![]() 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. This war was finally won by Carthage through the efforts of the general Hamilcar Barca. Carthage was forced to cede Sicily to Rome and pay a heavy war indemnity.įollowing 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. After an initial struggle with military tactics, Rome won a series of victories and finally defeated Carthage in 241 BCE. The First Punic War (264-241 BCE) had begun. 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. When Carthage took Sicily, however, Rome responded. ![]() The Carthaginian navy had long been able to enforce the treaty which kept Rome from trading in the western Mediterranean. When Rome was weaker than Carthage, she posed no threat. It was this expansion which first brought Carthage into conflict with Rome. 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. The harbour was immense, with 220 docks, gleaming columns which rose around it in a half-circle, and was ornamented with Greek sculpture. 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. ![]() Not even one hundred years passed before Carthage was the richest city in the Mediterranean. From a small town on the coast, the city grew in size and grandeur with enormous estates covering miles of acreage. The Carthaginians then drove the native Africans from the area, enslaved many of them, and exacted tribute from the rest. 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. ![]() 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.Īfter 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. The Greeks called the city Karchedon and the Romans turned this name into Carthago. 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. Mark Antony, through reading of Caesar’s willĮarly life of Octavius (later the emperor Augustus)Īccording 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. Quintus Caecilius Metellus Pius Scipio Nasica Gaius Julius Caesar (proconsul) - father of Julius CaesarĬlient, plebeian, plebs, praetor peregrinus, praetor urbanus, paterfamilias ![]() Until I can figure out how to post a link to a specific posting, I will copy over pertinent postings into this thread. Mod Here is a list of the topics in the Series glossary. ![]()
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