Carthage

• Carthage was a City State and Empire that dominated the Mediterranean between its foundation in 814 BCE and its conquest by the Romans in 146 BCE, who called it Carthago.
• The Ruins are located in Tunis in modern Tunisia. Carthage later became the capital city of the Roman Province of Africa Proconsularis.

Archeological Site of Carthage

• The major components are:
  • Acropolis of Byrsa
  • The Punic Military Harbour and Commercial Harbour
  • The Punic Necropolises
  • Roman Theatre and Odeon
  • Roman Amphitheatre
  • Roman Circus
  • Roman Villas
  • Roman Basilicas
  • Antonine Baths
  • Malaga Cisterns
  • Archeological Reserve.

Museums

• Carthage National Museum
  • Byrsa Hill, Byrsa, Tunis.
  • Th Roman Finds on display include sculptures, Sarcophagii and Amphorae.
• Carthage Punic Port and Museum
  • Rue du 2 mars 1034, Site Archeologique de Carthage, Tunis.
  • The Archeological site holds the Remains of the Punic port.
• Bardo National Museum
  • The Bardo National Museum of Tunis houses one of the largest collection of Roman Mosaics in the world.
  • They were excavated from Roman villas in Carthage, Hadrumentum and Utica.

Tyre, Mother City of Carthage

• Carthage was founded in 814 BCE by Elissa, Dido, a Phoenician Princess from Tyre, with a fleet of ships.
• Carthage received independence from its mother City, Tyre, in 650 BCE.
• But after the Invasion of the Levant by the Persian King Cambyses II (530-522 BCE), the influence of Tyre and Sidon, who both claimed to be the ‘Mother City’ of Phoenicia, was weakened. Instead Carthage grew to be the dominant Trade and Sea power in the Mediterranean.
• In 332 BCE, Tyre was besieged and invaded by Alexander the Great but Carthage was unable to come to its assistance.
• Tyre was destroyed and Egypt became the dominant Sea power under the Greeks. Carthage lost its influence in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Carthaginian Empire (814-146 BCE)

• During the 8th century BCE, Carthage established itself as a maritime city that dominated trade in the western Mediterranean, in rivalry to Tyre and Sidon.
• As the Greeks established colonies in Sicily and southern Italy, they came to challenge the commercial trade routes of Carthage, leading to a series of wars between 480-275 BCE.
• Between the 4th to 2nd centuries BCE, Carthage became the dominant Empire in the western Mediterranean. It controlled coastal North Africa from Libya to Morocco, the Islands of Sardinia, Malta, The Balearic Islands and western Sicily.
• It had a strong influence in the Iberian Peninsular, which finally became a Province under Hamilcar Barca (237-228 BCE).

Carthaginian Navy

• The Carthaginian Naval Base was in the protected military inner harbour of Carthage called the Cothon, from where the fleet controlled the Mediterranean.
• Appian gives 220 Triremes as the capacity of the Cothon.
• The Carthaginian Navy was present during the Battle of Salamis in 480 BCE, when the Persians sent a Fleet of 1,207 Galleys to invade Greece.
• During the First Punic War (264-241 BCE), the Romans were obliged to build their first Naval Fleet in order to oppose the Carthaginian Navy.
• The Carthaginian Fleet ended with the Fall of Carthage in 146 BCE.

The Punic Harbour at Carthage

The Military Harbour

• This consisted of a circular military harbour, with an island in the centre. It housed 220 Galley Sheds for the Trireme Fleet. The Admiral’s Base was on the island with a view out to sea. There were two exits, one into the Commercial Harbour, and another directly into the sea, which was protected by a chain across it.
• The Romans later restored the Harbour and built a circular Temple in the centre of the Island.
• The Island still holds the remains of Roman Slipways for their Galleys.

The Commercial Harbour

• This was a long rectangular harbour with one entrance to the sea, and another into the Military Harbour, which was screened off by walls making it difficult to see in.
• Under the Romans, the African Grain Fleet was based here.

The Sicilian Wars (480-275 BCE)

• As the Greek cities expanded into southern Italy and Sicily, they challenged the economic dominance of Carthage on trade routes in the Mediterranean.
• This led to the First Sicilian War (480 BCE), the Second Sicilian War (410-404 BCE) and the Third Sicilian War (315-307 BCE).
• The last Sicilian War is known as the Pyrrhic War (280-275 BCE) which resulted in Rome annexing southern Italy, known as Magna Graecia in 275 BCE.

The Rise of the Roman Republic

• As the Roman Republic grew more powerful, it found itself constrained by the maritime supremacy of Carthage. At first both sides negotiated trading agreements, outlining their respective spheres of influence.
• This commercial rivalry eventually led to the conflict known as the Punic Wars (264-146 BCE).
• The Wars resulted in the final defeat and destruction of Carthage and victory for Rome.

The Four Peace Treaties between Rome and Carthage (509-279 BCE)

• Between 509-279 BCE, before the Punic Wars, Rome and Carthage concluded four Peace Treaties which were signed or renewed in 509 BCE, 348 BCE, 306 BCE and 279 BCE.
• As Rome‘s territory increased, the Treaties had to be renewed to include the new lands and cities under her jurisdiction.
• In the Treaties, they promised not to attack each other and continue trading freely.
• However, after acquiring Magna Graecia in 275 BCE, the stage was set for war.

The Punic Wars (264-146 BCE)

• The Punic Wars (264-146 BCE) were three wars fought between the rising Roman Republic and the Sea Power of Carthage.
• They resulted in the defeat of Carthage and the creation of the Roman Empire.
• First Punic War (264-241 BCE)
  • The Barcid Empire was challenged and Rome acquired Sicily as its first Province, along with Sardinia and Corsica.
• Second Punic War (218-201 BCE)
  • Hannibal invaded Italy and his brother Hasdrubal campaigned in Iberia.
  • Their defeat resulted in the Roman acquisition of northern Italy known as (Gallia Cisalpina, the Iberian Peninsular and Illyricum (Croatia).
• Third Punic War (149-146 BCE)
  • Cato the Elder (234-149 BCE) ended every speech to the Roman Senate with the words, Carthago delenda est (Carthage must be destroyed).
  • Rome invaded North Africa, besieged Carthage and finally conquered the city ending Carthage as a city-state.
  • Rome now acquired North Africa and Greece as Provinces.

The Fall of Punic Carthage (146 BCE)

• The Roman Senate voted to use Vastatio in 146 BCE against Carthage.
• However, the story of placing Salt in the earth to ruin the ground is a myth.
• After the Third Punic War in 146 BCE, the City of Carthage was razed to the ground.

Roman Carthage (49 BCE-477 CE)

• Despite being destroyed, the location of Carthage was too important to ignore.
• In 122 BCE Gracchus founded a brief colony, Colonia Lunonia, but it was abolished by the Roman Senate shortly after.
• Between 49-44 BCE Julius Caesar rebuilt Carthage as a Roman City, on the same site as Colonia Lunonia. The Punic Harbour continued to be used.
• By 100 CE, Carthage was the fifth largest City in the Roman Empire, with a population of around 500,000.
• A notable resident of Carthage was Augustine of Hippo before he moved to Rome.

The African Grain Fleet

• The African Grain Fleet had its home port at Carthage, and carried North African Grain to Rome. This Fleet probably also stopped to pick up the Grain from Sicily, as it was en-route to Italy.
• By 50 BCE it is thought that Africa Proconsularis was the most important source of Rome‘s Grain supply. Africa Proconsularis supplied Rome’s Grain for 8 months of the year.
• This was more than the Alexandrian Grain Fleet, which after 30 BCE supplied Rome with Grain for 4 months of the year.

Rise of Vandal Naval Power (422-477 CE)

• Between 428-477 CE, the Vandals created a North African Kingdom based in Carthage.
• The Vandals developed a powerful navy which went on to become the dominant sea power in the western Mediterranean.
• Rome was then deprived of the Grain from North Africa and the islands in the western Mediterranean.

Exarchate of Africa (c. 590-698 CE)

• Carthage was reconquered by the Byzantine Empire, and ruled from Constantinople by an Exarch (viceroy) for the next 100 years.

The Fall of Byzantine Carthage (698 CE)

• In 698 CE Roman Carthage finally fell to the Arab Armies. The only remaining Byzantine Port in North Africa was Ceuta. Roman Carthage was destroyed and Tunis built in its place.

Carthage