Date
Meaning & History
From the Punic name 饜饜饜饜饜饜 (峁panba士l) probably meaning "Ba'al conceals", derived from Phoenician 饜饜饜 (峁pan) possibly meaning "to hide, to conceal" combined with the name of the god Ba'al. Sophonisba was a 3rd-century BC Carthaginian princess who killed herself rather than surrender to the Romans. Her name was recorded in this form by Roman historians such as Livy. She later became a popular subject of plays from the 16th century onwards.