Tophet leh Tanglai Biakna

by Mark Cartwright

A Kammal Gencianna

Tophet (topheth zong kici) akici pen tanglai in Phoenicia le a nunglam ciangin Carthage mun a te in khuapi pua ah biakpiankna a neih uh ciangin misi luang, a diak in naupangte a haltumna mun siangtho ahi hi. Tophet  pen Phoenicia le amau gamkekna pana a ngah uh Mediteranean sung a mun thupi in a kiciamteh hi a, Phonenicia sumbawlte in a zuak uh ahi misi halna vui a puakna uh leibelte a zuakna tawh kisai thieh huai thu pawlkhat oom hi.

Tophet Nasepzia

Phoenicia  mun abiakpiak dan pen mihing kigawhna, a diak in naupangte kizang hi ci in tanglai thu ah gen hi. Tua biakpiakna a kizang ding pen mei tawh kihal hi ci in kithei a, a hi zong koici bangin kibawl cih a gencianna kimu lo hi. Tanglai tangthupu ahi Clitarch le Diodorus te in a genna ah,  sumngo tawh a kibawl a khut (ban) a zal Baal (ahk El) milim te maiah tapkual khat kibawl a, tua tungah a kithoih ding mihing pen meihalna a kibawl ma in kikoih hi. Tua a thuakding pen in a nui hiuhiau muktuam kithuah sak hi, a hangin a biak uh pasian in a luangkhia khitui te amuhloh nading ahi hi. Tua a kihal misi vu-te pen vut koihna leibel sungah kikoih a, tua leibel te pen Tophet  a kici zuakpi tawh a ki-um khan (misi koihna hankhuk) sungah kikoih hi. 

Tophets te pen khuapi pua, leilu lam ahk saklam ah kikoih hi. Carthage  a Tophet ah meihal biakpikna bawl nading shrine (mun siangtho) khat om hi. Biakpiakna a bawl khit uh ciangin vutvui pen la in vu koihna leibel sungah kikoih hi. Tua sivui koihna leibel te a ciaptehna in a tungah suang koikoih a, Tophet sungah koih hi, khat veivei teh a zawl pinpen han sungah kikoih hi. BC kum zalom 6na pawl a kipanin, mualsuang (misi khat ading a kibawl) te pen Baal ahk Tanit tungah ki-ap a, suang tungah kikoih nawnlo in, vut koihna leibel tungah kikoih hi. Mualsuang tampi takte ah lai kigelha a, mihing sisan tawh biakpikana kipiakna ahk tuu tangin naupang kizang hi cih kigelh hi. Hih misi vut koihna leibel te pen thambel le leibel dangte sungah koih in Corinth le Egypt dong ah kipuka sawn kawikawi hi cih Phoenicia sumzonna tungtawn in ciaptehna kimu hi. 

Lei Maitang(Geography) ah Tophet a Kizelhna

Phoenicia te in Tophet nei hi cih leisung tawhkikna (archaeological evidence) ah a kimuh loh hangin, Mediterranean dong gamkeek in om uh cih thehi ih hih manin Phoenicia te ngeina te in Tyre, Sidon, le Byblos ah kizel cih kitel hi.  Phoenicia tawh a kinai pen Tophet in Syria tuipi nawl Tell Sukas ah, BC kum zalom 12na le 13na pawl in om hi. Gamkekna tawh kisai in, Motya (Sicily tuipi nawl) ah tophet pen BC kum zalom 7na pawl in zat kipan hi. Tua lo Sulcis, Bithia, Tharros, le Sardina tuikulh ahi Nora te ah zong Tophet om hi.  A thupi pen tophet in Carthage ah om a, ‘precinct of Tanit’ (Tanit pasian ie gam) kici a,  khanglam khuapi Salammbo ah om hi. BC kum zalom 8na in zat kipan a,  Punic Gal lai a Carthage a kisiat dong kizomto suak hi. A zaipenna mun in  square meters 6,000 pha a, dawl 9 pha in a tuaksuk diudeu in om hi.

Naupang tawh Biakpiakna

Nitumna gam lama tanglai thu a gelh pawlkhat in, suahlam gamte ngeina tawh tawm kibang hi ci a, naupang hal biakna ciamteh in Phoenicia te in sisan-dangtaakte in gamlapi dongah minthang hi. Roman laigelhte in, gallel Carthage-te pen  minam khangto nailote hi a, Phoenicia-te upna ngeina  neite a zawhna uh pen zumhuai galte a zo hilel napi Rome minthanna le vangliatna bangin uang gen uh hi. Laisiangtho in zong Baal pasian pen sisan tawh biakna (molk) (II Kings 23:10, Exodus 22:29-30 le Jeremiah 7:30-31) pen Phoenicia te pat ahi a khiatna lian, kithahna mun cih min nei Ben Hinnom zangkuam Jerusalem khua gei-ah om hi cih gen hi. Phoenicia te in tua banga hiamgamp takin naupangte that in biakpikana a bawl uh pen phattak cing hiam cih tu hun laisiamte in khensat ding hi. Naupang tawh biakpiakna zong Laisiangtho sungah na kiciamteh hi. “Jeremiah 32:35 ZIV ah, “Amaute in Ben Hinnom Kuam ah a tanu a tapate a uh tawh Molech a biak nadingun Baal ading munsang a bawl uh hangin,….” Ci ahih manin hih Tophet tawh a kizom naupang biakna pen Israel te hun in na om lua mahmah hi cih kitel hi.

Amasa penin, mihing tawh biakpiakna pen tanglai in na om hi cih laisiamte in mu uh hi. Laisiangtho sungah Abraham in a tampa Isaac tawh biakpiakna piaksawm (Genesis 22:1-2) cih kimu a, Ugarit laigelhte sungah haksat ahmah hunin naupang tawh biakpiakna om hi cih Homer’ gelh Iliad sungah Kumpi Agamemnon pen a tanu Iphigenia tawh biakpiakna pia dingin kisawl hi. Tua bangin bawlleh Greek tembawpi te in Troy ah va kuan in Helen la kik zo ding uh hi.

Anihna ah, Phoenicia te mihing biakpiakna pen telhak mahmah a, ahi zongin hunman takina kibawl hilo kha ding hi; a hangin tua bang kua minam mahin thuakzo lo ding hi, milip bei mang ding hi. Lai ciaptehna a om khempeuh ah haksat mahmah hun, gal kidon hun, pul natna a om hun le minam bup gambup in kamsiatna lianpi a tuah hun cinga kibawl ci hi. Phonicia-te tangthu sung mahmah a, El (pasian) in a gam a kisiatcip loh nadingin a tapa Ieud biakpiakna in zang hi ci hi.  A dang khat ah, Diodorus in Carthage galkap mangpa Hamilcar in BC kum zalom 5na lai in Agrigento te umcih lai in naupang tawh biakna bawl ci hi.

Athumna, le a thupi pen ah, tanglai in naupang biakpiakna om cih pen ih up ding hi phot hi.  Leisung tawhkikna panin Tophet ah misi vui kikoihna mun tampi om a, Carthage bekbek ah zong 20,000 val om hi. Pawlkhatte bang a kang lo (burnt remain) in om a, hite in naupang pen biakpiakna in kizang takpi lo hi kha in the cih hong lak hi.

Tophet’s steles  by carinemahy (Copyright)

Laisiangtho le Tophet

Tophet cih laimal pen Laisiangtho sung mun tampi ah kimu thei hi. Tua te lakah Isaiah 30:33 ZIV ah, “Tophet a kibawl phat zawh sawt ta hi; tua in kumpipa adingin a baihsa a om ahi hi. Tua meikhukpi a thuk le a zai a kibawl hi a, mei le sing a kicingtakin kikoihkhol hi; luiluang tawh a kibang kaat kuanglai Topa husan a kitawhkuang ding hi.” Tedim Lasiiangtho ah bel, “Assiria kumpipa a kihal nading mmei phualpi mun,…” ci in na gelh hi. Kammal khiatna takpen sihna mun, china hilehh kilawm hi.  

Jeremiah 7:32 ZIV ah, “Tua ahi ciangin TOPA in cikhia hi: Na kidawm un, Topheth ah misi vui nading mun a om nawn loh dongin amaute in vui ding uh ahi manin mite in tua mun Topheth ahikeh Ben Hinnom Kuam ci nawn loin, Kigawhna Kuam a cih hun hong tung ding hi.

Bibliography

• Aubet, M.E. The Phoenicians and the West.Cambridge University Press, 2001.
• Moscati, S. The World of the Phoenicians Paperback.Weidenfeld & Nicolson History, 2016.
• Rawlinson, G. History of Phoenicia.CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.
• Holy Bible, King James Version. Zondervan, 2010.