Near the tip of the Cap Bon peninsula, not too far from Carthage, lie the ruins of the ancient Punic city of Kerkouane . Although little is known about the town itself, it is of great importance to historians and archaeologists as the only known Phoenicio-Punic city to have survived the destructive wrath of Rome at the end of the Punic Wars. Though it lacks any the impressive larger structures none of the walls is over five feet high and the tallest thing standing is a solitary pillar Kerkouane seems in some ways better preserved. The exact floor plan of every house, and the exact rectilinear layout of the entire city, is otherwise intact. Perhaps the best preserved part of the site, and that which gave the most insight into how the ancient Phoenicians lived, are the various bathing facilities.
Some bathhouses still contain complete mosaics and full sized bathtubs.
With the hindsight we have today, the Phoenician trade in knowledge was almost more important than any exchange of goods. Wood and ivory carving were Phoenician specialties and skills in these areas, as well as in gold- and metalsmithery, were shared widely. Knowledge of glassblowing, an invention believed to have originated in coastal Phoenicia, also spread far and wide. Of course, the marine and navigational tricks they protected couldn't be kept secret forever either. In fact, the Phoenicians should be thought of as the intuitive adventurers who first and finally put long-known barometric and astronomical theory into practice.