The Many Faces of African Saturn

You may recall my earlier piece on the ancestors of the Algerians—the Numidians (the one that also touched on Salammbô)?

A modest passage between the Bardo Museum’s vast halls of Roman mosaics is given over to the archaeological finds of Numidian culture from the Roman period.

I was particularly taken with the images of Saturn. He seems to have been their favourite god by some margin. Do have a look for yourselves.

Why Does He Look Like That?

Look closely at these statues and stelae: the Numidian Saturn tends to appear a good deal more “folk” and schematic than his classical Roman counterparts. This is the fruit of syncretism—the blending of Roman belief with local cult practice. On the first stele we see not merely a god, but an entire hierarchy: beneath Saturn’s stately figure is carved a scene of ram sacrifice, an ancient rite that endured in North Africa for centuries.