Carthage: Ancient Phoenician City-State Carthage: Ancient Phoenician City-State By Owen Jarus, Live Science Contributor | October 24, 2012 12:41pm ET MORE Founded by a seafaring people known as the Phoenicians, the ancient city of Carthage, located in modern-day Tunis in Tunisia, was a major center of trade and influence in the western Mediterranean. The city fought a series of wars against Rome that would ultimately lead to its destruction. The Phoenicians were originally based in a series of city-states that extended from southeast Turkey to modern-day Israel. They were great seafarers with a taste for exploration. Accounts survive of its navigators reaching places as far afield as Northern Europe and West Africa. They founded settlements throughout the Mediterranean during the first millennium B.C. Ruins at Carthage in Tunisia. Credit: Asta Plechaviciute shutterstock Carthage, whose Phoenician name was Qart Hadasht (new city), was one of those new settlements. It sat astride trade routes going east to west, across the Mediterranean, and north to south, between Europe and Africa.

The people spoke Punic, a form of the Phoenician language. The two main deities at Carthage were Baal Hammon and his consort, Tanit. Richard Miles writes in his book Carthage Must Be Destroyed (Penguin Group, 2010) that the word Baal means “Lord” or “Master,” and Hammon may come from a Phoenician word meaning “hot” or “burning being.” Miles notes that Baal Hammon is often depicted with a crescent moon, while Tanit, his consort, is shown with outstretched arms. The city The earliest archaeological evidence of occupation at Carthage dates to about 760 B.C. The settlement quickly grew to encompass a 25-30 hectare (61-74 acres) residential area surrounded by a necropolis (graveyard), notes Roald Docter, of Ghent University. Within a century the settlement would have city walls, harbor installations and a “Tophet,” a controversial installation in the southeast of the city that may have been used for child sacrifice (it could simply have been a special burial ground).

A great marketplace (which the Greeks called an “agora”) also developed and, in later centuries, was located by the sea, writes University of Sydney professor Dexter Hoyos in his book, The Carthaginians (Routledge, 2010). “Besides its role as a market, it would be the obvious place for magistrates to assemble the citizens for elections and lawmaking,” he writes. By 500 B.C., the city’s system of government, as suggested by the large marketplace, was a republic of sorts. Hoyos notes that the Carthaginians had two elected sufetes (the Greeks called them kings) that served along with a senate, citizen assembly and pentarchies (five-person commissions). There was also an enigmatic body called the “court of 104” that occasionally crucified defeated Carthaginian generals. As with other ancient (and to some degree modern) republics, wealthy individuals from powerful families had the advantage in getting into office. Nevertheless, the combination of trade opportunities and republican structure appears to have had some success at Carthage.

In the second century B.C., just before it was destroyed by Rome, the city boasted a population estimated at more than half a million people. As the city grew, so did its external influence, with evidence of involvement in places such as Sardinia, Spain and Sicily, entanglements that would ultimately lead to conflict with Rome. Legendary foundation It wasn’t unusual for large cities in the ancient world to have elaborate foundation myths, and Greek and Roman writers had a tale for Carthage, one set more than 2,800 years ago. According to legend, Carthage was founded by Elissa (sometimes referred to as Dido), a queen of the Phoenician city of Tyre, located in modern-day Lebanon. When her father died she and her brother Pygmalion both ascended the throne. This did not work out well, with Pygmalion eventually ordering the execution of Elissa’s husband, the priest Acherbas. Elissa, along with a small group of settlers, would leave the city, sailing nearly 1,400 miles (2,300 km) west.

The local king, a man named Iarbas, said they could build as large a settlement as could be encompassed by an ox-hide at Carthage (the settlers ended up slicing up the ox-hide really thin). Iarbas would eventually demand that Elissa marry him to which she responded by killing herself with a sword atop a funeral pyre. Archaeologists have yet to find remains of Carthage datable to the ninth century B.C., and scholars tend to regard this story as being largely mythical. The tale, moreover, comes largely from Greek and Roman sources, and it’s debatable whether Carthaginians actually believed in it themselves. Location of Carthage and Carthaginian sphere of influence prior to the First Punic War (264 B.C.) Credit: Public domain Punic Wars Rome and Carthage would fight a total of three "Punic Wars," which ultimately led to the latter’s destruction and re-founding. The two cities were not always hostile.

Before the First Punic War started in 264 B.C., they had a long history of trade, and at one point the two powers actually allied together against Pyrrhus, a king based in Epirus, which is in modern-day Albania. This is known today as the Pyrrhic War. Historians still debate the causes of the Punic Wars but the spark that lit it off happened in Sicily. Carthage had long controlled territory on the western part of the island, fighting off the Greek city of Syracuse. In 265 B.C., the Mamertines, a group of former mercenaries based in Messina, Sicily, appealed to both Carthage and Rome for help against Syracuse. They ended up getting both requests answered. Richard Miles writes that Carthage sent a small force to Messina, which was then ejected by a larger Roman force. The situation quickly escalated into open war between the two great powers. In the beginning, Carthage had naval supremacy, giving them the edge. However, the Romans built up a fleet quickly, developing a bridge-like device called a “corvus,” which made it easier for their embarked troops to storm Carthaginian ships .

The First Punic War would go on for more than 20 years and end in Carthage accepting a humiliating peace treaty that ceded Sicily along with much of their Mediterranean holdings to Rome. The Second Punic War would last from 218 to 201 B.C. and would see the Carthaginian general Hannibal, based in Spain, attack Italy directly by going through the Alps. At first his attack proved successful, taking a great deal of territory and inflicting a Roman defeat at the Battle of Cannae, in southern Italy in 216 B.C. Hannibal was, however, was unable to take Rome itself. Over the next decade, a series of Roman counterattacks in Italy, Spain and Sicily turned the tide of war against Carthage and in 204 B.C., a Roman force led by Publius Cornelius Scipio landed in Africa, defeating Hannibal at the Battle of Zama. The peace imposed on Carthage left it bereft of land and money. The Third Punic War, from 149 to 146 B.C., consisted mainly of a prolonged siege of Carthage, which ended with the city being burned.

A modern-day myth has the Romans “salting the earth” to prevent the fields of Carthage being tilled again; however, there is no ancient evidence for this. A Roman mosaic from ancient Carthage. Credit: Solodov Alexey shutterstock Roman Carthage Carthage would not be gone for long. A century later, Julius Caesar founded a new Roman city on the site and by the second century A.D., it was the largest North African city west of Egypt. Researcher Aïcha Ben Abed writes that among its features were giant “Antonine baths,” that were “the largest public baths in the Roman Empire” (from Tunisian Mosaics, 2006, Getty Publications), a sign of the city’s success. The importance of Carthage would not diminish as time went on and today Tunis, a modern-day capital of more than 2 million people, surrounds the ancient ruins. Carthage - Ancient History Encyclopedia Carthage by Joshua J.

Mark published on 28 April 2011 According to legend, Carthage was founded by the Phoenician Queen Elissa (better known as Dido ) sometime around 813 BCE although, actually, it rose following Alexander 's destruction of Tyre in 332 BCE. The city (in modern-day Tunisia, North Africa) was originally known as Kart-hadasht (new city) to distinguish it from the older Phoenician city of Utica nearby. The Greeks called the city Karchedon and the Romans turned this name into Carthago. Originally a small port on the coast, established only as a stop for Phoenician traders to re-supply or repair their ships, Carthage grew to become the most powerful city in the Mediterranean before the rise of Rome . A Great Trade Centre After the fall of the great Phoenician city of Tyre to Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, those Tyrians who were able to escape fled to Carthage with whatever wealth they had. Since many whom Alexander spared were those rich enough to buy their lives, these refugees landed in the city with considerable means and established Carthage as the new centre of Phoenician trade.

The Carthaginians then drove the native Africans from the area, enslaved many of them, and exacted tribute from the rest. From a small town on the coast, the city grew in size and grandeur with enormous estates covering miles of acreage. Not even one hundred years passed before Carthage was the richest city in the Mediterranean. The aristocrats lived in palaces, the less affluent in modest but attractive homes, while tribute and tariffs regularly increased the city’s wealth on top of the lucrative business in trade. The harbour was immense, with 220 docks, gleaming columns which rose around it in a half-circle, and was ornamented with Greek sculpture . The Carthaginian trading ships sailed daily to ports all around the Mediterranean Sea while their navy, supreme in the region, kept them safe and, also, opened new territories for trade and resources through conquest . Advertisement Carthage Against Rome It was this expansion which first brought Carthage into conflict with Rome. When Rome was weaker than Carthage, she posed no threat. The Carthaginian navy had long been able to enforce the treaty which kept Rome from trading in the western Mediterranean. When Carthage took Sicily , however, Rome responded.

Though they had no navy and knew nothing of fighting on the sea, Rome built 330 ships which they equipped with clever ramps and gangways (the corvus) which could be lowered onto an enemy ship and secured; thus turning a sea battle into a land battle. The First Punic War (264-241 BCE) had begun. After an initial struggle with military tactics, Rome won a series of victories and finally defeated Carthage in 241 BCE. Carthage was forced to cede Sicily to Rome and pay a heavy war indemnity. Carthage again went to war with Rome when the general Hannibal attacked the city of Saguntum . Following this war, Carthage became embroiled in what is known as The Mercenary War (241-237 BCE) which started when the Carthaginian army of mercenaries demanded the payment Carthage owed them. This war was finally won by Carthage through the efforts of the general Hamilcar Barca . Carthage suffered greatly from both these conflicts and, when Rome occupied the Carthaginian colonies of Sardinia and Corsica, there was nothing the Carthaginians could do about it.

They tried to make the best of their situation by conquering and expanding holdings in Spain but again went to war with Rome when the Carthaginian general Hannibal attacked the city of Saguntum, an ally of Rome. The Second Punic War (218-202 BCE) was fought largely in northern Italy as Hannibal invaded Italy from Spain by marching his forces over the Alps. Hannibal won every engagement against the Romans in Italy. In 216 BCE he won his greatest victory at the Battle of Cannae but, lacking sufficient troops and supplies, could not build on his successes. He was defeated by the Roman general Scipio Africanus at the Battle of Zama, in North Africa, in 202 BCE and Carthage again sued for peace. Remove Ads Advertisement Placed, again, under a heavy war indemnity by Rome, Carthage struggled to pay their debt while also trying to fend off incursions from neighbouring Numidia. Carthage went to war against Numidia and lost. Having only recently paid off their debt to Rome, they now owed a new war debt to Numidia.

Rome was not concerned with what Carthage and Numidia were involved with but did not care for the sudden revitalization of the Carthaginian army. Carthage believed that their treaty with Rome was ended when their war debt was paid; Rome disagreed. The Romans felt that Carthage was still obliged to bend to Roman will; so much so that the Roman Senator Cato the Elder ended all of his speeches, no matter what the subject, with the phrase, “Further, I think that Carthage should be destroyed.” In 149 BCE, Rome suggested just that course of action. The Destruction of Carthage A Roman embassy to Carthage made demands to the senate which included the stipulation that Carthage be dismantled and then re-built further inland. The Carthaginians, understandably, refused to do so and the Third Punic War (149-146 BCE) began. The Roman general Scipio Aemilianus besieged Carthage for three years until it fell. After sacking the city, the Romans burned it to the ground, leaving not one stone on top of another.

A modern myth has grown up that the Romans forces then sowed the ruins with salt but this story has no basis in fact. It is said that Scipio Aemilianus wept when he ordered the destruction of the city and behaved virtuously toward the survivors. Utica now became the capital of Rome’s African provinces and Carthage lay in ruin until 122 BCE when Gaius Sepronius Gracchus, the Roman tribune , founded a small colony there. Memory of the Punic wars still being too fresh, however, the colony failed. Julius Caesar proposed and planned the re-building of Carthage and, five years after his death, Carthage rose again. Power now shifted from Utica back to Carthage and it remained an important Roman colony until the fall of the empire . Ancient Africa for Kids: Ancient Carthage Ancient Carthage Where was Carthage located? The city of Ancient Carthage was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the country of Tunisia . At its peak, Carthage ruled a significant portion of the Mediterranean coast including Northern Africa, Southern Spain, and the islands of Sardinia, Corsica, and Sicily.

Carthage ruled the land in green at its peak by Ducksters How long did Carthage rule? Carthage was a major power in the Mediterranean from around 650 BCE to 146 BCE. It was first established in 814 BCE by the Phoenician Empire, but gained its independence in 650 BCE. Carthage grew to become the most powerful city in the Mediterranean. Power and Conflict In 509 BCE, Carthage established a treaty with Rome. Carthage had control of most of the Western Mediterranean, Northern Africa, as well as the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. Carthage was able to keep Rome in check because of its powerful navy. Sicilian Wars Between 480 BCE and 265 BCE Carthage fought a number of wars over the control of Sicily. These wars are called the Sicilian Wars or the Greek-Punic Wars. Despite all these wars, neither side ever gained full control over the island. Carthage controlled Western Sicily, while the Greeks maintained control of Eastern Sicily. Punic Wars As the Roman Republic rose in power, Carthage became increasingly in conflict with Rome.

In 264 BCE, Carthage fought the First Punic War against Rome. Rome defeated Carthage, taking control of Sicily. The Second Punic War took place between 218 BCE and 201 BCE. It was during this war that the famous Carthage leader, Hannibal , crossed the Alps to attack Rome in Italy. Although Hannibal won several battles in Italy, Carthage began to weaken as the war waged on. Eventually, the Romans defeated Carthage and gained control of Spain and much of Northern Africa. The Third Punic War and the Fall of Carthage The Third Punic War occurred between 149 BCE and 146 BCE. In this war Rome attacked the city of Carthage. Rome conquered the city bringing an end to the Empire of Carthage. The cities allied with Carthage became part of the Roman Republic. Government Carthage was initially a monarchy ruled by a king. However, the government changed to a republic around the 4th century BCE. Similar to Rome they had a senate made up of 300 wealthy citizens which made the laws. They also had two main leaders that were elected every year.

They were called "Suffetes", which means judges. Ruins of Carthage Photo by Patrick Verdier Interesting Facts about Ancient Carthage Carthage was later rebuilt by Julius Caesar of Rome. The city became a major part of the Roman Empire . Muslim forces destroyed the city of Carthage in 698 CE. They built the city of Tunis, which is today the capital of Tunisia, nearby the ruins of Carthage. Hannibal brought elephants with when attacking Italy and crossing the Alps. He started out with 37 elephants, but many of them died before making it into Italy. The word "Punic", as in Punic Wars, comes from the Latin word "Punicus" which is what the Romans called the people from Carthage. Carthage religion included a variety of gods. The primary gods being Baal-hamon and his wife, the goddess Tanit. Take a ten question quiz about this page.

To learn more about Ancient Africa: Civilizations Exploring the Ruins of Ancient Carthage: A Visitor's Guide | PlanetWare Exploring the Ruins of Ancient Carthage: A Visitor's Guide Cathage - Ruins Share: Today Carthage is a wealthy suburb of Tunis ; its villas surrounded by gardens full of red hibiscus blossom and purple bougainvillea. The scanty remains of once mighty Carthage lie scattered across the neighbourhood. But despite their ruinous state the remnants are still worth a sightseeing trip for their beautiful setting backed by the sea. History According to legend Carthage was founded by the King of Tyre's daughter Elissa, after the king and his band of followers fled the Levant following a dispute over succession to the throne. In 814 BC a Numidian prince granted Elissa, her father and followers land from which the town of Qart Hadasht (known to the Romans as Carthago) sprung up. In antiquity the Sebkha Ariana (salt lake) was still linked with the sea, so that Carthage lay at the end of an easily defensible peninsula, linked with the mainland only at its east end.

It was enclosed by a wall over 40 km long, 10 m thick and up to 13 m high, reinforced by towers, ditches and earthworks, which protected the city and the surrounding agricultural area from enemy attack. A force of 20,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry and 300 elephants defended the city. Under the Magonid (Hannibal) dynasty, Carthage became the leading commercial power in the western Mediterranean; its seamen sailed round the whole of Africa and discovered the coasts of Britain . But its success led to conflict with the other Mediterranean power, Rome . The resulting three Punic Wars ended in the complete destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. The city was plundered, burned down, razed to the ground and ploughed over; and the whole area was sprinkled with salt so that even the soil should be made infertile. Brysa Hill Ruins Share: The area was later resettled by the Romans and named Colonia Julia Carthago. Soon afterwards it became the seat of the provincial government.

Thereafter it grew and flourished, and by the early 2nd century AD, it was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, with a population of around 300,000. Magnificent public buildings were erected during this period, second only to those in Rome itself. As in Punic times, the central feature of the city was the hill of Byrsa, with the Capitol and the forum, and the Romans largely preserved the general layout of the Punic town. By the beginning of the 4th century, Carthage had become the leading city in Christian Africa and the see of a bishop. Under Byzantine rule it retained its predominance in North Africa until the Arabs arrived and once again utterly destroyed the city in AD 692. Thereafter Carthage fell into an oblivion, which ended only under the French protectorate and when the Catholic Mission, honouring the city's early Christian tradition, established its African headquarters in Carthage. Columns Tourist Attractions Tophet Thought to be the place where the Phoenician princess Elissa landed in Tunisia, the Tophet is a religious sanctuary where people worshipped the sun god Baal-Ammon.

Excavations here have revealed that during the early days of the city, it was common practise to sacrifice first born children here to make sure the city found favour with the gods. Although human sacrifice died out, the Tophet was used as a cult site of some sort right up to the Christian era. At the lowest level of all the excavators discovered a small niche, the Chapel of Cintas, which may possibly have been the burial chapel of Elissa herself. The site is a maze of burial shafts and remains of foundations, with some of the numerous stelae bearing inscriptions and symbols. On the offer of a small tip, the custodian will open a shed containing numerous stelae, most of them with inscriptions, and pottery urns said to contain the ashes of the unfortunate sacrifice victims. Baths of Antoninus Pius Baths of Antoninus Pius Share: The most important remains of Roman Carthage are the Baths of Antoninus Pius and the adjoining Archaeological Park, which lie between Avenue Habib Bourguiba and the sea. The baths were the largest in the Roman world outside Rome, occupying an area of 1.8 ha.

Built between AD 146 and 162, in the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius, they were extensively restored in AD 389 but subsequently collapsed, presumably as a result of a structural defect, and thereafter were used for centuries as a quarry of building stone. As a result, all that remains is the walls of the basement story. Archaeological Park Archaeological Park Share: Behind the baths is the Archaeological Park, where the rectangular grid of streets clearly shows the layout of Roman Carthage's residential quarter. The park reflects the long history of Carthage, with Punic graves of the 6th and 5th centuries BC, the five-aisled Basilica of Douimès dating from the 6th century AD, and an underground burial chapel (the Chapelle Sainte-Monique) of the 7th century. All over the site are the remains of Roman cisterns, and under a tree are numbers of limestone "cannonballs", projectiles from Carthaginian arsenals. North-east of the Archaeological Park, on a site formerly occupied by a 19th century Bey's Palace, stands the well guarded Presidential Palace.

Want to use this map on your web site? Copy and Paste the code below: <a href=""><img src="" /></a> National Archaeological Museum Within the park is the National Archaeological Museum (Musée National de Carthage), which has a very interesting collection of material. Exhibits offer information about the course of the excavations, a model of Punic Carthage, Punic and Early Christian antiquities, jewellery and ornaments, everyday objects, clay masks, little heads in coloured glass paste with large staring eyes, funerary stelae, sarcophagi, mosaics and models of the Tophet and the Capitol built by the Romans on the ruins of Punic Carthage. The museum gardens are an attraction also worth visiting. Amid the greenery are a variety of ancient remains and a 3 m high marble statue commemorating Louis IX (though in fact the statue is a likeness of the Emperor Charles V). Quarter Magon The Quarter Magon excavation site is in a small park near the Archaeological Park, and is useful to visit to feel an impression of the development of the town in Punic times.

Immediately behind the sea wall (5th century BC), which just before the Third Punic War was 13 m high, was the craftsmen's quarter, beyond this were larger houses, and beyond these again luxurious villas with richly patterned terrazzo floors. There is a small museum with models of the Punic town walls, houses and streets, pavement mosaics of the Punic period and a model of the ancient quarries at El Haouaria. Punic Quarter Punic Quarter Share: In the 5th century BC, the Carthaginians built workshops here, which later gave place to houses. After the destruction of Carthage the hill remained unoccupied and it was only in the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus that the summit of the hill was levelled off. It destroyed the Punic remains, which included a temple of Eshmun (Asklepios), and led to the construction of a huge forum and Capitol. This was the starting-point of the two main axes of Roman Carthage, the decumanus running from east to west and the cardo from north to south. During excavations under the church and the monastery, various Roman remains were found, which are now displayed in the Bardo Museum.

Byrsa Hill Byrsa Hill Share: This hill was the central feature of the Punic settlement, and the later Romans sliced some 6 m off the 70 m summit in order to make a broader platform for their imperial buildings. Today the hill is crowned by the Cathedral of Saint Louis, built in 1890 and dedicated to King Louis IX, who died here in 1270 during the siege of Tunis. From the summit, tourists can enjoy fine views across the entire Carthage area. Theatre and Roman Villas The 2nd century Roman theatre is found on Avenue Reine Didon, built into a hillside facing the sea. There is seating for 5,000 spectators. The stage, slightly raised, is backed by a scenae frons (stage wall). Immediately adjoining the theatre is the Park of the Roman Villas. Once a Punic cemetery (in which a number of shaft graves are still to be seen), the site was later occupied by the peristyle villas of wealthy Romans. One 3rd century house, the Villa des Volières, has been restored.

From the terrace, on which there are a number of fragments of sculpture, there is a fine view over Carthage, the Presidential Palace below, the Gulf of Tunis and Cap Bon beyond. Amphitheatre Just 1 km northwest of Byrsa Hill is the 2nd century Roman amphitheatre, a five-story structure with seating for some 50,000 spectators and an arena that could be flooded for naumachias (mock naval battles). Apart from its massive foundations and a few underground rooms, however, the whole structure has been destroyed. During the persecution of Christians in AD 202, St Perpetua, her slave-girl Felicitas and others were martyred here by being trampled to death by a wild cow. A marble column erected by the Pères Blancs commemorates them. St Cyprian was beheaded here in AD 258, the first African bishop to be martyred, and St Augustine lectured in the arena. On the opposite side of the street from the amphitheatre, a footpath leads to the La Malga cisterns, built by the Romans to store water brought from the Zaghouan hills in an aqueduct 132 km long.

Only 15 of the original 24 cisterns are now left. Punic Harbour Carthage - Tunis, Tunisia - History and Visitor Information Site information Carthage HISTORY Carthage was one of the most powerful cities of the ancient world and spawned the powerful Carthaginian Empire which dominated much of the western Mediterranean. The ruins of this famed city can be found on the outskirts of modern day Tunis. Carthage itself was central to the history of the ancient world. Legend states that the city was founded by the Phoenician Queen Dido in the 9th Century BC and the ancient metropolis certainly rose to prominence over the next 500 years. However, three long and brutal wars with Rome, known as the Punic Wars, eventually led to the downfall and destruction of Carthage in 146BC. It is said the Romans salted the earth so nothing more could live on the site of the once-dominant city. Having destroyed the Carthaginian Empire however, the Romans later realised the potential in the strategic location of the site. In the 1st Century AD they re-founded Carthage and it grew to become one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire.

As Rome’s power waned, Carthage was briefly captured by the Vandals in the 5th Century AD before Byzantine forces re-took the city. In 698AD, after many years of hard fighting, the city was finally captured by the forces of the Umayyad Caliphate who founded the new city of Tunis nearby, leaving the ancient metropolis to fade away. Time has significantly taken its toll on the site and little remains of ancient Carthage today and much of what remains is spread over quite a broad area. The best way to begin exploring these ruins is probably by visiting Byrsa Hill and the Carthage Museum . The museum hosts a collection of Carthaginian (Punic) and Roman artifacts including marble sarcophagi and a model of Punic Carthage. Other key points of interest include the impressive Antonine Baths , the Roman Amphitheater , Roman villas and reconstructed Roman theatre of Carthage . Among the best preserved Punic remains are the Magon Quarter , Punic Port and unnerving Sanctuary of Tophet .

You can explore all the sites of Carthage on our Carthage Sites Map feature and Carthage also features as one of our Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Tunisia . Carthage - Wikimedia Commons Carthage Jump to: navigation , search Carthage (from the Phoenician Kart-Hadasht, the "New City", written without vowels in Punic as Qrthdst), was a city in north Africa located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis, across from the center of modern Tunis in Tunisia . It remains a popular tourist attraction. Column at the ruins of Carthage Ruins of the Baths of Antoninus Pius Ruins of ancient Punic housings on the Byrsa hill Tophet of Carthage Location of Carthage in the middle of Mediterranean Sea Ruins of Carthage Head of a bearded man, glass Sarapis Carthage - Ancient Roman towns in today's Tunisia (detail of the theatre at Thugga ) You may wish to see a page on the Punic memories of Carthage first.

But now nothing remains of the great city save a few cisterns and some shapeless masses of masonry ; all that is valuable has been carried off either for the construction of the modern city of Tunis or to enrich the public buildings and museums of Europe ; and now, indeed, there can be no doubt that in very truth: "Deleta est Carthago" (Carthage is destroyed). (1895 Murray's Handbook for travellers in Algeria and Tunisia). Roman columns and capitals in the Museum of Carthage on the site of the ancient acropolis In 692 AD the Arabs conquered Carthage; because they feared that the Byzantines, who had a powerful fleet, could reconquer it and turn it into the base for a large expedition, they preferred to set the capital of Ifriqiya, as they called the Roman province of Africa, at Kairouan , which they had founded at a considerable distance from the coast in 670. The columns of the churches and former temples of Carthage were used to build the Great Mosque of Tunis and Carthage was abandoned, the remaining buildings being used as quarries.

Archaeological excavations started in 1857, but they were mainly limited to the hill where the acropolis stood. In the meantime Carthage became an elegant neighbourhood of Tunis. Following a UNESCO initiative in 1973, the whole area of the ancient town was mapped and declared of archaeological interest, but only a few parcels of land were not already part of luxurious villas or expensive apartment blocks. As a consequence the ticket allowing entrance to ancient Carthage lists ten different sites surrounded by the modern town. The ruins of the Roman buildings on the acropolis were in part sacrificed to the unearthing of a quarter of the Punic town. (left) Theatre; (right) a " Cipollino" column and a white marble capital The Roman theatre was built on the slope of a hill to the north of the acropolis in the early IInd century AD. It was entirely replaced by a modern one (only a very small section was rebuilt with the original stones) which houses the International Festival of Carthage. The statues found on the site, including one of Apollo Citharede (shown in the next page ), were taken to the Museum of Bardo.

The only interesting thing to see is a selection of ancient columns of different colours from the four corners of the Empire which are evidence of the wealth of the city. Wild flowers hiding the audience seating portion of the odeum (or odeon) Tunisian authorities go from one extreme to the other when dealing with the ancient monuments of their country: they rebuilt the theatre, but they seem not to care about maintaining the odeum which stands behind it. It was built at the beginning of the IIIrd century to house musical and poetry contests. In origin odeums were rather small roofed buildings, but during the Roman Empire some very large odeums were built, such as that of Herodes Atticus at Athens. (left) A pillar of "Villa of the Aviary"; (right) the terrace and a statue found nearby. In the background the Tunisian flags indicate the Presidential villa, where large ancient cisterns are located We do not know the name of the owner of a large villa near the Odeon with a commanding view over the sea. He must have been a very wealthy man.

In the IInd and IIIrd century AD, Carthage was the second largest city of the western part of the Roman Empire and its population probably reached 500,000 inhabitants. The real estate value of the land where the villa was built must have been astronomical. Villa of the Aviary - peristilium (courtyard) The current aspect of the villa is the result of excavations carried out in the 1960s at the end of which columns and other materials found in nearby villas were utilized to complete the reconstruction of the villa. Similar to what can be observed at the theatre, the columns come from different countries. Villa of the Aviary: details of the mosaic in the peristilium The villa was named after the large mosaic of its peristilium which depicts many birds with other small animals, flowers and fruits. It was a common subject for mosaics, in particular for those outdoors, but it could also indicate that it was made during the Late Empire when the depiction of gods and mythical episodes was no longer in fashion.

Villa of the Aviary: terrace with a mixed mosaic/marble floor A terrace near the peristilium houses a complex decoration which in part is made of small mosaics portraying animals and horsemen and in part is geometric with pieces of marble replacing the mosaics. The latter is evidence of spolia, i.e. the re-use of material of earlier buildings, which suggests the decoration was made or modified in the Late Empire. Antonine Baths Emperor Hadrian visited the province of Africa twice; during his second visit he promoted the construction of a long aqueduct from Ziqua to Carthage. When eventually the aqueduct and the large baths it supplied were completed the latter were named after Antoninus Pius , Hadrian's successor. The complex of buildings was very imposing and ipsa ruina docet (the ruins speak for themselves), a saying usually applied to Rome, fits these baths too. A column has been re-erected above the supporting structures in order to convey the idea of the height of the halls. The baths were built on the sea front and their view from the ships heading towards the harbour must have been impressive. The Romans enjoyed living by the sea.

Pliny the Elder regarded sea bathing as a healthy practice although he warned about its exciting effects (you may wish to see the baths by the sea of Sabratha , another Roman town in Africa). Antonine Baths: walls supporting the main circular hall While we cannot admire the baths in their original splendour, we can appreciate the construction technique of the underground system of passages which allowed servants to move about the baths without disturbing the customers. Antonine Baths: (left) celebratory inscription making reference to Emperor Marcus Aurelius and a small one added in the late IVth century; (right) reconstructed site of one of the latrines While today's modern society accepts some aspects of the Roman way of life which were despised for centuries, that of regarding latrines as a convenient place for social meetings is still not acceptable. The latrines of the Antonine Baths were very large and they were decorated with precious marbles as those built at approximately the same time at Leptis Magna , another Roman town in Africa. Mosaic at the house of the "schola" The "Archaeological Park of the Antonine Baths" includes the ruins of a few buildings behind the baths. They are aligned along the customary grid of Roman towns.

They generally belong to a later period than the Baths. A complex building which retains an elegant mosaic with children dancing in a background of rose petals, is believed to have been the meeting place of a "schola", a unit of Imperial guards created by Emperor Diocletian . Apparently the subject of the mosaic does not seem fit for such a meeting place, but the dropping of rose petals might have been part of the complex ceremonial introduced by Emperor Diocletian for his public appearances. Christian basilica of Douimes Carthage was home to a thriving Christian community since the IInd century AD, but this large basilica built with spolia is dated Vth or VIth century. It had a separate baptistery surrounded by columns. At the entrance to the "Archaeological Park of the Antonine Baths", a panel with a plan of the site suggests two itineraries: "Short Circuit" and "Global Circuit". The former includes just a visit to the Baths, the latter a visit to the entire archaeological area, which is not that large when compared to others.

From a visit made in April 2012 it appeared that the two itineraries corresponded to different levels of maintenance: the Baths were well cared for, whereas all the other monuments were left in a state of total abandonment. (left) Punic necropolis of Douimes; (right) mosaic near the "schola" The image used as background for this page shows a gladiator on a pottery lamp (Palaeo-Christian Museum of Carthage). Move to:

Question: In which country are the ruins of ancient Carthage?
Answer: Tunisia