Salammbô · Chapter
XIII: Moloch explained
The Barbarians prepare for a massive assault on Carthage, constructing siege engines and organizing their forces.
What happens
The Barbarians prepare for a massive assault on Carthage, constructing siege engines and organizing their forces. Hamilcar reassures the Carthaginians, fortifies the city, and secretly secures his son Hannibal. The chapter culminates in a harrowing sacrificial ritual to the god Moloch, where the high priest Schahabarim, in an act of apostasy, joins the worship of Moloch, and the Carthaginians prepare to offer children to the god.
Themes in this chapter
Religious Fanaticism and Sacrifice
The chapter culminates in a massive sacrificial ritual to Moloch, with children as potential victims, highlighting the extreme devotion and terror of Carthaginian religion.
War and Destruction
The Barbarians' siege preparations and the Carthaginians' fortifications depict the destructive scale of the conflict.
Power and Corruption
Hamilcar's manipulation of the populace and his secretive protection of Hannibal illustrate the corrupting influence of power and paternal ambition.
Fate and Divine Retribution
The sacrifice to Moloch is framed as a desperate act to appease the god and avert divine wrath, reflecting themes of fate and retribution.
Characters to notice
- Matho
Divides the Mercenary army into semicircles to encompass Carthage for the siege.
- Spendius
Arranges three great catapults opposite the principal angles and other siege engines for the assault.
- Hamilcar Barca
Reassures Carthage about water supply, fortifies the city, and secretly secures his son Hannibal in a hidden vault.
- Salammbô
Attempts to calm Hannibal by telling him about Lamia, the Cyrenian ogress.
- Hannibal
Bites his father's hand in anger, boasts of annihilating the people, and is hidden by Hamilcar in the vault of gems.
- Schahabarim
Commits apostasy by worshipping Moloch, touching the colossus, and is expelled by the priests of Moloch.
- Taanach
Provides food from Hamilcar's kitchens to a starving slave.
- Gisco
Not directly mentioned in the excerpts, but implied as a captive or figure; omitted due to lack of explicit presence.
Key passages
“The Barbarians had no need of a circumvallation on the side of Africa, for it was theirs.”
The Barbarians controlled the African side, so they didn't need to build a siege wall there.
Establishes the Barbarians' territorial advantage during the siege.
“Hamilcar had speedily reassured them by declaring that there was enough water left in the cisterns for one hundred and twenty-three days.”
Hamilcar quickly calmed the Carthaginians by claiming the cisterns held water for 123 days.
Shows Hamilcar's strategic reassurance to boost morale.
“Schahabarim walked on, giving no reply, and, traversing the whole enclosure with deliberation, reached the legs of the colossus; then, spreading out both arms, he touched it on both sides, which was a solemn form of adoration.”
Schahabarim silently walked through the enclosure and performed a solemn adoration by touching the colossus's legs on both sides.
Depicts Schahabarim's apostasy and his public worship of Moloch.
“The high priest of Moloch passed his left hand beneath the children’s veils, plucked a lock of hair from their foreheads, and threw it upon the flames.”
The high priest of Moloch took a lock of hair from each child's forehead and cast it into the fire.
Illustrates the ritual preparation for child sacrifice.
