription, now limited to partial phrases and letter clusters. While the full meaning is lost, it remains of paleographic interest.
LXXXIV – Numidian VIII
The fourth inscription, discovered in “Numidia” in the area of Maghrawa (35.914°N 9.146°E), just north of Maktar.[3] It was carved into living rock and significantly eroded. It likely served a votive or commemorative function and stands out for being in situ rather than reused.