TheSibbolet funeral inscription is aPunic languageinscription found in 1902 atCarthage. It measures 20 by 7 cm and is currently held at theCarthage National Museum. It is known asKAI 92,CIS I 5948, or R 768.[1]
The inscription, on fine sandstone, is full of subtle contradictions. Though, because of its small size, it might seem unpretentious, its letters are executed with great care. In spite of her modest name—Sibbolet means "ear of grain", a cognate of Hebrewshibboleth—the woman claims to be "the wholesale merchant" of "the City", i.e. Carthage. She does not give names of her father or of any other ancestor, which suggests that she prides herself of being a self-made woman.[4] The impression one gets is that of a woman who knows how to tactfully use all her social skills to achieve a glorious business career.[citation needed]
Remarkably the inscription does not mention the product that Sibbolet traded in. The FrenchOrientalistClermont-Ganneau has therefore suggested that she may have engaged in a less decent trade, for exampleslave trade (mangonium) or evenpandering (lenocinium).[5] On the other hand, the Polish scholarLidzbarski has suggested that her trade was of a religious nature.[6]
Clermont-Ganneau also suggested thatHQRT (haqqart, 'the City') might refer not to Carthage but toCirta (today'sConstantine), where the name Sibbolet has been attested. Lidzbarski thinks the identification with Carthage is correct.[1]
