View source for Carthage

{{short description|Archaeological site in Tunisia}}
{{About|the historical city|the Phoenician republic|Ancient Carthage|the modern municipality|Carthage (municipality)|the airport|Tunis–Carthage International Airport|other uses|Carthage (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox ancient site 
  |name = Carthage
  |native_name ={{native_name|xpu|𐤒𐤓𐤕𐤟𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕}}
  |alternate_name =
  |image = Montage ville de Carthage.png
  |alt =
  |caption = '''Top''': [[Acropolium of Carthage|Carthage Saint-Louis Cathedral]], Malik-ibn Anas Mosque. '''Middle''': [[Carthage Palace]]. '''Bottom''': [[Baths of Antoninus]], Amphitheatre of Carthage (all items from left to right).
  |map_type = Tunisia
  |map_alt =
  |map_size = 250
  |location = {{TUN}}
  |region = [[Tunis Governorate]]
  |coordinates = {{coord|36.8528|10.3233|display=inline}}
  |type =
  |part_of =
  |length =
  |width =
  |area =
  |height =
  |builder =
  |material =
  |built =
  |abandoned =
  |epochs =
  |cultures =
  |dependency_of =
  |occupants =
  |event =
  |excavations =
  |archaeologists =
  |condition =
  |ownership =
  |management =
  |public_access =
  |website =
  |notes =
   | designation1 = WHS
   | designation1_date = 1979 <small>(3rd [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
   | designation1_type = Cultural
   | designation1_criteria = ii, iii, vi
   | designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/37 37]
   | designation1_free1name = Region
   | designation1_free1value = [[List of World Heritage Sites in the Arab states|North Africa]]
}}
[[File:Carthage.png|thumb|upright=1.8|right|The layout of the Punic city-state Carthage, before its fall in 146&nbsp;BC]]
'''Carthage'''{{efn|English pronunciation: {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑɹ|θ|ɪ|ʤ}} {{respell|KAR|thij}}; {{langx|xpu|label=[[Punic language|Punic]] and [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]]|𐤒𐤓𐤕𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕|Qārtḥadāšt|new city}}; {{langx|la|Carthāgō}}, {{IPA|la|karˈtʰaːɡoː|pron}}.}} ({{langx|ar|قرطاج}}, ''{{audio|help=no|9artaj.wav|Qarṭāj}}'') was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the [[Lake of Tunis]] in what is now [[Tunisia]]. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the [[classical world]]. It became the capital city of the civilization of [[Ancient Carthage]] and later [[Roman Carthage]].

The city developed from a [[Phoenicia]]n colony into the capital of a [[Punic people|Punic]] empire which dominated large parts of the Southwest Mediterranean during the first millennium BC.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://pleiades.stoa.org/places/314921 |title=Places: 314921 (Carthago) |author=Hitchner, R. |author2=R. Talbert |author3=S. Gillies |author4=J. Åhlfeldt |author5=R. Warner |author6=J. Becker |author7=T. Elliott |access-date=7 April 2013|publisher=Pleiades}}</ref> The legendary Queen Elissa, Alyssa or [[Dido]], originally from [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]], is regarded as the founder of the city,<ref>[[Josephus]], ''[[Against Apion]]'' (Book I, §18)</ref> though her historicity has been questioned. In the myth, Dido asked for land from a local tribe, which told her that she could get as much land as an oxhide could cover. She cut the oxhide into strips and laid out the perimeter of the new city.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=HAEGEMANS |first=Karen |date=2000-01-01 |title=Elissa, the First Queen of Carthage |journal=Ancient Society |volume=30 |pages=277–291 |doi=10.2143/as.30.0.565564 |issn=0066-1619}}</ref> As Carthage prospered at home, the polity sent colonists abroad as well as magistrates to rule the colonies.<ref name="ingentaconnect.com">{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Hansong |title=Locating Mobile Sovereignty: Carthage in Natural Jurisprudence |journal=History of Political Thought |date=2022 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=246–272 |url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/imp/hpt/2022/00000043/00000002/art00003 |access-date=13 August 2022}}</ref>

The ancient city was destroyed in the nearly three year [[Siege of Carthage (Third Punic War)|siege of Carthage]] by the [[Roman Republic]] during the [[Third Punic War]] in 146&nbsp;BC. It was re-developed a century later as [[Roman Carthage]], which became the major city of the [[Roman Empire]] in the province of [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]]. The question of Carthaginian decline and demise has remained a subject of literary, political, artistic, and philosophical debates in both ancient and modern histories.<ref name="ingentaconnect.com"/><ref name="jstor.org">{{cite journal |last1=Winterer |first1=Caroline |title=Model Empire, Lost City: Ancient Carthage and the Science of Politics in Revolutionary America |journal=The William and Mary Quarterly |date=2010 |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=3–30 |doi=10.5309/willmaryquar.67.1.3 |jstor=10.5309/willmaryquar.67.1.3 }}</ref>

[[Late antiquity|Late antique]] and [[Middle Ages|medieval]] Carthage continued to play an important cultural and economic role in the [[Byzantine period]]. The city was sacked and destroyed by [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] forces after the [[Battle of Carthage (698)|Battle of Carthage]] in 698 to prevent it from being reconquered by the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref name="Edmund"/> It remained occupied during the Muslim period<ref name=Ediguplia/> and was used as a fort by the Muslims until the [[Hafsid]] period when it was taken by the [[Crusaders]] with its inhabitants massacred during the [[Eighth Crusade]]. The Hafsids decided to destroy its defenses so it could not be used as a base by a hostile power again.<ref name=Mustansir/> It also continued to function as [[Episcopal see of Carthage|an episcopal see]].

The regional power shifted to [[Kairouan]] and the [[Medina of Tunis]] in the [[History of medieval Tunisia|medieval period]], until the early 20th century, when it began to develop into a coastal suburb of [[Tunis]], incorporated as [[Carthage (municipality)|Carthage municipality]] in 1919. The archaeological site was first surveyed in 1830, by Danish consul [[Christian Tuxen Falbe]]. Excavations were performed in the second half of the 19th century by [[Charles Ernest Beulé]] and by [[Alfred Louis Delattre]]. The [[Carthage National Museum]] was founded in 1875 by [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Charles Lavigerie]]. Excavations performed by French archaeologists in the 1920s first attracted attention because of the evidence they produced for [[Tophet#Carthage and the western Mediterranean|child sacrifice]]. There has been considerable disagreement among scholars concerning whether child sacrifice was practiced by ancient Carthage.<ref>Skeletal Remains from Punic Carthage Do Not Support Systematic Sacrifice of Infants</ref><ref>[http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2014-01-23-ancient-carthaginians-really-did-sacrifice-their-children Ancient Carthaginians really did sacrifice their children.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214154130/https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2014-01-23-ancient-carthaginians-really-did-sacrifice-their-children |date=2020-12-14 }} University of Oxford News</ref> The open-air [[Carthage Paleo-Christian Museum]] has exhibits excavated under the auspices of [[UNESCO]] from 1975 to 1984. The site of the ruins is a [[UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/37/|title=Archaeological Site of Carthage|website=World Heritage Centre|publisher=UNESCO|language=en|url-status=live|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051128003634/http://whc.unesco.org:80/en/list/37/ |archive-date=2005-11-28 }}</ref>
[[File:Carthage, Phoenician metropolis, TerraX (English redub).webm|thumb|right|Reconstruction of Carthage, capital of the Carthaginians]]

== Etymology ==
{{anchor|Etymology}}
{{further|Phoenicia#Etymology}}
The name ''[[:wikt:Carthage|Carthage]]'' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɑ:r|θ|ɪ|dʒ}} {{respell|KAR|thij}}) is the [[Early Modern English|Early Modern]] [[Anglicisation#Anglicisation of non-English place names|anglicisation]] of [[Middle French]] {{lang|frm|Carthage}} {{IPA|/kartaʒə/}},<ref>cf. Marlowe's ''[[Dido, Queen of Carthage (play)|Dido, Queen of Carthage]]'' (c. 1590); Middle English still used the Latin form ''Carthago'', e.g., [[John Trevisa]], ''Polychronicon'' (1387) 1.169: ''That womman Dido that founded Carthago was comlynge''.</ref> from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|Carthāgō}} and {{lang|la|Karthāgō}} (cf. [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{transliteration|grc|Karkhēdōn}} ({{lang|grc|Καρχηδών}}), as well as {{transliteration|grc|Karkhadōn}} ({{lang|grc|Καρχαδών}}), and [[Etruscan language|Etruscan]] {{lang|ett-Latn|*Carθaza}}) from the [[Punic language|Punic]] {{lang|phn-Latn|qrt-ḥdšt}} {{nowrap|({{script|Phnx|𐤒𐤓𐤕 𐤇𐤃𐤔𐤕}})}} "new city",{{efn|compare [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] {{lang|arc|קרתא חדתא}} {{transliteration|arc|Qarta Ḥadtaʾ}}, [[Biblical Hebrew|Hebrew]] {{lang|he|קרת חדשה}} {{transliteration|he|Qeret Ḥadašah}} and [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{lang|ar|قرية حديثة}} {{transliteration|ar|Qarya Ḥadīṯa}};<ref>see:
* Wolfgang David Cirilo de Melo (ed), ''Amphitryon'', Volume 4 of The Loeb Classical Library: Plautus, Harvard University Press, 2011, [https://books.google.com/books?id=rXpdAHrox6AC&pg=PA210 p. 210] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126122953/https://books.google.ch/books?id=rXpdAHrox6AC&pg=PA210 |date=2022-11-26 }};
* D. Gary Miller, ''Ancient Greek Dialects and Early Authors: Introduction to the Dialect Mixture in Homer, with Notes on Lyric and Herodotus'', Walter de Gruyter, 2014, [https://books.google.com/books?id=5vPnBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 p. 39] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126122953/https://books.google.ch/books?id=5vPnBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 |date=2022-11-26 }}.
* Knapp, Wilfrid (1977). ''North West Africa: A Political and Economic Survey''. p. 15. {{ISBN|0192156357}}.</ref> adjective {{lang|phn-Latn|qrt-ḥdty}} "Carthaginian"}} implying it was a "new [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archaeology.ugent.be/carthage/history.php|title=Carthage: new excavations in a Mediterranean capital|work=ugent.be}}</ref>{{better source needed |reason=website down, title can't be searched anywhere else |date=September 2025}} The Latin adjective {{lang|la|[[wikt:punicus#Latin|pūnicus]]}}, meaning "Phoenician", is reflected in English in some borrowings from Latin{{snd}}notably the [[Punic Wars]] and the [[Punic language]].

The [[Modern Standard Arabic]] form ''{{audio|help=no|9artaj.wav|Qarṭāj}}'' ({{lang|ar|قرطاج}}) is an adoption of French {{lang|fr|Carthage}}, replacing an older local toponym reported as ''Cartagenna'' that directly continued the Latin name.<ref name=Audetym /> It also traces back to the [[Punic language|Punic]] name "Qart-ḥadašt", meaning "new city".

==Topography, layout, and society==
[[File:Carthage National Museum representation of city.jpg|left|thumb|Modern reconstruction of Punic Carthage. The circular harbor at the front is the [[Cothon]], the military port of Carthage, where all of Carthage's warships ([[Bireme]]s) were anchored.]]

===Overview===
Carthage was built on a [[promontory]] with sea inlets to the north and the south. The city's location made it master of the Mediterranean's maritime trade. All ships crossing the sea had to pass between [[Sicily]] and the coast of Tunisia, where Carthage was built, affording it great power and influence. Two large, artificial harbors were built within the city, one for harboring the city's prodigious navy of 220 warships and the other for mercantile trade. A walled tower overlooked both harbors. The city had massive walls, {{convert|23|mi|0|order=flip|abbr=on}} long, which was longer than the walls of comparable cities. Most of the walls were on the shore and so could be less impressive, as Carthaginian control of the sea made attack from that direction difficult. The {{convert|2.5|to|3|mi|1|order=flip|abbr=on}} of wall on the [[isthmus]] to the west were truly massive and were never penetrated.

Carthage was one of the largest cities of the [[Hellenistic period]] and was among the largest cities in preindustrial history. Whereas by AD 14, [[Rome]] had at least 750,000 inhabitants and in the following century may have reached 1&nbsp;million, the cities of [[Alexandria]] and [[Antioch]] numbered only a few hundred thousand or less.<ref name="CharlesworthEdwards2000">{{cite book|author1=Martin Percival Charlesworth|author2=Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards|author3=John Boardman|author4=Frank William Walbank|title=The Cambridge Ancient History: The fourth century B.C., 2nd ed., 1994|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WgHhAAAAMAAJ&q="Rome+was+larger"|year=2000|publisher=University Press|page=813|isbn=978-0-521-26335-1 }}</ref> According to the history of [[Herodian]], Carthage rivaled Alexandria for second place in the Roman empire.<ref name="Grant2004">{{cite book|author=Robert McQueen Grant|title=Augustus to Constantine: The Rise and Triumph of Christianity in the Roman World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d_vxEB7nT_QC&pg=PP54|year=2004|publisher=Westminster: John Knox Press|isbn=978-0-664-22772-2|pages=54–}}</ref>

===Layout===
The Punic Carthage was divided into four equally sized residential areas with the same layout. It had religious areas, market places, a council house, towers, a theatre, and a huge [[necropolis]]; roughly in the middle of the city stood a high citadel called the [[Byrsa]]. Surrounding Carthage were [[city walls|walls]] "of great strength" said in places to rise above 13 m, being nearly 10 m thick, according to ancient authors. To the west, three parallel walls were built. The walls altogether ran for about {{convert|33|km|abbr=off}} to encircle the city.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1964) at 138–140, map at 139; at 273n.3, he cites the ancients: [[Appian]], [[Strabo]], [[Diodorus Siculus]], [[Polybius]].</ref><ref>Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (1962, 2d ed. 1963), text at 34, maps at 31 and 34. According to Harden, the outer walls ran several kilometres to the west of that indicated on the map here.</ref> The heights of the Byrsa were additionally [[fortified]]; this area being the last to succumb to the [[Third Punic War|Romans in 146&nbsp;BC]]. Originally the Romans had landed their army on the strip of land extending southward from the city.<ref>Picard and Picard, ''The Life and Death of Carthage'' (1968, 1969) at 395–396.</ref><ref>For an ample discussion of the ancient city: Serge Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris: Arthème Fayard 1992; Oxford: Blackwell 1995, 1997) at 134–172, ancient harbours at 172–192; archaic Carthage at 38–77.</ref>

Outside the city walls of Carthage is the ''Chora'' or farm lands of Carthage. ''Chora'' encompassed a limited area: the north coastal ''tell'', the lower [[Medjerda River|Bagradas river valley]] (inland from Utica), [[Cape Bon]], and the adjacent ''sahel'' on the east coast. Punic culture here achieved the introduction of agricultural sciences first developed for lands of the eastern Mediterranean, and their adaptation to local African conditions.<ref>Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (1958; 1968) at 85 (limited area), at 88 (imported skills).</ref>

The ''urban landscape'' of Carthage is known in part from ancient authors,<ref>e.g., the Greek writers: [[Appian]], [[Diodorus Siculus]], [[Polybius]]; and, the Latin: [[Livy]], [[Strabo]].</ref> augmented by modern digs and surveys conducted by archeologists. The "first urban nucleus" dating to the seventh century, in area about {{convert|10|ha|acres}}, was apparently located on low-lying lands along the coast (north of the later harbours). As confirmed by archaeological excavations, Carthage was a "creation ''ex nihilo''", built on 'virgin' land, and situated at what was then the end of a peninsula. Here among "mud brick walls and beaten clay floors" (recently uncovered) were also found extensive cemeteries, which yielded evocative grave goods like clay masks. "Thanks to this [[burial archaeology]] we know more about archaic Carthage than about any other contemporary city in the western Mediterranean." Already in the eighth century, fabric [[dyeing]] operations had been established, evident from crushed shells of [[murex]] (from which the 'Phoenician purple' was derived). Nonetheless, only a "meager picture" of the cultural life of the earliest pioneers in the city can be conjectured, and not much about housing, monuments, or defenses.<ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris 1992), as translated by A. Nevill (Oxford 1997), at 38–45 and 76–77 (archaic Carthage): maps of early city at 39 and 42; burial archaeology quote at 77; short quotes at 43, 38, 45, 39; clay masks at 60–62 (photographs); terracotta and ivory figurines at 64–66, 72–75 (photographs). Ancient coastline from Utica to Carthage: map at 18.</ref><ref>Cf., B. H. Warmington, ''Carthage'' (London: Robert Hale 1960; 2d ed. 1969) at 26–31.</ref> The Roman poet [[Virgil]] (70–19 BC) imagined early Carthage, when his legendary character [[The Aeneid|Aeneas]] had arrived there:

<blockquote>
"Aeneas found, where lately huts had been,<br />
marvelous buildings, gateways, cobbled ways,<br />
and din of wagons. There the [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyrians]]<br />
were hard at work: laying courses for walls,<br />
rolling up stones to build the citadel,<br />
while others picked out building sites and plowed<br />
a boundary furrow. Laws were being enacted,<br />
magistrates and a sacred senate chosen.<br />
Here men were dredging harbors, there they laid<br />
the deep foundations of a theatre,<br />
and quarried massive pillars... ."<ref>Virgil (70–19 BC), ''[[The Aeneid]]'' [19 BC], translated by [[Robert Fitzgerald]] (New York: Random House 1983), p. 18–19 (Book I, 421–424). Cf., Lancel, ''Carthage'' (1997) p. 38. Here capitalized as prose.</ref><ref>Virgil here, however, does innocently inject his own Roman cultural notions into his imagined description, e.g., Punic Carthage evidently built no theaters ''per se''. Cf., Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (1958; 1968).</ref><br />
</blockquote>

[[File:Carthage archaeological sites map-fr.svg|thumb|Archaeological sites of modern Carthage]]

The two inner harbors, named ''[[cothon]]'' in Punic, were located in the southeast; one being commercial, and the other for war. Their definite functions are not entirely known, probably for the construction, outfitting, or repair of ships, perhaps also loading and unloading cargo.<ref>The harbours, often mentioned by ancient authors, remain an archaeological problem due to the limited, fragmented evidence found. Lancel, ''Carthage'' (1992; 1997) at 172–192 (the two harbours).</ref><ref>Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 32, 130–131.</ref><ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 138.</ref> Larger [[Anchorage (maritime)|anchorages]] existed to the north and south of the city.<ref>Sebkrit er Riana to the north, and [[Lake of Tunis|El Bahira]] to the south [their modern names]. Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 31–32. Ships then could also be beached on the sand.</ref> North and west of the ''cothon'' were located several industrial areas, e.g., metalworking and pottery (e.g., for [[amphora]]), which could serve both inner harbors, and ships anchored to the south of the city.<ref>Cf., Lancel, ''Carthage'' (1992; 1997) at 139–140, city map at 138.</ref>

Considering the importance of the [[Byrsa]], the [[citadel]] area to the north,<ref>The lands immediately south of the hill is often also included by the term ''Byrsa''.</ref> our knowledge of it is patchy. Its prominent heights were the scene of fierce combat during the fiery destruction of the city in 146&nbsp;BC. The Byrsa was the reported site of the Temple of [[Eshmun]] (the healing god), at the top of a stairway of sixty steps.<ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage. A history'' (Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard 1992; Oxford: Blackwell 1995) at 148–152; 151 and 149 map (leveling operations on the Byrsa, circa 25 BC, to prepare for new construction), 426 (Temple of Eshmun), 443 (Byrsa diagram, circa 1859). The Byrsa had been destroyed during the [[Third Punic War]] (149–146).</ref><ref>Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (Paris 1958; London 1961, reprint Macmillan 1968) at 8 (city map showing the Temple of Eshmoun, on the eastern heights of the Byrsa).</ref> A temple of [[Tanit]] (the city's queen goddess) was likely situated on the slope of the 'lesser Byrsa' immediately to the east, which runs down toward the sea.<ref>E. S. Bouchier, ''Life and Letters in Roman Africa'' (Oxford: B. H. Blackwell 1913) at 17, and 75. The Roman temple to [[List of Roman deities|Juno Caelestis]] is said to be later erected on the site of the ruined temple to [[Tanit]].</ref> Also situated on the Byrsa were luxury homes.<ref>On the Byrsa some evidence remains of quality residential construction of the 2nd century BC. Soren, Khader, Slim, ''Carthage'' (1990) at 117.</ref>

South of the citadel, near the ''cothon'' was the ''[[tophet]]'', a special and very old [[cemetery]], which when begun lay outside the city's boundaries. Here the ''[[Carthage tophet|Salammbô]]'' was located, the ''Sanctuary of Tanit'', not a temple but an enclosure for placing stone [[stelae]]. These were mostly short and upright, carved for funeral purposes. The presence of infant skeletons from here may indicate the occurrence of child sacrifice, as claimed in the Bible and Greco-Roman sources, although there has been considerable doubt among archeologists as to this interpretation and many consider it simply a cemetery devoted to infants.<ref>{{cite journal|author1=Jeffrey H. Schwartz|author2= Frank Houghton|author3= Roberto Macchiarelli|author4= Luca Bondioli|title=Skeletal Remains from Punic Carthage Do Not Support Systematic Sacrifice of Infants|journal= PLOS ONE|date=February 17, 2010 |volume= 5|issue= 2|article-number= e9177|doi= 10.1371/journal.pone.0009177|pmid= 20174667|pmc= 2822869|bibcode= 2010PLoSO...5.9177S|doi-access= free}}</ref> Probably the ''tophet'' burial fields were "dedicated at an early date, perhaps by the first settlers."<ref>B. H. Warmington, ''Carthage'' (London: Robert Hale 1960; reprint Penguin 1964) at 15 (quote), 25, 141; (London: Robert Hale, 2d ed. 1969) at 27 (quote), 131–132, 133 (enclosure).</ref><ref>See the section on ''Punic religion'' below.</ref> Recent studies, on the other hand, indicate that child sacrifice was practiced by the Carthaginians.<ref name=sacrifice1>Xella, Paolo, et al. "Cemetery or sacrifice? Infant burials at the Carthage Tophet: Phoenician bones of contention." Antiquity 87.338 (2013): 1199–1207.</ref><ref name=sacrifice2>Smith, Patricia, et al. "Cemetery or sacrifice? Infant burials at the Carthage Tophet: Age estimations attest to infant sacrifice at the Carthage Tophet." Antiquity 87.338 (2013): 1191–1199.</ref>  According to K.L. Noll, many scholars believe that child sacrifice took place in Carthage.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canaanite Religion {{!}} K. L. Noll |url=https://people.brandonu.ca/nollk/canaanite-religion/#:~:text=At%20the%20center%20of%20Canaanite,crops,%20flocks,%20and%20humans. |access-date=2024-08-26 |website=people.brandonu.ca}}</ref>

Between the sea-filled ''cothon'' for shipping and the Byrsa heights lay the ''[[agora]]'' [Greek: "market"], the city-state's central marketplace for business and commerce. The ''agora'' was also an area of public squares and plazas, where the people might formally assemble, or gather for festivals. It was the site of religious shrines, and the location of whatever were the major municipal buildings of Carthage. Here beat the heart of civic life. In this district of Carthage, more probably, the ruling [[suffet]]s presided, the council of elders convened, the tribunal of the 104 met, and justice was dispensed at trials in the open air.<ref>Cf., Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 141.</ref><ref>Modern archeologists on the site have not yet 'discovered' the ancient ''agora''. Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris 1992; Oxford 1997) at 141.</ref>

Early residential districts wrapped around the Byrsa from the south to the north east. Houses usually were [[whitewash]]ed and blank to the street, but within were [[courtyard]]s open to the sky.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 142.</ref> In these neighborhoods multistory construction later became common, some up to six stories tall according to an ancient Greek author.<ref>[[Appian]] of Alexandria (c. 95 – c. 160s), ''Pomaika'' known as the ''Roman History'', at VII (''Libyca''), 128.</ref><ref>Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 133 & 229n17 (Appian cited).</ref> Several [[history of architecture|architectural]] [[floorplan]]s of homes have been revealed by recent [[Excavation (archaeology)|excavations]], as well as the general layout of several [[urban planning|city blocks]]. Stone stairs were set in the streets, and [[drainage]] was planned, e.g., in the form of soakaways leaching into the sandy soil.<ref>Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris 1992; Oxford 1997) at 152–172, e.g., 163–165 (floorplans), 167–171 (neighborhood diagrams and photographs).</ref> Along the Byrsa's southern slope were located not only fine old homes, but also many of the earliest grave-sites, juxtaposed in small areas, interspersed with daily life.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 139 (map of city, re the tophet), 141.</ref>

[[Artisan]] workshops were located in the city at sites north and west of the harbours. The location of three [[metal working|metal workshops]] (implied from iron slag and other vestiges of such activity) were found adjacent to the naval and commercial harbours, and another two were further up the hill toward the Byrsa citadel. Sites of [[pottery]] [[kiln]]s have been identified, between the ''agora'' and the harbours, and further north. Earthenware often used Greek models. A [[fulling|fuller]]'s shop for preparing woolen cloth (shrink and thicken) was evidently situated further to the west and south, then by the edge of the city.<ref>Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris 1992; Oxford 1997) at 138–140. These findings mostly relate to the 3rd century BC.</ref> Carthage also produced objects of rare refinement. During the 4th and 3rd centuries, the [[sculptures]] of the [[sarcophagus|sarcophagi]] became works of art. "Bronze [[engraving]] and stone-carving reached their zenith."<ref>Picard, ''The Life and Death of Carthage'' (Paris 1970; New York 1968) at 162–165 (carvings described), 176–178 (quote).</ref>

The elevation of the land at the promontory on the seashore to the north-east (now called [[Sidi Bou Saïd]]), was twice as high above sea level as that at the Byrsa (100 m and 50 m). In between runs a ridge, several times reaching 50 m; it continues northwestward along the seashore, and forms the edge of a plateau-like area between the Byrsa and the sea.<ref>Lancel, ''Carthage'' (1992; 1997) at 138 and 145 (city maps).</ref> Newer urban developments lay here in these northern districts.<ref>This was especially so, later in the Roman era. E.g., Soren, Khader, Slim, ''Carthage'' (1990) at 187–210.</ref>

[[File:Maison punique byrsa.jpg|thumb|right|Punic ruins in Byrsa]]
[[File:Archaeological Site of Carthage-130237.jpg|thumb|Archaeological Site of Carthage]]

Due to the Roman's leveling of the city, the original Punic urban landscape of Carthage was largely lost. Since 1982, French archaeologist [[Serge Lancel]] excavated a residential area of the Punic Carthage on top of [[Byrsa]] hill near the Forum of the Roman Carthage. The neighborhood can be dated back to early second century BC, and with its houses, shops, and private spaces, is significant for what it reveals about daily life of the Punic Carthage.<ref>Serge Lancel and Jean-Paul Morel, "Byrsa. Punic vestiges"; ''To save Carthage. Exploration and conservation of the city Punic, Roman and Byzantine'', Unesco / INAA, 1992, pp. 43–59</ref>

The remains have been preserved under embankments, the substructures of the later Roman forum, whose foundation piles dot the district. The housing blocks are separated by a grid of straight streets about {{convert|6|m|abbr=on|0}} wide, with a roadway consisting of clay; ''[[in situ]]'' stairs compensate for the slope of the hill. Construction of this type presupposes organization and political will, and has inspired the name of the neighborhood, "[[Hannibal]] district", referring to the legendary Punic general or [[shophet|sufet]] (consul) at the beginning of the second century BC. The habitat is typical, even stereotypical. The street was often used as a storefront/shopfront; cisterns were installed in basements to collect water for domestic use, and a long corridor on the right side of each residence led to a courtyard containing a [[infiltration basin|sump]], around which various other elements may be found. In some places, the ground is covered with [[mosaic]]s called punica pavement, sometimes using a characteristic red mortar.

===Society and local economy===
[[File:Archaeological Site of Carthage-130238.jpg|thumb|Archaeological Site of Carthage]]
[[File:Archaeological Site of Carthage-130239.jpg|thumb|View of two columns at Carthage]]
Punic culture and agricultural sciences, after arriving at Carthage from the eastern Mediterranean, gradually adapted to the local conditions. The merchant harbor at Carthage was developed after settlement of the nearby Punic town of [[Utica, Tunisia|Utica]], and eventually the surrounding African countryside was brought into the orbit of the Punic urban centers, first commercially, then politically. Direct management over cultivation of neighbouring lands by Punic owners followed.<ref>Stéphanie Gsell, ''Histoire ancienne de l'Afrique du Nord'', volume four (Paris 1920).</ref> A 28-volume work on agriculture written in Punic by [[Mago (agricultural writer)|Mago]], a retired army general ({{circa|300}}), was translated into Latin and later into Greek. The original and both translations have been lost; however, some of Mago's text has survived in other Latin works.<ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage. A History'' (Paris: Arthème Fayard 1992; Oxford: Blackwell 1995) at 273–274 (Mago quoted by Columella), 278–279 (Mago and [[Cato the Elder|Cato]]'s book), 358 (translations).</ref> Olive trees (e.g., [[grafting]]), fruit trees (pomegranate, almond, fig, date palm), [[viniculture]], bees, cattle, sheep, poultry, implements, and [[farm management]] were among the ancient topics which Mago discussed. As well, Mago addresses the wine-maker's art (here a type of [[sherry]]).<ref>[[Gilbert Charles-Picard|Gilbert]] and [[Colette Picard]], ''La vie quotidienne à Carthage au temps d'Hannibal'' (Paris: Librairie Hachette 1958), translated as ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (London: George Allen & Unwin 1961; reprint Macmillan, New York 1968) at 83–93: 88 (Mago as retired general), 89–91 (fruit trees), 90 (grafting), 89–90 (vineyards), 91–93 (livestock and bees), 148–149 (wine making). Elephants also, of course, were captured and reared for war (at 92).</ref><ref>Sabatino Moscati, ''Il mondo dei Fenici'' (1966), translated as ''The World of the Phoenicians'' (London: Cardinal 1973) at 219–223. Hamilcar is named as another Carthaginian writing on agriculture (at 219).</ref><ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris: Arthème Fayard 1992; Oxford: Blackwell 1995), discussion of wine making and its 'marketing' at 273–276. Lancel says (at 274) that about wine making, Mago was silent. Punic agriculture and rural life are addressed at 269–302.</ref>

In Punic farming society, according to Mago, the small estate owners were the chief producers. They were, two modern historians write, not absent landlords. Rather, the likely reader of Mago was "the master of a relatively modest estate, from which, by great personal exertion, he extracted the maximum yield." Mago counselled the rural landowner, for the sake of their own 'utilitarian' interests, to treat carefully and well their managers and farm workers, or their overseers and slaves.<ref>G. and C. Charles-Picard, ''La vie quotidienne à Carthage au temps d'Hannibal'' (Paris: Librairie Hachette 1958) translated as ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (London: George Allen and Unwin 1961; reprint Macmillan 1968) at 83–93: 86 (quote); 86–87, 88, 93 (management); 88 (overseers).</ref> Yet elsewhere these writers suggest that rural land ownership provided also a new power base among the city's nobility, for those resident in their country villas.<ref>G. C. and C. Picard, ''Vie et mort de Carthage'' (Paris: Librairie Hachette 1970) translated (and first published) as ''The Life and Death of Carthage'' (New York: Taplinger 1968) at 86 and 129.</ref><ref>Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (1958; 1968) at 83–84: the development of a "landed nobility".</ref> By many, farming was viewed as an alternative endeavour to an urban business. Another modern historian opines that more often it was the urban merchant of Carthage who owned rural farming land to some profit, and also to retire there during the heat of summer.<ref>B. H. Warmington, in his ''Carthage'' (London: Robert Hale 1960; reprint Penguin 1964) at 155.</ref> It may seem that Mago anticipated such an opinion, and instead issued this contrary advice (as quoted by the Roman writer Columella):

<blockquote>The man who acquires an estate must sell his house, lest he prefer to live in the town rather than in the country. Anyone who prefers to live in a town has no need of an estate in the country."<ref>[[Mago (agricultural writer)|Mago]], quoted by [[Columella]] at I, i, 18; in Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (1958; 1968) at 87, 101, n37.</ref> "One who has bought land should sell his town house, so that he will have no desire to worship the household gods of the city rather than those of the country; the man who takes greater delight in his city residence will have no need of a country estate.<ref>Mago, quoted by Columella at I, i, 18; in Moscati, ''The World of the Phoenicians'' (1966; 1973) at 220, 230, n5.</ref></blockquote>

The issues involved in rural land management also reveal underlying features of Punic society, its structure and [[Social stratification|stratification]]. The hired workers might be considered 'rural proletariat', drawn from the local Berbers. Whether there remained Berber landowners next to Punic-run farms is unclear. Some Berbers became sharecroppers. Slaves acquired for farm work were often prisoners of war. In lands outside Punic political control, independent Berbers cultivated grain and raised horses on their lands. Yet within the Punic domain that surrounded the city-state of Carthage, there were ethnic divisions in addition to the usual quasi [[feudal]] distinctions between lord and peasant, or master and serf. This inherent instability in the countryside drew the unwanted attention of potential invaders.<ref>Gilbert and Colette Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (1958; 1968) at 83–85 (invaders), 86–88 (rural proletariat).</ref> Yet for long periods Carthage was able to manage these social difficulties.<ref>E.g., Gilbert Charles Picard and Colette Picard, ''The Life and Death of Carthage'' (Paris 1970; New York 1968) at 168–171, 172–173 (invasion of Agathocles in 310 BC). The ''mercenary revolt'' (240–237) following the First Punic War was also largely and actively, though unsuccessfully, supported by rural Berbers. Picard (1970; 1968) at 203–209.</ref>

The many [[amphora]]e with Punic markings subsequently found about ancient Mediterranean coastal settlements testify to Carthaginian trade in locally made olive oil and wine.<ref>[[Plato]] (c. 427 – c. 347) in his ''[[Laws (dialogue)|Laws]]'' at 674, a-b, mentions regulations at Carthage restricting the consumption of wine in specified circumstances. Cf., Lancel, ''Carthage'' (1997) at 276.</ref> Carthage's agricultural production was held in high regard by the ancients, and rivaled that of Rome{{snd}}they were once competitors, e.g., over their olive harvests. Under Roman rule, however, grain production (wheat and barley) for export increased dramatically in 'Africa'; yet these later fell with the rise in [[History of Roman Egypt|Roman Egypt]]'s grain exports. Thereafter olive groves and vineyards were re-established around Carthage. Visitors to the several growing regions that surrounded the city wrote admiringly of the lush green gardens, orchards, fields, [[irrigation]] channels, hedgerows (as boundaries), as well as the many prosperous farming towns located across the rural landscape.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (London: Robert Hale 1960, 2d ed. 1969) at 136–137.</ref><ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris: Arthème Fayard 1992) translated by Antonia Nevill (Oxford: Blackwell 1997) at 269–279: 274–277 (produce), 275–276 (amphora), 269–270 & 405 (Rome), 269–270 (yields), 270 & 277 (lands), 271–272 (towns).</ref>

Accordingly, the Greek author and compiler [[Diodorus Siculus]] (fl. 1st century BC), who enjoyed access to ancient writings later lost, and on which he based most of his writings, described agricultural land near the city of Carthage c. 310 BC:

<blockquote>It was divided into market gardens and orchards of all sorts of fruit trees, with many streams of water flowing in channels irrigating every part. There were country homes everywhere, lavishly built and covered with stucco. ... Part of the land was planted with vines, part with olives and other productive trees. Beyond these, cattle and sheep were pastured on the plains, and there were meadows with grazing horses.<ref>[[Diodorus Siculus]], ''Bibleoteca'', at XX, 8, 1–4, transl. as ''Library of History'' (Harvard University 1962), vol.10 [Loeb Classics, no.390); per Soren, Khader, Slim, ''Carthage'' (1990) at 88.</ref><ref>Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris 1992; Oxford 1997) at 277.</ref></blockquote>

==Ancient history==
{{Main|History of Carthage}}

Greek cities contested with Carthage for the Western Mediterranean culminating in the [[Sicilian Wars]] and the [[Pyrrhic War]] over [[Sicily]], while the [[Roman Republic|Romans]] fought three wars against Carthage, known as the [[Punic Wars]],<ref>Herodotus, V2. 165–167</ref><ref>Polybius, World History: 1.7–1.60</ref> from the Latin "Punicus" meaning "Phoenician", as Carthage was a Phoenician colony grown into an empire.

===Punic Republic===
{{Main|Ancient Carthage}}

[[File:Carthaginianempire.PNG|thumb|upright=1.15|Downfall of the Carthaginian Empire
{{legend|#0076ae|Lost to Rome in the [[First Punic War]] {{nowrap|(264–241 BC)}}}}
{{legend|#0fff4b|Won after the First Punic War, lost in the [[Second Punic War]]}}
{{legend|#519EFD|Lost in the Second Punic War {{nowrap|(218–201 BC)}}}}
{{legend|#bf01fe|Conquered by Rome in the [[Third Punic War]] {{nowrap|(149–146 BC)}}}}
]]
The Carthaginian republic was one of the longest-lived and largest states in the ancient Mediterranean. Reports relay several wars with [[Syracuse,_Sicily|Syracuse]] and finally, Rome, which eventually resulted in the defeat and destruction of Carthage in the Third Punic War. The [[Punic people|Carthaginians]] were [[Phoenicia]]n settlers of primarily [[Southern Mediterranean]] and [[Southern Europe]]an ancestry.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Matisoo-Smith |first1=Elizabeth A. |last2=Gosling |first2=Anna L. |last3=Boocock |first3=James |last4=Kardailsky |first4=Olga |last5=Kurumilian |first5=Yara |last6=Roudesli-Chebbi |first6=Sihem |last7=Badre |first7=Leila |last8=Morel |first8=Jean-Paul |last9=Sebaï |first9=Leïla Ladjimi |last10=Zalloua |first10=Pierre A. |date=2016-05-25 |title=A European Mitochondrial Haplotype Identified in Ancient Phoenician Remains from Carthage, North Africa |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=11 |issue=5 |article-number=e0155046 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0155046 |doi-access=free |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=4880306 |pmid=27224451|bibcode=2016PLoSO..1155046M }}</ref> [[Phoenicia]]ns had originated in the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] coast of the [[Levant]]. They spoke [[Canaanite languages|Canaanite]], a [[Semitic languages|Semitic language]], and followed a local variety of the [[ancient Canaanite religion]], the [[Punic religion]]. The Carthaginians travelled widely across the seas and set up numerous colonies. Unlike Greek, Phoenician, and Tyrian colonizers who "only required colonies to pay due respect for their home-cities", Carthage is said to have "sent its own magistrates to govern overseas settlements".<ref name="ingentaconnect.com"/>

[[File:Tunisie Carthage Ruines 08.JPG|right|thumb|Ruins of Carthage]]

The fall of Carthage came at the end of the Third Punic War in 146&nbsp;BC at the [[Battle of Carthage (c. 149 BCE)|Battle of Carthage]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Wine: The 8,000-Year-Old Story of the Wine Trade |first=Thomas |last=Pellechia |year=2006 |location=London |publisher=Running Press |isbn=1-56025-871-3 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/wine8000yearolds00thom }}</ref> Despite initial devastating Roman naval losses and [[Hannibal]]'s 15-year occupation of much of Roman Italy, who was on the brink of defeat but managed to recover, the end of the series of wars resulted in the end of Carthaginian power and the complete destruction of the city by [[Scipio Aemilianus]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Warmington |first=B. H. |title=Carthage |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |year=1993 |isbn=1-56619-210-2 |edition=Revised 2nd |location=New York |pages=223–242 |language=en}}</ref> The Romans pulled the Phoenician warships out into the harbor and burned them before the city, and went from house to house, capturing and enslaving the people. About 50,000 Carthaginians were sold into [[slavery in ancient Rome|slavery]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0001198.html|title=Ancient History|work=infoplease.com}}</ref> The city was set ablaze and razed to the ground, leaving only ruins and rubble. After the fall of Carthage, Rome annexed the majority of the Carthaginian colonies, including other North African locations such as [[Volubilis]], [[Lixus (ancient city)|Lixus]], and [[Chellah]].<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=14906| title = C. Michael Hogan (2007) ''Volubilis'', The Megalithic Portal, ed. by A. Burnham}}</ref> Today a "Carthaginian peace" can refer to any brutal peace treaty demanding total subjugation of the defeated side.

====Salting legend====
{{main|Salting the earth#Carthage}}
Since at least 1863,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author1-link= George Ripley (transcendentalist) |author2-link=Charles Anderson Dana |author1-last=Ripley | author1-first=George |author2-last=Dana |author2-first=Charles A. |encyclopedia=The New American Cyclopædia: a Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge |title=Carthage |url=https://archive.org/stream/newamericancycl01danagoog#page/n508/mode/1up | access-date =29 July 2020 |year=1858–1863 |publisher=D. Appleton |volume=4 |location=New York |oclc=1173144180 |page=497}}</ref> it has been claimed that Carthage was [[Salting the earth|sown with salt]] after being razed, but there is no evidence for this.<ref name="Carthage 1988 pp. 308">{{cite journal |first=B. H. |last=Warmington |title=The Destruction of Carthage: A Retractation |journal=Classical Philology |volume=83 |issue=4 |year=1988 |pages=308–310 |doi=10.1086/367123 |s2cid=162850949 }}</ref><ref>Stevens, 1988, pp. 39–40.</ref>

===Roman Carthage===
[[File:Karta Karthago.PNG|thumb|[[Roman Carthage]] City Center]]
[[File:Carthage romaine.jpg|thumb|Layout of [[Roman Carthage]]]]
{{main|Roman Carthage}}
When Carthage fell, its nearby rival [[Utica, Tunisia|Utica]], a Roman ally, was made capital of the region and replaced Carthage as the leading center of Punic trade and leadership. It had the advantageous position of being situated on the outlet of the [[Medjerda River]], Tunisia's only river that flowed all year long. However, grain cultivation in the Tunisian mountains caused large amounts of [[silt]] to erode into the river. This silt accumulated in the harbor until it became useless, and Rome was forced to rebuild Carthage.

By 122&nbsp;BC, [[Gaius Gracchus]] founded a short-lived [[Colonia (Roman)|colony]], called ''[[Colonia Junonia|Colonia Iunonia]]'', after the Latin name for the Punic goddess [[Tanit]], ''Iuno Caelestis''. The purpose was to obtain arable lands for impoverished farmers. The [[Roman Senate|Senate]] abolished the colony some time later, to undermine Gracchus' power.

After this ill-fated effort, a new city of Carthage was built on the same land by [[Julius Caesar]] in the period from 49 to 44&nbsp;BC, and by the first century, it had grown to be the second-largest city in the western half of the [[Roman Empire]], with a peak population of 500,000.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://weburbanist.com/2010/09/26/bridges-that-babble-on-15-amazing-roman-aqueducts| title = 'Bridges That Babble On: 15 Amazing Roman Aqueducts', Article by Steve, filed under Abandoned Places in the Architecture category| date = 26 September 2010}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=June 2021}} It was the center of the [[Africa (Roman province)|province of Africa]], which was a major breadbasket of the Empire. Among its major monuments was an [[Carthage amphitheatre|amphitheater]].

Carthage also became a [[Early centers of Christianity#Carthage|center of early Christianity]] (see [[Carthage (episcopal see)]]). In the first of a string of rather poorly reported councils at Carthage a few years later, no fewer than 70 bishops attended. [[Tertullian]] later broke with the mainstream that was increasingly represented in the West by the [[primacy of the Bishop of Rome]], but a more serious rift among Christians was the [[Donatism|Donatist controversy]], against which [[Augustine of Hippo]] spent much time and parchment arguing. At the [[Council of Carthage (397)]], the [[development of the Christian biblical canon|biblical canon for the western Church was confirmed]]. The Christians at Carthage conducted [[Persecution of pagans in the late Roman Empire|persecutions against the pagans]], during which the pagan temples, notably the famous [[Temple of Juno Caelestis, Carthage|Temple of Juno Caelesti]], were destroyed.<ref>Brent D. Shaw: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=F8ZRPTgcjrcC&pg=PA234 Sacred Violence: African Christians and Sectarian Hatred in the Age of Augustine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221126122954/https://books.google.se/books?id=F8ZRPTgcjrcC&pg=PA234 |date=2022-11-26 }}''</ref>

[[File:NE 500ad.jpg|thumb|The [[Vandal Kingdom]] in 500, centered on Carthage]]
The Vandals under [[Gaiseric]] invaded [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]] in 429. They relinquished the facade of their allied status to Rome and defeated the Roman general [[Bonifacius]] to seize Carthage, the once most treasured province of Rome.<ref name=":0" /> The 5th-century Roman bishop [[Victor Vitensis]] mentions in his ''Historia Persecutionis Africanae Provincia'' that the Vandals destroyed parts of Carthage, including various buildings and churches.<ref>{{cite book |last=Leone |first=Anna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qO7mlDvtuZ0C&pg=PA155 |title=Changing Townscapes in North Africa from Late Antiquity to the Arab Conquest |year=2007 |isbn=978-88-7228-498-8 |page=155 |publisher=Edipuglia srl }}</ref> Once the Vandals were in power, the ecclesiastical authorities were persecuted, the locals were aggressively taxed, and naval raids were routinely launched on Romans in the Mediterranean.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Thomas |title=The Oxford History of Medieval Europe |last2=Holmes |first2=George |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1988 |location=Great Britain |page=3 |language=en}}</ref>

After a failed attempt to recapture the city in the fifth century, the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman Empire]] finally subdued the Vandals in the [[Vandalic War]] in 533–534 and made Carthage capital of [[Byzantine North Africa]]. Thereafter, the city became the seat of the [[praetorian prefecture of Africa]], which was made into an [[exarchate]] during the emperor [[Maurice (emperor)|Maurice's]] reign, as was [[Ravenna]] on the Italian Peninsula. These two exarchates were the western bulwarks of the Byzantine Empire, all that remained of its power in the West. In the early seventh century [[Heraclius the Elder]], the exarch of Carthage, overthrew the Byzantine emperor [[Phocas]], whereupon his son [[Heraclius]] succeeded to the imperial throne.

===Islamic period===
{{main|Muslim conquest of the Maghreb|Battle of Carthage (698)}}

The Roman [[Exarchate of Africa]] was not able to withstand the seventh-century [[Muslim conquest of the Maghreb]]. The [[Umayyad Caliphate]] under [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan]] in 686 sent a force led by [[Zuhayr ibn Qays]], who won a battle over the Romans and [[Berbers]] led by King [[Kusaila]] of the [[Kingdom of Altava]] on the plain of [[Kairouan]], but he could not follow that up. In 695, [[Hassan ibn al-Nu'man]] captured Carthage and advanced into the [[Atlas Mountains]]. An imperial fleet arrived and retook Carthage, but in 698, [[Hasan ibn al-Nu'man]] returned and defeated Emperor [[Tiberios III]] at the [[Battle of Carthage (698)|698 Battle of Carthage]]. Roman imperial forces withdrew from all of Africa except [[Ceuta]]. Fearing that the Byzantine Empire might reconquer it, they decided to destroy Roman Carthage in a [[scorched earth policy]] and establish their headquarters somewhere else. Its walls were torn down, the water supply from its aqueducts cut off, the agricultural land was ravaged and its harbors made unusable.<ref name="Edmund">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UB4uSVt3ulUC&q=carthage+walls+aqueducts+698&pg=PA536|last=Bosworth|first=C. Edmund|title=Historic Cities of the Islamic World|year=2008|publisher=Brill Academic Press|isbn=978-90-04-15388-2|page=536}}</ref>

The destruction of the Exarchate of Africa marked a permanent end to the Byzantine Empire's influence in the region.

It is clear from archaeological evidence that the town of Carthage continued to be occupied, as did the neighborhood of Bjordi Djedid. The [[Baths of Antoninus]] continued to function in the Arab period and the eleventh-century historian [[Al-Bakri]] stated that they were still in good condition at that time. They also had production centers nearby. It is difficult to determine whether the continued habitation of some other buildings belonged to Late Byzantine or Early Arab period. The Bir Ftouha church may have continued to remain in use although it is not clear when it became uninhabited.<ref name="Ediguplia">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qO7mlDvtuZ0C&pg=PA179|title=Changing Townscapes in North Africa from Late Antiquity to the Arab Conquest|author=Anna Leone|pages=179–186|isbn=978-88-7228-498-8|year=2007|publisher=Edipuglia srl }}</ref> [[Constantine the African]] was born in Carthage.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H13CAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT145|title=A Short History of Science to the Nineteenth Century|isbn=978-0-486-16928-6|last1=Singer|first1=Charles|date=2013|publisher=Courier Corporation }}</ref>

The [[Medina of Tunis]], originally a Berber settlement, was established as the new regional center under the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] in the early 8th century. Under the [[Aghlabid]]s, the people of Tunis revolted numerous times, but the city profited from economic improvements and quickly became the second most important in the kingdom. It was briefly the national capital, from the end of the reign of [[Ibrahim II of Ifriqiya|Ibrahim II]] in 902, until 909, when the [[Shi'ite]] [[Berber people|Berbers]] took over [[Ifriqiya]] and founded the [[Fatimid Caliphate]].

[[Carthage (episcopal see)|Carthage]] remained a residential see until the [[high medieval period]], and is mentioned in two letters of [[Pope Leo IX]] dated 1053,<ref>''[[Patrologia Latina]]'' {{cite web| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=r8EUAAAAQAAJ| title = vol. 143, coll. 727–731| last1 = (Contractus)| first1 = Hermannus| year = 1853}}</ref> written in reply to consultations regarding a conflict between the bishops of Carthage and [[Africa (Roman province)#Episcopal sees|Gummi]]. In each of the two letters, Pope Leo declares that, after the Bishop of Rome, the first archbishop and chief metropolitan of the whole of [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]] is the bishop of Carthage. Later, an archbishop of Carthage named Cyriacus was imprisoned by the Arab rulers because of an accusation by some Christians. [[Pope Gregory VII]] wrote Cyriacus a letter of consolation, repeating the hopeful assurances of the primacy of the Church of Carthage, "whether the Church of Carthage should still lie desolate or rise again in glory". By 1076, Cyriacus was set free, but there was only one other bishop in the province. These are the last of whom there is mention in that period of the history of the see.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bouchier|first1=E.S.|title=Life and Letters in Roman Africa|date=1913|publisher=Blackwells|location=Oxford|page=117|url=https://archive.org/stream/lifelettersinrom00boucuoft#page/116/mode/2up|access-date=15 January 2015}}</ref><ref>François Decret, Early Christianity in North Africa(James Clarke & Co, 2011) p. 200.</ref>

The fortress of Carthage was used by the Muslims until [[Hafsid]] era and was captured by the Crusaders during the [[Eighth Crusade]]. The inhabitants of Carthage were slaughtered by the Crusaders after they took it, and it was used as a base of operations against the Hafsids. After repelling them, [[Muhammad I al-Mustansir]] decided to raze Cathage's defenses in order to prevent a repeat.<ref name="Mustansir">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BHlUDwAAQBAJ&q=carthage+mustansir+walls&pg=PA113|title=Crusades – Medieval Worlds in Conflict |editor=Thomas F. Madden |editor2=James L. Naus |editor3=Vincent Ryan |pages=113, 184|isbn=978-0-19-874432-0 |year=2018 |publisher=Oxford University Press }}</ref>

==Modern history==
[[File:Plan Tunis et ses environs - 1903.jpg|thumb|Historical map of the Tunis area (1903), showing [[Acropolium of Carthage|St. Louis of Carthage]] between [[Sidi Bou Said]] and [[Le Kram]]]]
[[File:The first published sketch of tombstones from Carthage (Jean Emile Humbert).jpg|thumb|right|The [[Humbert Carthage inscriptions]]: The first published sketch of artefacts from Carthage, in 1817. The inscriptions were on [[Carthaginian tombstones]]. They were acquired by the [[Rijksmuseum van Oudheden]], becoming amongst the museum's most notable acquisitions.<ref>{{cite book | last=Halbertsma | first=Ruurd B. | title=Scholars, Travellers and Trade | publisher=Psychology Press | publication-place=London New York | date=2003 | isbn=978-0-415-27630-6|chapter= 6. JEAN EMILE HUMBERT. The quest for Carthage|page=71-88}}</ref>]]
Carthage is some {{convert|15|km|abbr=off}} east-northeast of Tunis; the settlements nearest to Carthage were the town of [[Sidi Bou Said]] to the north and the village of [[Le Kram]] to the south. Sidi Bou Said was a village which had grown around the tomb of the eponymous [[sufi]] saint (d. 1231), which had been developed into a town under [[Ottoman Tunisia|Ottoman rule]] in the 18th century. Le Kram was developed in the late 19th century under [[French Tunisia|French administration]] as a settlement close to the port of [[La Goulette]].

In 1881, Tunisia became a [[French protectorate of Tunisia|French protectorate]], and in the same year [[Charles Lavigerie]], who was archbishop of Algiers, became [[apostolic administrator]] of the vicariate of Tunis. In the following year, Lavigerie became a [[cardinalate|cardinal]]. He "saw himself as the reviver of the ancient Christian Church of Africa, the Church of [[Cyprian]] of Carthage",<ref>{{cite book|first=Adrian|last=Hastings|chapter=The Victorian Missionary|doi=10.1093/0198263996.003.0007|title=The Church in Africa, 1450–1950|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|orig-date=1994|isbn=978-0-19-826399-9|series=history of the Christian Church|page=255|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r4x7g1w90SkC&pg=PA255}}</ref> and, on 10 November 1884, was successful in his great ambition of having the [[metropolitan see]] of Carthage restored, with himself as its first archbishop.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Lavigerie, Charles Martial Allemand}}</ref> In line with the declaration of [[Pope Leo IX]] in 1053, [[Pope Leo XIII]] acknowledged the revived Archdiocese of Carthage as the [[primate (bishop)|primatial]] see of [[Africa (Roman province)|Africa]] and Lavigerie as primate.<ref>[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12423b.htm Joseph Sollier, "Charles-Martial-Allemand Lavigerie"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100612225239/http://newadvent.org/cathen/12423b.htm |date=2010-06-12 }} in ''[[Catholic Encyclopedia]]'' (New York 1910)
{{cite book|title=The next christendom: the coming of global Christianity|first=Philip|last=Jenkins|location=Oxford [u.a.]|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|edition=3rd|isbn=978-0-19-976746-5|page=46|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EIAKmFFfG3sC&pg=PA46}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Schaff–Herzog|title=Lavigerie, Charles Martial Allemand|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GREMAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA425|first=|last=|volume=6|page=425}}
In 1964, the episcopal see of Carthage had to be de-established again, in a compromise reached with the government of [[Habib Bourguiba]], which permitted the Catholic Church in Tunisia to retain legal personality and representation by the [[prelate nullius|prelate ''nullius'']] of Tunis.
</ref>

The [[Acropolium of Carthage]] (Saint Louis Cathedral of Carthage) was erected on [[Byrsa]] hill in 1884.

===Archaeological sites===
{{See also|Punic people#Genetics}}
[[File:Plan du terrain et des ruines de Carthage - levé et dessiné en 1831 par Falbe... - btv1b530984294.jpg|thumb|1833 map from the first modern archeological publication on Carthage, by [[Christian Tuxen Falbe]]]]
The Danish consul [[Christian Tuxen Falbe]] conducted a first survey of the topography of the archaeological site (published in 1833).
Antiquarian interest was intensified following the publication of Flaubert's ''[[Salammbô]]'' in 1858. [[Charles Ernest Beulé]] performed some preliminary excavations of Roman remains on Byrsa hill in 1860.<ref>Charles Ernest Beulé, ''Fouilles à Carthage'', éd. Imprimerie impériale, Paris, 1861.</ref> In 1866, [[Muhammad Khaznadar]], the son of the [[Prime Minister of Tunisia]], carried out the first locally led excavations. A more systematic survey of both Punic and Roman-era remains is due to [[Alfred Louis Delattre]], who was sent to Tunis by cardinal [[Charles Lavigerie]] in 1875 on both an apostolic and an archaeological mission.<ref>Azedine Beschaouch, ''La légende de Carthage'', éd. Découvertes Gallimard, Paris, 1993, p. 94.</ref>
Audollent cites Delattre and Lavigerie to the effect that in the 1880s, locals still knew the area of the ancient city under the name of ''Cartagenna'' (i.e. reflecting the Latin ''n''-stem ''Carthāgine'').<ref name=Audetym>Audollent, ''Carthage Romaine, 146 avant Jésus-Christ – 698 après Jésus-Christ'' 1901, [http://www.mediterranee-antique.fr/Auteurs/Fichiers/ABC/Audollent/Carthage/Cart_203.htm p. 203])</ref>

[[Auguste Audollent]] divided the area of Roman Carthage into four quarters, ''Cartagenna'', ''Dermèche'', ''Byrsa'' and ''[[Cisterns of La Malga|La Malga]]''. Cartagenna and Dermèche correspond with the lower city, including the site of Punic Carthage; Byrsa is associated with the upper city, which in Punic times was a walled citadel above the harbour; and ''La Malga'' is linked with the more remote parts of the upper city in Roman times.

French-led excavations at Carthage began in 1921, and from 1923 reported finds of a large quantity of urns containing a mixture of animal and children's bones. [[René Dussaud]] identified a 4th-century BC stela found in Carthage as depicting a child sacrifice.<ref>Dussaud, Bulletin Archéologique (1922), p. 245.</ref>

A temple at [[Amman]] (1400–1250 BC) excavated and reported upon by [[Basil Hennessy|J.B. Hennessy]] in 1966, shows the possibility of bestial and human sacrifice by fire. While evidence of child sacrifice in Canaan was the object of academic disagreement, with some scholars arguing that merely children's cemeteries had been unearthed in Carthage, the mixture of children's with animal bones as well as associated epigraphic evidence involving mention of ''mlk'' led some to believe that, at least in Carthage, [[Tophet#Carthage and the western Mediterranean|child sacrifice]] was indeed common practice.<ref>J.B. Hennessey, Palestine Exploration Quarterly (1966)</ref> However, though the animals were surely sacrificed, this does not entirely indicate that the infants were, and in fact the bones indicate the opposite. Rather, the animal sacrifice was likely done to, in some way, honour the deceased.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schwartz |first1=Jeffery H. |last2=Houghton |first2=Frank |last3=Macchiarelli |first3=Roberto|last4=Bondioli |first4=Luca |date=2010-02-17 |title=Skeletal Remains from Punic Carthage Do Not Support Systematic Sacrifice of Infants |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=5 |issue=2 |article-number=e9177 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0009177 |pmid=20174667 |pmc=2822869 |bibcode=2010PLoSO...5.9177S |doi-access=free }}</ref>

A study conducted in 1970 by M. Chabeuf, the then Doctor of Science from the University of Paris, showed little difference between 17 modern Tunisians, and 68 Punic remains.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Chabeuf |first=Maurice |date=1970 |title=Contribution à la craniométrie des Algériens modernes |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/bmsap_0037-8984_1970_num_6_3_2200 |journal=Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=281–294 |doi=10.3406/bmsap.1970.2200}}</ref> An analysis the following year on 42 North-West African skulls dating back to Roman times concluded that they were overall similar to modern Berbers and other Mediterranean populations, especially eastern Iberians. They also noted the presence of one outlier in Tunisia who appears to have inherited mechtoid traits, which led them to hypothesize the persistence of such affinities well into the Punic and Roman era.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Boulinier |first1=Georges |last2=Chabeuf |first2=Maurice |date=1971 |title=Les squelettes " romains " et paléochrétiens du Musée d'Alger; remarques sur le peuplement préislamique de l'Afrique du Nord |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/bmsap_0037-8984_1971_num_7_1_2007 |journal=Bulletins et Mémoires de la Société d'Anthropologie de Paris |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=7–43 |doi=10.3406/bmsap.1971.2007}}</ref>

M. C. Chamla and D Ferembach (1988) in their entry dealing with the craniometric conclusions of Protohistorical Algerians and Punics in the region of Tunisia, found strong sexual dimorphism with male skulls being robust. Mediterranean elements were dominant, but Mechtoid features, as well as 'Negroid' traits were present in some of the samples. Overall, Punic burials showed affinities with Algerians, Roman Era skulls from Tarragona (Spain), Guanches, and to a lesser extent Abydos (XVIIIth dynasty), Etruscans, Bronze Age Syrians (Euphrates) and skulls from Lozere (France). The anthropological position of the Algerian and [[Punic people]] when it comes to populations of the Mediterranean Basin agreed quite well with the geographical situation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chamla |first1=M.-C. |last2=Ferembach |first2=D. |date=1988-04-01 |title=Anthropologie (Partie II) |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |volume=5 |language=fr |issue=5 |pages=713–775 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.2896 |issn=1015-7344|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Jehan Desanges stated that "In the Punic burial grounds, negroid remains were not rare and there were black auxiliaries in the Carthaginian army who were certainly not Nilotics".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gZWuVAL2GooC&pg=PA238 |title=General History of Africa Vol .2: Ancient civilizations of Africa |date=1990 |publisher=J. Currey |isbn=0-85255-092-8 |edition=Abridged |location=London |pages=238}}</ref>

In 1990, Shomarka Keita, a biological anthropologist, had conducted a craniometric study which featured a set of remains from Northern Africa. He examined a sample of 49 Maghreban crania which included skulls from pre-Roman Carthage and concluded that, although they were heterogeneous, many of them showed physical similarities to crania from equatorial Africa, ancient Egypt, and Kush; with most having traits conforming to the northern (Lower) Egyptian pattern.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Keita |first1=S. O. Y. |date=September 1990 |title=Studies of ancient crania from northern Africa |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajpa.1330830105 |journal=American Journal of Physical Anthropology |language=en |volume=83 |issue=1 |pages=35–48 |doi=10.1002/ajpa.1330830105 |issn=0002-9483 |pmid=2221029 |bibcode=1990AJPA...83...35K |quote=The analyses demonstrate the metric heterogeneity of pre-Roman mid-Holocene Maghreban crania. The range of variation in the restricted area described extends from a tropical African metric pattern to a European one and supports the phenotypic variability observed in and near Carthage by ancient writers and in morphological studies. Thus the population emerges as a composite entity, no doubt also containing hybrid individuals. However, the centroid value of the combined Maghreb series indicates that the major craniometric pattern is most similar to that of northern dynastic Egyptians. Furthermore, the series from the coastal Maghreb and northern (Lower) Egypt are more similar to one another than they are to any other series by centroid values and unknown analyses.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> S.O.Y. Keita's later report in 2018, found the pre-Roman Carthaginian series to be intermediate between the Phoenician and Maghreban. He noted the findings are consistent with an interpretation that it reflects both local and Levantine ancestry due to specific interactions in the ancient period.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Keita |first=S.O.Y. |date=2018 |title=Brief Report: Carthaginian Affinities with Ancient and Recent Maghreban and Levantine Groups: Craniometric Analyses Using Distance and Discrimination |journal=The African Archaeological Review |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=133–137 |doi=10.1007/s10437-018-9285-3 |jstor=44988676 |s2cid=165330295 |issn=0263-0338}}</ref>

Joel. D. Irish, when measuring for dental affinities in 2001, found strong similarities and very small distances between the Canary Islanders and Punic Carthaginians (who originated in West Asia), suggesting a particularly close affinity, despite the geographic distance between these two populations. This result according to Irish, may reflect Berber/Carthaginian admixture. Overall, the findings discovered that "the Canary Island sample is most similar to the four samples from Northwest Africa: the Shawia Berbers, Kabyle Berbers, Bedouin Arabs and Carthaginians, less similar to the three Egyptian samples and least like the three Nubian samples."<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Guatelli-Steinberg |first1=D. |last2=Irish |first2=J. D. |last3=Lukacs |first3=J. R. |date=2001 |title=Canary islands-north African population affinities: measures of divergence based on dental morphology |journal=Homo: Internationale Zeitschrift für die Vergleichende Forschung am Menschen |volume=52 |issue=2 |pages=173–188 |doi=10.1078/0018-442x-00027 |issn=0018-442X |pmid=11802567}}</ref>

In 2016, an ancient Carthaginian individual, who was excavated from a Punic tomb in Byrsa Hill, was found to belong to the rare [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)|U5b2c1]] maternal haplogroup. The Young Man of Byrsa specimen dates from the late 6th century BC, and his lineage is believed to represent early gene flow from [[Iberia]] to the [[Maghreb]]. Craniometric analysis of the young man indicated likely Mediterranean/European ancestry as opposed to African or Asian.<ref>{{cite journal|vauthors=Matisoo-Smith EA, Gosling AL, Boocock J, Kardailsky O, Kurumilian Y, Roudesli-Chebbi S |title=A European Mitochondrial Haplotype Identified in Ancient Phoenician Remains from Carthage, North Africa|journal=PLOS ONE|date=May 25, 2016|volume=11|issue=5|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0155046|display-authors=etal|article-number=e0155046|pmid=27224451|pmc=4880306|bibcode=2016PLoSO..1155046M|doi-access=free}}</ref>

====Climate change====
{{Main|Sea level rise}}
Due to its coastal location, Carthage Archeological Site is vulnerable to [[sea level rise]]. In 2022, the [[IPCC Sixth Assessment Report]] included it in the list of African cultural sites which would be threatened by [[flooding]] and [[coastal erosion]] by the end of the century, but only if [[climate change]] followed [[Representative Concentration Pathway#RCP 8.5|RCP 8.5]], which is the scenario of high and continually increasing [[greenhouse gas]] emissions associated with the warming of over {{Convert|4|C-change}},<ref>Trisos, C.H., I.O. Adelekan, E. Totin, A. Ayanlade, J. Efitre, A. Gemeda, K. Kalaba, C. Lennard, C. Masao, Y. Mgaya, G. Ngaruiya, D. Olago, N.P. Simpson, and S. Zakieldeen 2022: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGII_Chapter09.pdf Chapter 9: Africa]. In [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/ Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability] [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, pp. 2043–2121</ref> and is no longer considered very likely.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hausfather|first1=Zeke|last2=Peters|first2=Glen|title=Emissions – the 'business as usual' story is misleading|journal=Nature|date=29 January 2020|volume=577|issue=7792|pages=618–620|doi=10.1038/d41586-020-00177-3|pmid=31996825|bibcode=2020Natur.577..618H|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Hausfather|first1=Zeke|last2=Peters|first2=Glen|title=RCP8.5 is a problematic scenario for near-term emissions|journal=PNAS|date=20 October 2020|volume=117|issue=45|pages=27791–27792|doi=10.1073/pnas.2017124117 |pmid=33082220 |pmc=7668049 |bibcode=2020PNAS..11727791H |doi-access=free}}</ref> The other, more plausible scenarios result in lower warming levels and consequently lower sea level rise: yet, sea levels would continue to increase for about 10,000 years under all of them.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf |title=Technical Summary. In: Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |date=August 2021 |publisher=IPCC |page=TS14 |access-date=12 November 2021}}</ref> Even if the warming is limited to {{Convert|1.5|C-change}}, global sea level rise is still expected to exceed {{convert|2-3|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} after 2,000 years (and higher warming levels will see larger increases by then), consequently exceeding 2,100 levels of sea level rise under RCP 8.5 (~{{convert|0.75|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} with a range of {{convert|0.5–1|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}) well before the year 4000. Thus, it is a matter of time before the Carthage Archeological Site is threatened by rising water levels, unless it can be protected by adaptation efforts such as [[sea wall]]s.<ref>IPCC, 2021: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_SPM.pdf Summary for Policymakers]. In: [https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/ Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, A. Pirani, S.L. Connors, C. Péan, S. Berger, N. Caud, Y. Chen, L. Goldfarb, M.I. Gomis, M. Huang, K. Leitzell, E. Lonnoy, J.B.R. Matthews, T.K. Maycock, T. Waterfield, O. Yelekçi, R. Yu, and B. Zhou (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge and New York, pp. 3−32, {{doi|10.1017/9781009157896.001}}.</ref>

===Commune===
{{main|Carthage (municipality)}}

The commune of Carthage was created by a decree of the [[Bey of Tunis]] on 15 June 1919,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2014 |title=Creation Date |url=http://www.commune-carthage.gov.tn/en/index.php?srub=262&rub=248 |website=commune-carthage.gov.tn}}</ref> during the rule of [[Muhammad V an-Nasir|Naceur Bey]].

In 1920, the first [[seaplane]] base was built on the [[Lake of Tunis]] for the seaplanes of Compagnie Aéronavale.<ref name="BonnichonGény2012">{{cite book|author1=Philippe Bonnichon|author2=Pierre Gény|author3=Jean Nemo|title=Présences françaises outre-mer, XVIe–XXIe siècles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YSSFAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA453|year=2012|publisher=Karthala Editions|isbn=978-2-8111-0737-6|page=453}}</ref> The Tunis Airfield opened in 1938, serving around 5,800 passengers annually on the Paris-[[Tunis]] route.<ref name="Staff1954">{{cite book|author=Encyclopedie Mensuelle d'Outre-mer staff|title=Tunisia 54|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jbwqAAAAMAAJ&q=Compagnie+Aeronavale|year=1954|publisher=Negro Universities Press|page=166|isbn=978-0-8371-2442-1}}</ref>
During World War II, the airport was used by the [[United States Army Air Forces|United States Army Air Force]] [[Twelfth Air Force]] as a headquarters and command control base for the [[Italian Campaign (World War II)|Italian Campaign]] of 1943.
Construction on the [[Tunis-Carthage Airport]], which was fully funded by France, began in 1944, and in 1948 the airport become the main hub for [[Tunisair]].

In the 1950s the [[Lycée Français de Carthage]] was established to serve French families in Carthage. In 1961 it was given to the Tunisian government as part of the [[Independence of Tunisia]], so the nearby Collège Maurice Cailloux in [[La Marsa]], previously an annex of the Lycée Français de Carthage, was renamed to the Lycée Français de La Marsa and began serving the ''lycée'' level. It is currently the [[Lycée Gustave Flaubert (La Marsa)|Lycée Gustave Flaubert]].<ref name=Quisommenous>"[http://www.erlm.tn/lgf/sommes/ Qui sommes nous ?]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20151107080203/http://www.erlm.tn/lgf/sommes/ Archive]). [[Lycée Gustave Flaubert (La Marsa)]]. Retrieved on February 24, 2016.</ref>

After Tunisian independence in 1956, the Tunis conurbation gradually extended around the airport, and Carthage (قرطاج ''Qarṭāj'') is now a suburb of Tunis, covering the area between Sidi Bou Said and Le Kram.<ref name="RingSalkin1996">{{cite book|author1=Trudy Ring|author2=Robert M. Salkin|author3=Sharon La Boda|title=International Dictionary of Historic Places: Middle East and Africa|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R44VRnNCzAYC&pg=PA177|date=1996|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-884964-03-9|page=177}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Illustrated Encyclopaedia of World History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B1443DZAtH8C&pg=PA1615|publisher=Mittal Publications|page=1615|id=GGKEY:C6Z1Y8ZWS0N}}</ref> Its population as of January 2013 was estimated at 21,276,<ref>{{cite web|title=Statistical Information: Population|url=http://www.ins.nat.tn/fr/rep_population.php|publisher=National Institute of Statistics – Tunisia|access-date=3 January 2014|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035238/http://www.ins.nat.tn/fr/rep_population.php}}; up from 15,922 in 2004 ({{cite web|title=Population, ménages et logements par unité administrative|url=http://www.ins.nat.tn/fr/rgph2.1.commune.php?code_modalite=24411&Code_indicateur=0301007&Submit3=Envoyer|publisher=National Institute of Statistics – Tunisia|access-date=3 January 2014|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207015451/http://www.ins.nat.tn/fr/rgph2.1.commune.php?code_modalite=24411&Code_indicateur=0301007&Submit3=Envoyer|archive-date=7 December 2013}})</ref>
mostly attracting the more wealthy residents.<ref>David Lambert, ''Notables des colonies. Une élite de circonstance en Tunisie et au Maroc (1881–1939)'', éd. Presses universitaires de Rennes, Rennes, 2009, pp. 257–258</ref> If Carthage is not the capital, it tends to be the political pole, a "place of emblematic power" according to [[Sophie Bessis]],<ref name="bessis">{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_09/fr/signes/intro.htm Sophie Bessis,"Défendre Carthage, encore et toujours", ''Le Courrier de l'Unesco'', September 1999] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613164329/http://www.unesco.org/courier/1999_09/fr/signes/intro.htm |date=2007-06-13 }}</ref> leaving to Tunis the economic and administrative roles. The [[Carthage Palace]] (the Tunisian presidential palace) is located in the coast.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=648961&publicationSubCategoryId=200|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120908214230/http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=648961&publicationSubCategoryId=200|archive-date=8 September 2012|agency=philSTAR.com|title=More Tunisia unrest: Presidential palace gunbattle|date=17 January 2011|access-date=28 October 2011}}</ref>

The suburb has six train stations of the [[Tunis-Goulette-Marsa|TGM]] line between Le Kram and Sidi Bou Said:
Carthage Salammbo (named for the ancient children's cemetery where it stands), Carthage Byrsa (named for [[Byrsa]] hill), Carthage Dermech (''Dermèche''), Carthage Hannibal (named for [[Hannibal]]), Carthage Présidence (named for the [[Carthage Palace|Presidential Palace]]) and Carthage Amilcar (named for [[Hamilcar Barca|Hamilcar]]).
<!--In February 1985, [[Ugo Vetere]], the mayor of Rome, and Chedly Klibi, the mayor of Carthage, signed a symbolic treaty "officially" ending the conflict between their cities, which had been supposedly [[List of wars extended by diplomatic irregularity|extended by the lack of a peace treaty]] for more than 2,100 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198503/delenda.est.carthago.htm|title=Saudi Aramco World :
Delenda est Carthago|work=saudiaramcoworld.com}}</ref>
-->

==Trade and business==
[[File:Mediterranean_at_218_BC-en.svg|thumb|Map of the Mediterranean in 218&nbsp;BC]]
The merchants of Carthage were in part heirs of the Mediterranean trade developed by Phoenicia, and so also heirs of the rivalry with Greek merchants. Business activity was accordingly both stimulated and challenged. [[Cyprus]] had been an early site of such commercial contests. The Phoenicians then had ventured into the western Mediterranean, founding trading posts, including Utica and Carthage. The [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] followed, entering the western seas where the commercial rivalry continued. Eventually it would lead, especially in [[Sicily]], to several centuries of intermittent war.<ref>Cf., Charles-Picard, ''Daily Life in Carthage'' (Paris 195; Oxford 1961, reprint Macmillan 1968) at 165, 171–177.</ref><ref>[[Donald Harden]], ''The Phoenicians'' (New York: Praeger 1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 57–62 (Cyprus and Aegean), 62–65 (western Mediterranean); 157–170 (trade); 67–70, 84–85, 160–164 (the Greeks).</ref> Although Greek-made merchandise was generally considered superior in design, Carthage also produced trade goods in abundance. That Carthage came to function as a manufacturing colossus was shown during the [[Third Punic War]] with Rome. Carthage, which had previously disarmed, then was made to face the fatal Roman siege. The city "suddenly organised the manufacture of arms" with great skill and effectiveness. According to [[Strabo]] (63 BC – AD 21) in his ''[[Geographica]]'':

<blockquote>[Carthage] each day produced one hundred and forty finished shields, three hundred swords, five hundred spears, and one thousand missiles for the catapults... . Furthermore, [Carthage although surrounded by the Romans] built one hundred and twenty decked ships in two months... for old timber had been stored away in readiness, and a large number of skilled workmen, maintained at public expense.<ref>[[Strabo]], ''[[Geographica]]'', XVII: 3, 15; as translated by H. L. Jones (Loeb Classic Library 1932) at VIII: 385.</ref></blockquote>

The textile industry in Carthage probably started in private homes, but the existence of professional weavers indicates that a sort of factory system later developed. Products included embroidery, carpets, and use of the purple murex dye (for which the Carthaginian isle of [[Djerba]] was famous). [[Metalwork]]ers developed specialized skills, i.e., making various weapons for the armed forces, as well as domestic articles, such as knives, forks, scissors, mirrors, and razors (all articles found in tombs). Artwork in metals included vases and lamps in bronze, also bowls, and plates. Other products came from such crafts as the [[pottery|potters]], the [[glassmaking|glassmakers]], and the [[goldsmith]]s. Inscriptions on votive stele indicate that many were not slaves but 'free citizens'.<ref>Sabatino Moscati, ''The World of the Phoenicians'' (1966; 1973) at 223–224.</ref>

[[File:PhoenicianTrade_EN.svg|right|thumb|Trade routes of Phoenicia (Byblos, Sidon, Tyre) and Carthage]]

Phoenician and Punic merchant ventures were often run as a family enterprise, putting to work its members and its subordinate clients. Such family-run businesses might perform a variety of tasks: own and maintain the [[trireme|ships]], providing the captain and crew; do the negotiations overseas, either by [[barter]] or buying and selling, of their own manufactured commodities and trade goods, and native products (metals, foodstuffs, etc.) to carry and trade elsewhere; and send their [[agent (law)|agents]] to stay at distant outposts in order to make lasting local contacts, and later to establish a warehouse of shipped goods for exchange, and eventually perhaps a settlement. Over generations, such activity might result in the creation of a wide-ranging network of trading operations. Ancillary would be the growth of [[Reciprocity (cultural anthropology)|reciprocity]] between different family firms, foreign and domestic.<ref>Richard J. Harrison, ''Spain at the Dawn of History'' (London: Thames and Hudson 1988), "Phoenician colonies in Spain" at 41–50 [42].</ref><ref>Cf., Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 157–166.</ref>

State protection was extended to its sea traders by the Phoenician city of [[Tyre, Lebanon|Tyre]] and later likewise by the daughter city-state of Carthage.<ref>E.g., during the reign of [[Hiram I|Hiram]] (tenth century) of Tyre. Sabatino Moscati, ''Il Mondo dei Fenici'' (1966), translated as ''The World of the Phoenicians'' (1968, 1973) at 31–34.</ref> [[Stéphane Gsell]], the well-regarded French historian of ancient North Africa, summarized the major principles guiding the civic rulers of Carthage with regard to its policies for trade and commerce:
* to open and maintain markets for its merchants, whether by entering into direct contact with foreign peoples using either treaty negotiations or naval power, or by providing security for isolated trading stations
* the [[monopoly|reservation of markets]] exclusively for the merchants of Carthage, or where competition could not be eliminated, to regulate trade by state-sponsored agreements with its commercial rivals
* suppression of [[piracy]], and promotion of Carthage's ability to freely navigate the seas<ref>Stéphane Gsell, ''Histoire ancienne de l'Afrique du Nord'' (Paris: Librairie Hachette 1924) at volume IV: 113.</ref>

Both the Phoenicians and the Carthaginians were well known in antiquity for their [[secrecy]] in general, and especially pertaining to commercial contacts and [[trade routes]].<ref>[[Strabo]] (c. 63 BC – AD 20s), ''Geographica'' at III, 5.11.</ref><ref>Walter W. Hyde, ''Ancient Greek Mariners'' (Oxford Univ. 1947) at 45–46.</ref><ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 81 (secretive), 87 (monopolizing).</ref> Both cultures excelled in commercial dealings. [[Strabo]] (63 BC&nbsp;– AD 21), the Greek [[geographer]], wrote that before its fall (in 146&nbsp;BC) Carthage enjoyed a population of 700,000 and directed an alliance of 300 cities.<ref>[[Strabo]], ''[[Geographica]]'', XVII: 3, 15; in the Loeb Classic Library edition of 1932, translated by H. L. Jones, at VIII: 385.</ref> The Greek historian [[Polybius]] ({{circa|203}}–120) referred to Carthage as "the wealthiest city in the world".<ref>Cf., [[Theodor Mommsen]], ''Römische Geschicht'' (Leipzig: Reimer and Hirzel 1854–1856), translated as the [[History of Rome (Mommsen)|History of Rome]] (London 1862–1866; reprinted by J. M. Dent 1911) at II: 17–18 (Mommsen's Book III, Chapter I).</ref>

==Constitution of state==
{{Main|Constitution of Carthage}}
[[File:Nuremberg chronicles f 40v 2.png|thumb|Idealized depiction of Carthage from the 1493 ''[[Nuremberg Chronicle]]'']]
A "suffet" (possibly two) was elected by the citizens, and held office with no military power for a one-year term. Carthaginian generals marshalled mercenary armies and were separately elected. From about 550 to 450 the Magonid family monopolized the top military position; later the Barcid family acted similarly. Eventually it came to be that, after a war, the commanding general had to testify justifying his actions before a court of 104 judges.<ref>{{cite book|last=Warmington|first=B. H.|orig-date=1960|year= 1964|title=Carthage|publisher=Robert Hale, Pelican|pages=144–147}}</ref>

[[Aristotle]] (384–322) discusses Carthage in his work, ''[[Politics (Aristotle)|Politica]]''; he begins: "The Carthaginians are also considered to have an excellent form of government." He briefly describes the city as a "mixed constitution", a political arrangement with cohabiting elements of [[monarchy]], [[aristocracy]], and [[democracy]], i.e., a king ([[Greek language|Gk]]: basileus), a council of elders (Gk: gerusia), and the people (Gk: demos).<ref>Aristotle, ''Politica'' at Book II, Chapter 11, (1272b–1274b); in ''The Basic Works of Aristotle'' edited by R. McKeon, translated by B. Jowett (Random House 1941), ''Politica'' at pages 1113–1316, "Carthage" at 1171–1174.</ref> Later [[Polybius|Polybius of Megalopolis]] ({{circa|204}}–122, Greek) in his ''[[The Histories (Polybius)|Histories]]'' would describe the [[Roman Republic]] in more detail as a mixed constitution in which the [[Roman consul|Consuls]] were the monarchy, the [[Roman Senate|Senate]] the aristocracy, and the [[Roman assemblies|Assemblies]] the democracy.<ref>Polybius, ''Histories'' VI, 11–18, translated as ''The Rise of the Roman Empire'' (Penguin 1979) at 311–318.</ref>

Evidently Carthage also had an institution of [[Elder (administrative title)|elders]] who advised the Suffets, similar to a Greek ''{{lang|grc-Latn|gerusia}}'' or the [[Roman Senate]]. We do not have a Punic name for this body. At times its members would travel with an army general on campaign. Members also formed permanent [[committees]]. The institution had several hundred members drawn from the wealthiest class who held office for life. Vacancies were probably filled by recruitment from among the elite, i.e., by [[co-option]]. From among its members were selected the [[Hundred and Four|104 Judges]] mentioned above. Later the 104 would come to evaluate not only army generals but other office holders as well. Aristotle regarded the 104 as most important; he compared it to the [[ephor]]ate of [[Sparta]] with regard to control over security. In Hannibal's time, such a Judge held office for life. At some stage there also came to be independent self-perpetuating boards of five who filled vacancies and supervised (non-military) government administration.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960; Penguin 1964) at 147–148.</ref>

Popular [[Deliberative assembly|assemblies]] also existed at Carthage. When deadlocked the Suffets and the quasi-senatorial institution of elders might request the assembly to vote; also, assembly votes were requested in very crucial matters in order to achieve political consensus and popular coherence. The assembly members had no ''legal'' wealth or birth qualification. How its members were selected is unknown, e.g., whether by festival group or urban ward or another method.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960; Penguin 1964) at 148.</ref><ref>Aristotle presents a slightly more expansive interpretation of the role of assemblies. ''Politica'' II, 11, (1273a/6–11); McKeon, ed., ''Basic Works of Aristotle'' (1941) at 1172.</ref><ref>Compare [[Roman assemblies]].</ref>

The Greeks were favourably impressed by the constitution of Carthage; [[Aristotle]] had a separate study of it made, which is lost. In his ''Politica'' he states: "The government of Carthage is oligarchical, but they successfully escape the evils of oligarchy by enriching one portion of the people after another by sending them to their colonies." "[T]heir policy is to send some [poorer citizens] to their dependent towns, where they grow rich."<ref>Aristotle, ''Politica'' at II, 11, (1273b/17–20), and at VI, 5, (1320b/4–6) re colonies; in McKeon, ed., ''Basic Works of Aristotle'' (1941) at 1173, and at 1272.</ref><ref>"Aristotle said that the oligarchy was careful to treat the masses liberally and allow them a share in the profitable exploitation of the subject territories." Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 149, citing Aristotle's ''Politica'' as here.</ref> Yet Aristotle continues, "[I]f any misfortune occurred, and the bulk of the subjects revolted, there would be no way of restoring peace by legal means." Aristotle remarked also:

<blockquote>Many of the Carthaginian institutions are excellent. The superiority of their constitution is proved by the fact that the common people remain loyal to the constitution; the Carthaginians have never had any rebellion worth speaking of, and have never been under the rule of a [[tyrant]].<ref>Aristotle, ''Politica'' at II, 11, (1273b/23–24) re misfortune and revolt, (1272b/29–32) re constitution and loyalty; in McKeon, ed., ''Basic Works of Aristotle'' (1941) at 1173, 1171.</ref></blockquote>

The city-state of Carthage, whose citizens were mainly ''Libyphoenicians'' (of Phoenician ancestry born in Africa), dominated and exploited an agricultural countryside composed mainly of native Berber sharecroppers and farmworkers, whose affiliations to Carthage were open to divergent possibilities. Beyond these more settled Berbers and the Punic farming towns and rural manors, lived the independent Berber tribes, who were mostly pastoralists.

In the brief, uneven review of government at Carthage found in his ''Politica'' Aristotle mentions several faults. Thus, "that the same person should hold many [[office]]s, which is a favorite practice among the Carthaginians." Aristotle disapproves, mentioning the flute-player and the shoemaker. Also, that "magistrates should be chosen not only for their merit but for their wealth." Aristotle's opinion is that focus on pursuit of wealth will lead to [[oligarchy]] and its evils.

<blockquote>[S]urely it is a bad thing that the greatest offices... should be bought. The law which allows this abuse makes wealth of more account than virtue, and the whole state becomes avaricious. For, whenever the chiefs of the state deem anything honorable, the other citizens are sure to follow their example; and, where virtue has not the first place, their aristocracy cannot be firmly established.<ref>Aristotle, ''Politica'' at II, 11, (1273b/8–16) re one person many offices, and (1273a/22–1273b/7) re oligarchy; in McKeon, ed., ''Basic Works of Aristotle'' (1941) at 1173, 1172–1273.</ref></blockquote>

In Carthage the people seemed politically satisfied and submissive, according to the historian Warmington. They in their assemblies only rarely exercised the few opportunities given them to assent to state decisions. Popular influence over government appears not to have been an issue at Carthage. Being a commercial republic fielding a [[mercenary]] army, the people were not conscripted for military service, an experience which can foster the feel for popular political action. But perhaps this misunderstands the society; perhaps the people, whose values were based on small-group loyalty, felt themselves sufficiently connected to their city's leadership by the very integrity of the person-to-person linkage within their social fabric. Carthage was very stable; there were few openings for [[tyrants]]. Only after defeat by Rome devastated Punic imperial ambitions did the people of Carthage seem to question their governance and to show interest in political reform.<ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960, 1964) at 143–144, 148–150. "The fact is that compared to Greeks and Romans the Carthaginians were essentially non-political." ''Ibid.'' at 149.</ref>

In 196, following the [[Second Punic War]] (218–201), [[Hannibal]], still greatly admired as a Barcid military leader, was elected [[suffet]]. When his reforms were blocked by a financial official about to become a judge for life, Hannibal rallied the populace against the 104 judges. He proposed a one-year term for the 104, as part of a major civic overhaul. Additionally, the reform included a restructuring of the city's revenues, and the fostering of trade and agriculture. The changes rather quickly resulted in a noticeable increase in prosperity. Yet his incorrigible political opponents cravenly went to Rome, to charge Hannibal with conspiracy, namely, plotting war against Rome in league with [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus]] the Hellenic ruler of [[Seleucid Empire|Syria]]. Although the Roman [[Scipio Africanus]] resisted such manoeuvre, eventually intervention by Rome forced Hannibal to leave Carthage. Thus, corrupt city officials efficiently blocked Hannibal in his efforts to reform the government of Carthage.<ref>H. H. Scullard, ''A History of the Roman World, 753–146 BC'' (London: Methuen 1935, 4th ed. 1980; reprint Routledge 1991) at 306–307.</ref><ref>Warmington, ''Carthage'' at 240–241, citing the Roman historian [[Livy]].</ref>

Mago (6th century) was King of Carthage; the [[head of state]], war leader, and religious figurehead. His family was considered to possess a sacred quality. Mago's office was somewhat similar to that of a [[pharaoh]], but although kept in a family it was not hereditary, it was limited by legal consent. Picard, accordingly, believes that the council of elders and the popular assembly are late institutions. Carthage was founded by the king of Tyre who had a royal monopoly on this trading venture. Thus it was the royal authority stemming from this traditional source of power that the King of Carthage possessed. Later, as other Phoenician ship companies entered the trading region, and so associated with the city-state, the King of Carthage had to keep order among a rich variety of powerful merchants in their negotiations among themselves and over risky commerce across the Mediterranean. Under these circumstance, the office of king began to be transformed. Yet it was not until the aristocrats of Carthage became wealthy owners of agricultural lands in Africa that a council of elders was institutionalized at Carthage.<ref>Picard, ''Life and Death of Carthage'' (1968) at 80–86</ref>

==Contemporary sources==
[[File:Stele with palm and Tanit sign-MBA Lyon 1969-86-IMG 0548.jpg|upright=0.45|alt=Stele with plame decoration and Tanit sign from the Lyon Museum of Fine Arts|thumb|Stele with a [[Phoenician votive inscriptions|Phoenician]] [[Votive offering|votive inscription]], palm motif, and [[sign of Tanit]], from the [[Carthage tophet]], now in the [[Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon|Museum of Fine Arts]], [[Lyon]]]]

Most ancient literature concerning Carthage comes from Greek and Roman sources as Carthage's own documents were destroyed by the Romans.<ref>Picard, ''Life and Death of Carthage'' (1968, 1969) at 40–41 (Greeks), .</ref><ref>Cf., Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960; Penguin 1964) at 24–25 (Greeks), 259–260 (Romans).</ref> Apart from [[inscriptions]], hardly any [[Phoenician-Punic literature|Punic literature]] has survived, and none in its own language and script.<ref>B.H.Warmington, "The Carthiginian Period" at 246–260, 246 ("No Carthaginian literature has survived."), in ''General History of Africa, volume III. Ancient Civilizations of Africa'' (UNESCO 1990) Abridged Edition.</ref> A brief catalogue would include:<ref>[[R. Bosworth Smith]], ''Carthage and the Carthaginians'' (London: Longmans, Green 1878, 1902) at 12. Smith's catalogue has not been appreciably augmented since, but for newly found inscriptions.</ref>
* three short [[treaty|treaties]] with Rome (Latin translations);<ref>Picard, ''Life and Death of Carthage'' (1968, 1969) at 72–73: translation of Romano-Punic Treaty, 509 BC; at 72–78: discussion.</ref><ref>[[Polybius]] (c. 200 – 118), [[The Histories (Polybius)|''Istorion'']] at III, 22–25, selections translated as ''Rise of the Roman Empire'' (Penguin 1979) at 199–203. Nota bene: Polybius died well over 70 years before the start of the Roman Empire.</ref><ref>Cf., [[Arnold J. Toynbee]], ''Hannibal's Legacy'' (1965) at I: 526, Appendix on the treaties.</ref>
* several pages of [[Hanno the Navigator]]'s log-book concerning his fifth century maritime exploration of the Atlantic coast of west Africa (Greek translation);<ref>Hanno's log translated in full by Warmington, ''Carthage'' (1960) at 74–76.</ref>
* fragments quoted from [[Mago (agricultural writer)|Mago]]'s fourth/third century 28-volume treatise on agriculture (Latin translations);<ref>E.g., by [[Marcus Terentius Varro|Varro]] (116–27) in his ''De re rustica''; by [[Columella]] (fl. AD 50–60) in his ''On trees'' and ''On agriculture'', and by [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] (23–79) in his ''Naturalis Historia''. See below, paragraph on Mago's work.</ref><ref>Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (New York: Praeger 1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 122–123 (28 books), 140 (quotation of paragraph).</ref>
* the Roman playwright [[Plautus]] ({{circa|250}} – 184) in his ''[[Poenulus]]'' incorporates a few fictional speeches delivered in [[Punic language|Punic]], whose written lines are [[transcription (linguistics)|transcribed]] into Latin letters phonetically;<ref>Cf., H. J. Rose, ''A Handbook of Lanin Literature'' (London: Methuen 1930, 3d ed. 1954; reprint Dutton, New York 1960) at 51–52, where a plot summary of ''Poenulus'' (i.e., "The Man from Carthage") is given. Its main characters are Punic.</ref><ref>Eighteen lines from [[Poenulus]] are spoken in [[Punic language|Punic]] by the character Hanno in Act 5, scene 1, beginning "Hyth alonim vualonuth sicorathi si ma com sith... ." Plautus gives a Latin paraphrase in the next ten lines. The gist is a prayer seeking divine aid in his quest to find his lost kin. ''The Comedies of Plautus'' (London: G. Bell and Sons 1912), translated by [[Henry Thomas Riley]]. The scholar Bochart considered the first ten lines to be Punic, but the last eight to be 'Lybic'. Another scholar, [[Samuel Petit]], translated the text as if it were Hebrew, a sister-language of Punic. This according to notes accompanying the above scene by H. T. Riley.</ref>
* the thousands of inscriptions made in ''Punic script'', thousands, but many extremely short, e.g., a dedication to a deity with the personal name(s) of the devotee(s).<ref>Soren, Ben Khader, Slim, ''Carthage'' (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990) at 42 (over 6000 inscriptions found), at 139 (many very short, on religious ''stele'').</ref><ref>An example of a longer inscription (of about 279 Punic characters) exists at [[Thugga]], Tunisia. It concerns the dedication of a temple to the late king [[Masinissa]]. A translated text appears in Brett and Fentress, ''The Berbers'' (1997) at 39.</ref>

"[F]rom the Greek author [[Plutarch]] [(c. 46 – c. 120)] we learn of the 'sacred books' in Punic safeguarded by the city's temples. Few Punic texts survive, however."<ref>Glenn E. Markoe, ''Carthage'' (2000) at 114.</ref> Once "the City Archives, the Annals, and the scribal lists of ''Suffets''" existed, but evidently these were destroyed in the horrific fires during the Roman capture of the city in 146&nbsp;BC.<ref>Picard and Picard, ''Life and Death of Carthage'' (1968, 1969) at 30.</ref>

Yet some Punic books (Latin: ''libri punici'') from the libraries of Carthage reportedly did survive the fires.<ref>Cf., Victor Matthews, "The ''libri punici'' of King Hiempsal" in ''American Journal of Philology'' 93: 330–335 (1972); and, Véronique Krings, "Les ''libri Punici'' de Sallust" in ''L'Africa Romana'' 7: 109–117 (1989). Cited by Roller (2003) at 27, n110.</ref> These works were apparently given by Roman authorities to the newly augmented Berber rulers.<ref>[[Pliny the Elder]] (23–79), ''Naturalis Historia'' at XVIII, 22–23.</ref><ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage'' (Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard 1992; Oxford: Blackwell 1995) at 358–360. Lancel here remarks that, following the fall of Carthage, there arose among the Romans there a popular reaction against the late [[Cato the Elder]] (234–149), the Roman censor who had notoriously lobbied for the destruction of the city. Lancel (1995) at 410.</ref> Over a century after the fall of Carthage, the Roman politician-turned-author Gaius Sallustius Crispus or [[Sallust]] (86–34) reported his having seen volumes written in Punic, which books were said to be once possessed by the Berber king, [[Hiempsal II]] (r. 88–81).<ref>Ronald Syme, however, in his ''Sallust'' (University of California, 1964, 2002) at 152–153, discounts any unique value of the ''libri punici'' mentioned in his ''[[Bellum Jugurthinum]]''.</ref><ref>Lancel, ''Carthage'' (1992, 1995) at 359, raises questions concerning the provenance of these books.</ref><ref>Hiempsal II was the great-grandson of [[Masinissa]] (r. 202–148), through Mastanabal (r. 148–140) and Gauda (r. 105–88). D. W. Roller, ''The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene'' (2003) at 265.</ref> By way of Berber informants and Punic translators, Sallust had used these surviving books to write his brief sketch of Berber affairs.<ref>Sallust, ''Bellum Iugurthinum'' (ca. 42) at ¶17, translated as ''The Jugurthine War'' (Penguin 1963) at 54.</ref><ref>R. Bosworth Smith, in his ''Carthage and the Carthaginians'' (London: Longmans, Green 1878, 1908) at 38, laments that Sallust declined to directly address the history of the city of Carthage.</ref>
[[File:Portrait Juba II Louvre Ma1886.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.45|[[Berber kings of Roman-era Tunisia|Juba II]], reigned 25 BC – AD 23]]

Probably some of Hiempsal II's ''libri punici'', that had escaped the fires that consumed Carthage in 146&nbsp;BC, wound up later in the large royal library of his grandson [[Juba II]] (r. 25 BC–AD 24).<ref>Duane W. Roller, ''The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene. Royal scholarship on Rome's African frontier'' (New York: Routledge 2003), at 183, 191, in his Chapter 8: "Libyka" (183–211) [cf., 179]; also at 19, 27, 159 (Juba's library described), 177 (per his book on Hanno).</ref> Juba II not only was a [[Berber kings of Roman-era Tunisia|Berber king]], and husband of [[Cleopatra]]'s daughter, but also a scholar and author in [[Greek language|Greek]] of no less than nine works.<ref>Juba II's literary works are reviewed by D. W. Roller in ''The World of Jube II and Kleopatra Selene'' (2003) at chapters 7, 8, and 10.</ref> He wrote for the Mediterranean-wide audience then enjoying [[classical literature]]. The ''libri punici'' inherited from his grandfather surely became useful to him when composing his ''Libyka'', a work on North Africa written in Greek. Only fragments of ''Libyka'' survive, mostly from quotations made by other ancient authors.<ref>''Die Fragmente der griechischen Historiker'' (Leiden 1923–), ed. Felix Jacoby, re "Juba II" at no. 275 (per Roller (2003) at xiii, 313).</ref> It may have been Juba II who 'discovered' the five-centuries-old 'log book' of [[Hanno the Navigator]], called the ''Periplus'', among library documents saved from fallen Carthage.<ref>Duane W. Roller, ''The World of Juba II and Kleopatra Selene'' (2003) at 189, n22; cf., 177.</ref><ref>[[Pliny the Elder]] (23–79), ''Naturalis Historia'' V, 8; II, 169.</ref><ref>Cf., Picard and Picard, ''The Life and Death of Carthage'' (Paris: Hachette [1968]; New York: Taplinger 1969) at 93–98, 115–119.</ref>

In the end, however, most Punic writings that survived the destruction of Carthage "did not escape the immense wreckage in which so many of Antiquity's literary works perished."<ref>Serge Lancel, ''Carthage. A History'' (Paris 1992; Oxford 1995) at 358–360.</ref> Accordingly, the long and continuous interactions between Punic citizens of Carthage and the Berber communities that surrounded the city have no local historian. Their political arrangements and periodic crises, their economic and work life, the cultural ties and social relations established and nourished (infrequently as kin), are not known to us directly from ancient Punic authors in written accounts. Neither side has left us their stories about life in Punic-era Carthage.<ref>See section herein on [[#Berber relations|Berber relations]]. See [[Early History of Tunisia]] for both indigenous and foreign reports concerning the Berbers, both in pre-Punic and Punic times.</ref>

Regarding ''Phoenician'' writings, few remain and these seldom refer to Carthage. The more ancient and most informative are cuneiform tablets, c. 1600–1185, from ancient [[Ugarit]], located to the north of [[Phoenicia]] on the Syrian coast; it was a Canaanite city politically affiliated with the Hittites. The clay tablets tell of myths, epics, rituals, medical and administrative matters, and also correspondence.<ref>Glenn E. Markoe, ''Phoenicians'' (London: British Museum, Berkeley: University of California 2000) at 21–22 (affinity), 95–96 (economy), 115–119 (religion), 137 (funerals), 143 (art).</ref><ref>David Diringer, ''Writing'' (London: Thames and Hudson 1962) at 115–116. The Ugarit tablet were discovered in 1929.</ref><ref>Allen C. Myers, editor, ''The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary'' (Grand Rapids: 1987) at 1027–1028.</ref> The highly valued works of [[Sanchuniathon]], an ancient priest of Beirut, who reportedly wrote on Phoenician religion and the origins of civilization, are themselves completely lost, but some little content endures twice removed.<ref>Markoe, ''Phoenicians'' (2000) at 119. [[Eusebius]] of Caesarea (263–339), the Church Historian, quotes the Greek of [[Philo of Byblos]] whose source was the Phoenician writings of Sanchuniathon. Some doubt the existence of Sanchuniathon.</ref><ref>Cf., Attridge & Oden, ''Philo of Byblos'' (1981); Baumgarten, ''Phoenician History of Philo of Byblos'' (1981). Cited by Markoe (2000).</ref> Sanchuniathon was said to have lived in the 11th century, which is considered doubtful.<ref>Donald Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (New York: Praeger 1962, 2d ed. 1963) at 83–84.</ref><ref>Sabatino Moscati, ''Il Mondo dei Fenici'' (1966), translated as ''The World of the Phoenicians'' (London: Cardinal 1973) at 55. Moscati offers the tablets found at ancient [[Ugarit]] as independent substantiation for what we know about Sanchuniathon's writings.</ref> Much later a ''Phoenician History'' by [[Philo of Byblos]] (64–141) reportedly existed, written in Greek, but only fragments of this work survive.<ref>Soren, Khader, Slim, ''Carthage'' (1990) at 128–129.</ref><ref>The ancient Romanized Jewish historian [[Flavius Josephus]] (37–100s) also mentions a lost Phoenician work; he quotes from a ''Phoenician History'' of one "Dius". Josephus, ''Against Apion'' (c.100) at I:17; found in ''The Works of Josephus'' translated by Whiston (London 1736; reprinted by Hendrickson, Peabody, Massachusetts 1987) at 773–814, 780.</ref> An explanation proffered for why so few Phoenician works endured: early on (11th century) archives and records began to be kept on [[papyrus]], which does not long survive in a moist coastal climate.<ref>Glenn E. Markoe, ''Phoenicians'' (Univ.of California 2002) at 11, 110. Of course, this also applies to Carthage. Cf., Markoe (2000) at 114.</ref> Also, both Phoenicians and Carthaginians were well known for their [[secrecy]].<ref>Strabo (c. 63 BC – AD 20s), ''Geographica'' at III, 5.11.</ref><ref>"He knows all lingos, but pretends he doesn't. He must be Punic; need we labor it?" From [[Poenulus]] at 112–113, by the Roman playwright [[Plautus]] (c. 250–184). Cited by Hardon, ''The Phoenicians'' (1963) at 228, n102.</ref>

Thus, of their ancient writings we have little of major interest left to us by Carthage, or by [[Phoenicia]] the country of origin of the city founders. "Of the various Phoenician and Punic compositions alluded to by the ancient classical authors, not a single work or even fragment has survived in its original idiom." "Indeed, not a single Phoenician [[manuscript]] has survived in the original [language] or in translation."<ref>Markoe, ''Phoenicians'' (2000) at 110, at 11. Inserted in second Markoe quote: [language].</ref> We cannot therefore access directly the line of thought or the contour of their worldview as expressed in their own words, in their own voice.<ref>Cf., Harden, ''The Phoenicians'' (1963) at 123. [Ancient Peoples and Places]</ref> Ironically, it was the Phoenicians who "invented or at least perfected and transmitted a form of writing [the [[alphabet]]] that has influenced dozens of cultures including our own."<ref>Soren, Ben Khader, Slim, ''Carthage'' (New York: Simon and Schuster 1990) at 34–35 (script), at 42 (inserted in quote: [the alphabet]).</ref><ref>Steven Roger Fischer, ''A History of Writing'' (London: Reaktion 2001) at 82–93. Facsimiles of early alphabetical writing from ancient inscriptions are given for: Proto-Canaanite in the Levant of the 2nd millennium (at 88), Phoenician (Old Hebrew) in Moab of 842 (at 91), Phoenician (Punic) in Marseilles [France] c. 300 BC (at 92). Also given (at 92) is a bilingual (Punic and Numidian) inscription from [[Thugga]] [Tunisia] circa 218–201, which regards a temple being dedicated to king [[Masinissa]].</ref><ref>David Diringer, ''Writing'' (London: Thames and Hudson 1962) at 112–121.</ref>

As noted, the celebrated ancient books on agriculture written by [[Mago (agricultural writer)|Mago of Carthage]] survives only via quotations in Latin from several later Roman works.

== See also ==

* [[History of Carthage]]
* [[Carthage tophet]]
* [[Asterius Chapel]]
* [[Mosaic of the Horses of Carthage]]
* [[Necropolis of the Rabs]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* Altekamp, Stefan (2024). ''Karthago. Archäologische Stadtbiographie'' [Carthage. Archaeological biography of the city]. Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter, {{ISBN|978-3-11-133217-8}}.
* {{citation |last=Aubet |first=Maria Eugenia |title=The Phoenicians and the West: Politics, Colonies, and Trade |location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] |publisher=Cambridge University Press |author-link=María Eugenia Aubet |date=1987}}.
* {{citation |last=Bath |first=Tony |title=Hannibal's Campaigns |location=New York |publisher=Barnes & Noble Books |date=1981 }}.
* {{citation |last=Beschaouch |first=Azedine |title=La légende de Carthage ''[''The Legend of Carthage'']'' |series=[[Découvertes Gallimard]] |volume=172 |location=Paris |publisher=Gallimard |date=1993 }}. {{in lang|fr}}
* {{citation |last=Charles-Picard |first=Gibert |author2=Colette Charles-Picard |display-authors=1 |ref={{harvid|Charles-Picard & al.|1958}} |title=La vie quotidienne à Carthage au temps d'Hannibal ''[''Daily Life in Carthage in the Time of Hannibal'']'' |location=Paris |publisher=Hachette |date=1958 }}. {{in lang|fr}}
* {{citation |last=Freed |first=J. |title=Bringing Carthage Home: The Excavations of Nathan Davis, 1856–1859 |date=2011 }}.
* {{Cite book |last=Hall |first=Joshua R. |url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=mXKzEAAAQBAJ}} |title=Carthage at War: Punic Armies c. 814–146 BC |date=2023 |publisher=Pen and Sword Military |isbn=978-1-4738-8541-7 }}
* Hoyos, Dexter (2021). ''Carthage. A biography.'' London/New York: Routledge, {{ISBN|978-1-138-78820-6}}.
* {{cite journal |last=Li |first=Hansong |title=Locating Mobile Sovereignty: Carthage in Natural Jurisprudence |journal=History of Political Thought |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=246–272 |url=https://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/imp/hpt/2022/00000043/00000002/art00003 }}
* {{citation |last=Lipiński |first=Edward |author-link=Edward Lipiński (orientalist) |title=Itineraria Phoenicia |location=Leuven |publisher=Uitgeverij Peeters en Department Oosterse Studies |date=2004 }}.
* {{citation |last=Miles |first=Richard |title=Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization |publisher=Viking |date=2011 }}.
* {{citation |last=Raven |first=S.  |title=Rome in Africa, ''3rd ed.'' |date=2002 }}
* {{citation |last=Soren |first=David |author2=Aicha Ben Abed Ben Kader |author3=Heidi Slim |display-authors=1 |ref={{harvid|Soren & al.|1990}} |title=Carthage: Uncovering the Mysteries and Splendors of Ancient Tunisia |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |date=1990 }}.
* {{citation |last1=Winterer |first1=Caroline |title=Model Empire, Lost City: Ancient Carthage and the Science of Politics in Revolutionary America |journal=The William and Mary Quarterly |date=2010 |volume=67 |issue=1 |pages=3–30 |doi=10.5309/willmaryquar.67.1.3 |jstor=10.5309/willmaryquar.67.1.3 }}

==External links==
{{EB1911 poster|Carthage (ancient city)}}
{{Library resources box|onlinebooks=yes}}
* {{wiktionary-inline|Carthage|Carthago|Carthaginian}}
* {{wikivoyage inline|Carthage}}
* {{Commons category-inline}}
{{World Heritage Sites in Tunisia}}
{{Romano-Berber cities in Roman Africa}}
{{Phoenician cities and colonies navbox|state=autocollapse}}
{{Ancient Rome topics|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Carthage| ]]
[[Category:Phoenician cities]]
[[Category:Destroyed populated places]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Tunisia]]
[[Category:Populated places established in the 9th century BC]]
[[Category:Populated places disestablished in the 7th century]]
[[Category:Phoenician colonies in Tunisia]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Tunisia]]
[[Category:Child sacrifice]]