Carthage

**Carthage** (Greek: Καρχηδών, *Karkhēdōn*; Etruscan: 𐌊𐌀𐌓𐌈𐌀𐌆𐌀, *Carthaza*) is a Phoenician city-state, and later a maritime empire, founded c. 427 AVD in the center of North Africa (OTL Tunisia) by the settlers from a powerful Phoenician city of Tyre after the region was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire. At its height in the 1st century (386–287 BCE), its capital became the largest metropolis in the world, and the center of the  **Carthaginian Empire**, the strongest power in the western Mediterranean. By 87, Carthage controlled the largest territory in the region, including the northern coast of Mauretania, southern Iberia, and the islands of  Trinacria (OTL Sicily), Sardinia, Corsica, Malta, and the Baleares.

Located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, it grew rich and powerful; thanks to active sea trade. This turned the city-state of Carthage into a formidable naval force, managing to retain nearly unchallenged control of the western Mediterranean. Its main rivals are the free Iberian tribes of Hispania, Greek city-states of  Trinacria and, since recently, also  Etruscans.  Carthage retains mostly cordial relationship with latter, although the  Etruscans' ever more increased trade protection conflicts with the interests of the  Carthaginian government.

## History

### Background to the Trinacrian Wars

In first 50 years of its existence,  Carthage had established many trade posts on the coasts of Trinacria, and was actively trading with the local people, especially with the Elymians, Sicani and Sicels. This though started to change circa 363 AVD, when the Greeks started to arrive from the East and actively colonize the eastern coast of the island. For more than a century  Carthage allowed them to settle, but after they had reached Iberia sometime after 251 AVD,  Carthaginian relations with them worsened and soon  Carthage was the leader of the resistance against Greek influence. During the 2nd century AVD (587–488 BCE), mostly under the leadership of the Magonid dynasty,  Carthage established an empire which would commercially dominate the western Mediterranean. The Phoenicians in Trinacria and the Elymians had united to defeat the Greeks of Selinus and Rhodes near Lilybaeum in 193 AVD, the first such recorded incident on the island.

The Greek-colonized zone encompassing  Trinacria and southern Italia came to be known as Greater Greece. The Greeks living in this area behaved pretty much like the mainland Greeks, expanding their political and commercial domain at the expense of their neighbors while keeping the feud between the Ionians and the Dorians alive. On  Trinacria, the Ionian Greeks on the whole had friendly relations with native Trinacrians and the Phoenicians, but the Dorian Greek colonies were comparatively more aggressive, expanding inland from the coast at the expense of the natives to expand their domain. Conflicts among the Greek colonies and between the natives and Greeks had erupted, but these were mostly localized affairs. Trade also flourished between the natives, the Greeks and the Phoenicians, and the Greek colonies became prosperous. This prosperity enabled some of the Greek cities to start to expand their territories again, ultimately leading to the events known as the First Trinacrian War.

## Sources

1. ↑  Sicilian Wars § Background
2. ↑  Sicilian Wars § Carthaginian hegemony
3. ↑  Sicilian Wars § Greek settlement