Ancient Carthage (from Phoenician

Qart-adat[1]) was

a Semitic civilization[2] centered on the Phoenician city-state ofCarthage located in !orth "frica on the #$lf of %$nis o$tside what is now %$nis %$nisia& 't was fo$nded in (1) *C&[+][)] ,riginally a de-endency of the Phoenician state of %yre Carthage gained inde-endence aro$nd ./0 *C and esta1lished a hegemony over other Phoenician settlements thro$gho$t the 2editerranean !orth "frica and what is now S-ain[/] which lasted $ntil the end of the +rd cent$ry *C& "t the height of the city3s -rominence it was a ma4or h$1 of trade with -olitical infl$ence e5tending over most of the western 2editerranean& 6or m$ch of its history Carthage was in a constant state of str$ggle with the #ree7s on Sicily and the 8oman 8e-$1lic which led to a series of armed conflicts 7nown as the #ree7-P$nic 9ars and P$nic 9ars& %he city also had to deal with the -otentially hostile *er1ers [.] the indigeno$s inha1itants of the entire area where Carthage was 1$ilt& 'n 1). *C after the third and final P$nic 9ar Carthage was destroyed and then occ$-ied 1y 8oman forces& [:] !early all of the other Phoenician city-states and former Carthaginian de-endencies fell into 8oman hands from then on&
Contents
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1 ;istory 1&1 <5tent of Phoenician settlement 1&2 Carthaginian Control 1&+ %reaty with 8ome 1&) /th cent$ry 1&/ %he Sicilian 9ars 1&/&1 6irst Sicilian war 1&/&2 Second Sicilian 9ar 1&/&+ %hird Sicilian 9ar 1&. Pyrrhic 9ar 1&: %he P$nic 9ars 2 C$lt$re 2&1 =ang$age 2&2 <conomy 2&+ #overnment + 8eligion +&1 Pantheon

o o o

+&2 Caste of -riests and acolytes +&+ P$nic stelae +&) Child sacrifice >$estion ) See also / 8eferences

History[edit]
Extent of Phoenician settlement[edit]
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History of Tunisia

Prehistory <arly eras Ancient history P$nic <ra 8oman <ra Middle Ages <arly 'slamic <ra 2edieval <ra Early modern period ,ttoman <ra (1/:)?1((1) Modern history

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A % <

%he Phoenicians esta1lished n$mero$s colonial cities along the coasts of the 2editerranean[(] in order to -rovide safe har1ors for their merchant fleets [@] to maintain a Phoenician mono-oly on an area3s nat$ral reso$rces and to cond$ct trade free of o$tside interference&[10] %hey were also motivated to fo$nd these cities to satisfy the demand for trade goods or to esca-e the necessity of -aying tri1$te[11] to the s$ccession of em-ires that r$led %yre Sidon and *y1los and 1y fear of com-lete #ree7 colonization of that -art of the 2editerranean s$ita1le for commerce&[12] %he Phoenicians lac7ed the -o-$lation or necessity to esta1lish large self-s$staining cities a1road and most of their colonial cities had fewer than 1 000 inha1itants 1$t Carthage and a few others develo-ed larger -o-$lations&[1+]

Carthaginian Control[edit]
"ltho$gh Stra1o3s claim that the %yrians fo$nded three h$ndred colonies along the west "frican coast is clearly e5aggerated colonies were esta1lished in %$nisia 2orocco "lgeria '1eria [1)] and to a m$ch lesser e5tent on the arid coast of =i1ya& %he Phoenicians were active in Cy-r$s Sardinia Corsica the *alearic 'slands Crete and Sicily as well as on the <$ro-ean mainland at -resent-day #enoa in 'taly and 2arseille in -resent-day 6rance&[1/] %he settlements at Crete and Sicily were in -er-et$al conflict with the #ree7s [1.] 1$t the Phoenicians managed to control all of Sicily for a limited time& %he entire area later came $nder the leadershi- and -rotection of Carthage [1:] which in t$rn dis-atched its own colonists to fo$nd new cities [1(] or to reinforce those that declined with the loss of -rimacy of %yre and Sidon& %he first colonies were settled on the two -aths to '1eria3s mineral wealth B along the !orth "frican coast and on Sicily Sardinia and the *alearic 'slands& [1@] %he centre of the Phoenician world was %yre [20] which served as its economic and -olitical h$1& %he -ower of this city waned following n$mero$s sieges 1y*a1ylonia [21][22] and then its later vol$ntary s$1mission to the Persian

7ing Cam1yses and incor-oration within the Persian em-ire& [2+] S$-remacy -assed toSidon and then to Carthage [2)] 1efore %yre3s event$al destr$ction 1y "le5ander the #reat in ++2 *C&[2/] <ach colony -aid tri1$te to either %yre or Sidon 1$t neither had act$al control of the colonies& %his changed with the rise of Carthage since the Carthaginians a--ointed their own magistrates to r$le the towns and Carthage retained m$ch direct control over the colonies& [2.] %his -olicy res$lted in a n$m1er of '1erian towns siding with the 8omans d$ring the P$nic 9ars&

Treaty with Rome[edit]

'n /0@ *C a treaty was signed 1etween Carthage and 8ome[2:] indicating a division of infl$ence and commercial activities& [2(] %his is the first 7nown so$rce indicating that Carthage had gained control over Sicily and Sardinia&

th century[edit]
*y the 1eginning of the /th cent$ry *C Carthage had 1ecome the commercial center of the 9est 2editerranean region [2@] a -osition it retained $ntil overthrown 1y the 8oman 8e-$1lic& %he city had con>$ered most of the old Phoenician colonies (incl$ding ;adr$met$m Ctica ;i--o Diarrhyt$s and Eer7o$ane) s$14$gated the =i1yan tri1es (with the !$midian and 2a$retanian 7ingdoms remaining more or less inde-endent) and ta7en control of the entire !orth "frican coast from modern 2orocco to the 1orders of <gy-t (not incl$ding the Cyrenaica which was event$ally incor-orated into ;ellenistic <gy-t)&[+0] 'ts infl$ence had also e5tended into the 2editerranean ta7ing control over Sardinia 2alta the *alearic 'slands and the western half of Sicily [+1] where coastal fortresses s$ch as 2otya or =ily1ae$m sec$red its -ossessions& 'm-ortant colonies had also 1een esta1lished on the '1erian Penins$la&[+2] %heir c$lt$ral infl$ence in the '1erian Penins$la is doc$mented [++] 1$t the degree of their -olitical infl$ence 1efore the con>$est 1y ;amilcar *arca is dis-$ted&[+)]

The !icilian "ars[edit]

Further information: the Sicilian Wars #irst !icilian war[edit] Carthage3s economic s$ccesses and its de-endence on shi--ing to cond$ct most of its trade led to the creation of a -owerf$l Carthaginian navy& [+/] %his co$-led with its s$ccess and growing hegemony 1ro$ght Carthage into increasing conflict with the #ree7s of Syrac$se the other ma4or -ower contending for control of the central 2editerranean& [+.]

%he island of Sicily lying at Carthage3s doorste- 1ecame the arena on which this conflict -layed o$t& 6rom their earliest days 1oth the #ree7s and Phoenicians had 1een attracted to the large island esta1lishing a large n$m1er of colonies and trading -osts along its coastF[+:] 1attles had 1een fo$ght 1etween these settlements for cent$ries& *y )(0 *C #elo the tyrant leader of #ree7 Syrac$se 1ac7ed in -art 1y s$--ort from other #ree7 city-states was attem-ting to $nite the island $nder his r$le&[+(] %his imminent threat co$ld not 1e ignored and Carthage B -ossi1ly as -art of an alliance with Persia then engaged military force $nder the leadershi- of the general ;amilcar& %raditional acco$nts incl$ding those of ;erodot$s and Diodor$s give ;amilcar3s army a strength of three h$ndred tho$sand menF tho$gh these are certainly e5aggerated it m$st nonetheless have 1een of formida1le strength&[+@] <n ro$te to Sicily however ;amilcar s$ffered losses (-ossi1ly severe) d$e to -oor weather& =anding at Panorm$s (modern-day Palermo) [)0] ;amilcar s-ent + days reorganizing his forces and re-airing his 1attered fleet& %he Carthaginians marched along the coast to ;imera and made cam- 1efore engaging in the *attle of ;imera&[)1] ;amilcar was either 7illed d$ring the 1attle or committed s$icide in shame&[)2] "s a res$lt the no1ility negotiated -eace and re-laced the old monarchy with a re-$1lic&[)+]

!econd !icilian "ar[edit]

*y )10 *C Carthage had recovered after serio$s defeats& 't had con>$ered m$ch of modern day %$nisia strengthened and fo$nded new colonies in !orth "fricaF ;anno the !avigator had made his 4o$rney down the "frican coast [))] [)/] and ;imilco the !avigator had e5-lored the <$ro-ean "tlantic coast& [).] <5-editions were also led into 2orocco and Senegal as well as into the"tlantic&[):] 'n the same year the '1erian colonies seceded c$tting off Carthage3s ma4or s$--ly of silver and co--er while ;anni1al 2ago the grandson of ;amilcar 1egan -re-arations to reclaim Sicily& 'n )0@ *C [)(] ;anni1al 2ago set o$t for Sicily with his force& ;e ca-t$red the smaller cities of Selin$s (modern Selin$nte) and ;imera 1efore ret$rning tri$m-hantly to Carthage with the s-oils of war& *$t the -rimary enemy Syrac$se remained $nto$ched and in )0/ *C ;anni1al 2ago led a second Carthaginian e5-edition to claim the entire island& %his time however he met with fierce resistance and ill-fort$ne& D$ring the siege of "grigent$m the Carthaginian forces were ravaged 1y -lag$e ;anni1al 2ago himself s$cc$m1ing to it&[)@] "ltho$gh his s$ccessor ;imilco s$ccessf$lly e5tended the

cam-aign 1y 1rea7ing a #ree7 siege ca-t$ring the city of #ela and re-eatedly defeating the army of Dionysi$s the new tyrant of Syrac$se he too was wea7ened 1y the -lag$e and forced to s$e for -eace 1efore ret$rning to Carthage& 'n +@( *C Dionysi$s had regained his strength and 1ro7e the -eace treaty stri7ing at the Carthaginian stronghold of 2otya& ;imilco res-onded decisively leading an e5-edition which not only reclaimed 2otya 1$t also ca-t$red 2essina&[/0] 6inally he laid siege to Syrac$se itself& %he siege was close to a s$ccess thro$gho$t +@: *C 1$t in +@. *C -lag$e again ravaged the Carthaginian forces [/1] and they colla-sed& %he fighting in Sicily sw$ng in favor of Carthage in +(: *C& "fter winning a naval 1attle off the coast of Catania ;imilco laid siege to Syrac$se with /0 000 Carthaginians 1$t yet another e-idemic str$c7 down tho$sands of them& Dionysi$s then la$nched a co$nterattac7 1y land and sea and the Syrac$sans s$r-rised the enemy fleet while most of the crews were ashore destroying all the Carthaginian shi-s& "t the same time Dionysi$s3 gro$nd forces stormed the 1esiegers3 lines and ro$ted the Carthaginians& ;imilco and his chief officers a1andoned their army and fled Sicily& [/2];imilco ret$rned to Carthage in disgrace and was very 1adly receivedF he event$ally committed s$icide [/+] 1y starving himself& Sicily 1y this time had 1ecome an o1session for Carthage& ,ver the ne5t fifty years Carthaginian and #ree7 forces engaged in a constant series of s7irmishes& *y +)0 *C Carthage had 1een -$shed entirely into the so$thwest corner of the island and an $neasy -eace reigned over the island&

Third !icilian "ar[edit]

2editerranean sea nations in +2+ *C&

'n +1/ *C "gathocles the tyrant (administrating governor) of Syrac$se seized the city of 2essene (-resent-day 2essina)& 'n +11 *C he invaded the last Carthaginian holdings on Sicily 1rea7ing the terms of the c$rrent -eace treaty [12] and laid siege to "7ragas&

;amilcar grandson of ;anno the !avigator led the Carthaginian res-onse and met with tremendo$s s$ccess& *y +10 *C he controlled almost all of Sicily and had laid siege to Syrac$se itself& 'n des-eration "gathocles secretly led an e5-edition of 1) 000 men to the mainland [/)] ho-ing to save his r$le 1y leading a co$nterstri7e against Carthage itself& 'n this he was s$ccessf$lG Carthage was forced to recall ;amilcar and most of his army from Sicily to face the new and $ne5-ected threat& "ltho$gh "gathocles3 army was event$ally defeated in +0: *C "gathocles himself esca-ed 1ac7 to Sicily and was a1le to negotiate a -eace which maintained Syrac$se as a stronghold of #ree7 -ower in Sicily&

Pyrrhic "ar[edit]
Main article: Pyrrhic War

%rireme mosaic from Carthage *ardo 2$se$m %$nis&

*etween 2(0 and 2:/ *C Pyrrh$s of <-ir$s waged two ma4or cam-aigns in the western 2editerraneanG one against the emerging -ower of the 8oman 8e-$1lic in so$thern 'taly the other against Carthage in Sicily& [//] Pyrrh$s sent an advance g$ard to %arenti$m $nder the command of Cinea$s with + 000 infantry& Pyrrh$s marched the main army across the #ree7 -enins$la and engaged in 1attles with the %hessalians and the "thenian army& "fter his early s$ccess on the march Pyrrh$s entered %arenti$m to re4oin with his advance g$ard& 'n the midst of Pyrrh$s3s 'talian cam-aigns he received envoys from the Sicilian cities of "grigent$m Syrac$se and =eontini as7ing for military aid to remove the Carthaginian dominance over that island& [/.][/:] Pyrrh$s agreed and fortified the Sicilian cities with an army of 20 000 infantry and + 000cavalry[/(] and 20 war ele-hants [/@] s$--orted 1y some 200 shi-s& 'nitially Pyrrh$s3 Sicilian cam-aign against Carthage was a s$ccess -$shing 1ac7 the Carthaginian