Carthage: museum renovation and dye revival (with Shikmona bonus)

PUNIC WATCH: Tunisia's Carthage Museum Gives Preview Of Expanded Renovation (AFP via Barron's).

For more on the renovation of the site of ancient Carthage, including the Carthage Museum, see here and links.

Also from Carthage: Tunisian Man Revives Ancient Phoenician Craft. He takes on an incredible journey! (NATALIE KEBBE, About Her).

No, this is not another recreation of a Phoenician ship.

Mohamed Ghassen Nouira, a history-obsessed Tunisian, revives in his garden an antiquated craft that was once considered a sign of riches in the ancient world: making purple dye from sea snail shells.

A while back, while taking a leisurely walk along the beach in Carthage, a suburb of Tunis in northern Tunisia, Nouira stumbled upon a murex shell. This discovery evoked memories of his history classes and sparked a desire to recreate the ancient dye.

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I have already mentioned Mr. Nouira's hobby here. But this is good excuse to mention it again. Follow the links from there for PaleoJudaica posts involving Tyrian purple dye and the Israelite telekhet dye, both made from the murex snail.

Coincidentally, here is newly announced research on the prodution of Tyrian purple dye in ancient Israel: Ancient Tel Shikmona factory probably supplied the First Temple with dye. A new study by the University of Haifa claims to completely change the story of the biblical Shikmona (Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, Jerusalem Post). Cross-file under Phoenician Watch.

I noted the discovery of the Phoenician dye factory at Shikmona here. The new research argues that the ancient Israelites took over the site and continued the dye production.

However, after several years of in-depth research into Elgavish’s findings and even after completing their new excavation in a limited area of the mound in recent weeks, Gilboa and Shalvi now present the full historical story of the mound during this period. The historical reconstruction suggests the Kingdom of Israel took over the Phoenician production site and turned it into the largest and most significant production site known in the Mediterranean basin.

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