Carthaginian Civilization

The Carthaginian civilization or punic civilization was at the origin of one of the more commercial and military great powers of the Antiquité. Based by the Phéniciens on banks of the Gulf of Tunis, the city of Carthage developed a remarkable civilization, although less known than that of its rival Roman because of the destruction of the city at the end of the Third Punic War. It was the product of the mixture of the culture Indigène Berbère and of the civilization which the colonists phenicians brought.

By their power, they equalized the Greeks, by their richness, Persians.

Maritime empire

Geography of the Carthaginian possessions

Gadès (current Cadiz in Andalusia) and Utique in Tunisia was founded by Phéniciens between and X E
Carthage was later founded, in 814 av. J. - C., by sailors of Tyr, on a Presqu'île surrounded by Lagune S in the North-East of current the Tunis. At the top of its glory, the city counts 700 000 inhabitants if one believes Strabon of it, a Roman historian of the II E
Hispanie (southern of the current Spain)
the current Maghreb, of which west of the Libya, and at least part of the coast Maurétanie
Sicily
Sardinia
Malta
Balearic Islands

Large punic cities: Carthage, Hadrumète, Ruspina, Carthagène, Utique and Hippone

Carthage dominated the the Western Mediterranean by the means of its counters in Africa, in Sicily, in Sardinia, in the Balearic Islands and in Spain (without counting small islands like Malta, the islands Éoliennes - or islands Stromboli - and the islands Pélagies) and by the control which she exerted on old phenicians establishments such as Lixus (current Mauritania), Mogador (current Atlantic coast of the Morocco), the port of Gadès and the port of Utique in North Africa.

Thanks to its Monopoly of the trade and navigation in the Western Mediterranean, the city enjoyed a total access to metals, with human and agricultural resources of whole areas. At the dawn of the First Punic War, Carthage controlled in North Africa a territory of approximately 73 000 km ² - its Hinterland, current Tunisia, the day before the Punic Wars, represented a territory reserved for the Agriculture higher in surface than that of Rome and its joined together allies, and remained one of the agricultural zones of foreground in the Roman Empire - and a population of almost four million inhabitants. The success of Carthage is also explained by its prowesses as regards agriculture in North Africa, which got richness and development to him. The Carthaginians could develop the agricultural techniques among most effective of Antiquity. They were taken again by the Romans through the translation in Latin of the treated of punic Hannon.

Carthage could develop its hinterland, still fertile nowadays, by developing to with it the culture of the Amande, of the Figue, the Olive, the grenade - perceived like a punic fruit by the Romans - and of the Vin (in addition to the Blé). These plants were already present at the wild state in the area but Phéniciens brought there the seedlings which enabled them to make of it a production of Exportation in all the Mediterranean basin (one will find traces of agricultural produce punic in Greece). It is thus about an empire commercial, maritime, terrestrial and agricultural. And what established the link between all its regions, which they are punic or under punic influence, it was the punic sea and ships.

Government

Trade

Cultural aspects

The cultural life of this maritime empire that some called Thalassocratie resulted from the mixture of the indigenous influences, Phénicie, Greek and Egyptian. The Phoenician art is a subtle mixture of Greek elements and Egyptian. Indeed, if the Egyptian culture deeply influenced Phéniciens as of the OJ, the hellenistic culture took over starting from the IV E

The culture phenician will emerge especially starting from Egyptian collapse following the invasion from the Peuples from the sea in Egypt, in 1200 av. J. - C. Before its existence it was confused in the syro-Lebanese surface (Canaan). Moreover, certain punic of Occident (“punic” which wants to say Latin “phenician” in , knowing that the word “phenician” comes from the Greek Φοινικήϊος / Phoinikếïos , itself dependant strongly related to the Greek word “crimson”, φοῖνιξ / phoĩnix ; the color crimson was a speciality phenician) will name cananéens a long time after the absorption of the Carthaginian empire by the Romans. Indeed, before even the foundation of Carthage, Phéniciens were present in the Mediterranean Occident. And Carthage will crystallize, gather this presence, transforming it into empire, while supporting the rise of punic colonization.

Thus, one finds in punic art, of Phéniciens d' Occident, the Egyptian components, as the work of glass (one found small masks of glass in the punic tombs, these masks are specific to mentality phenician, they are used to push back the bad spirits, demons of dead), of the reasons as the lotus which one finds on objects or the decoration of buildings. Moreover, one finds starting from the IV E of clear traces of Helene influence, superimposing oneself on the Egyptian influences, and being added to the punic culture, crucible of various particularisms of the cities phenicians. One finds then in the sculpture, an evolution of a hieratic style, almost symbolic system towards a more representative style, idealizing the perfection (of a body, a state etc). The Greek pottery is also copied, approaching gradually its quality (Greek potters would have settled in Carthage).

The family of Hannibal, one of oldest of Carthage, was strongly hellénisée. His/her father Hamilcar Barca had a Greek Master in the training of the war. And it was him which fought the Romans at the time of the First Punic War in Sicily, applying with brilliance the lessons of its Master (who pushed back the Roman unloading close to Carthage). In the same way, for his/her Hannibal son, who reorganized the punic army while keeping a Helene base (he also had a Greek tutor). Lastly, at least a Greek worship, Déméter (worship of the harvest and fertility) was introduced into the Carthaginian culture, While Melqart changed in contact with the Greek god Héraclès.

The Carthaginian literature did not reach us, except for an important treaty of agriculture which strongly influenced the Romans. There exists however a great number of steles, and a whole corpus of inscriptions.

The language phenician was used as binder, basic linguistic and cultural common to the phenicians of occident, whose arts center became Carthage the punic one. This language (cf Phénicien) will be also used so much by the elites than by the populations of the areas under punic influence: Numidie and other Berber areas of the the Maghreb (like Morocco), ibères and other populations of the kingdom of Tartessos (in the south of Spain) and will be conveyed in-depth in their territories. This language was present (even if Latin had become dominating, impossible to circumvent) until the arrival of the Arab invaders, at 6th century a. J. - C. Indeed, at the time of the arrival of these new invaders, this declining language was still used like local patois at least in certain areas.

Corollary of the language, the Alphabet phenician, which is at the origin of the Greek alphabet (and the alphabets Etruscan and Latin derive from the Greek alphabet), was spread in everyone Mediterranean and became the vehicle of the thought of the people located in the punic sphere of influence. This writing, comprising few vowels. Its evolution, after the Roman establishment in North Africa tends towards the addition of vowels. Also its aspect changed and was different according to the areas and in time. At 4th century a. J. - C., the Latin alphabet will be used for the punic language.

This culture was also strongly influenced by a close and durable relationship with the sea. She invented the trirème, galère with 3 rows superimposed oarsmen then the galère with 4 then 5 oarsmen on a bench of stroke. At the time of the first Punic War, Carthage was main seas, and had maritime technology and the most advanced knowledge of the seas - technology copied by the Romans to make up for their lost time in this field.

The city

See also: Carthage

Carthage was built according to ordered an enough plan, with the rectilinear streets (except in the hills where the urbanization was however thought). Its districts of dwellings were partly built with a kind of cement mingled with ceramics shards to form the ground of certain parts and certain walls, houses equipped with corridors, with the trace of wood staircases to go up in the stages, comprising bath-tubs. The dwellings were fed out of water by underground cisterns collecting rainwater starting from a central court thanks to drains. There was no sewerage system the such cesspools of the Roman cities (at least where excavations were carried out, on a side of a hill) but of the kinds of septic tanks. The streets, paved, right were recut with right angle, were of ground beaten in the hills, with broad steps where the relief of the ground made them necessary, a Agora, ports commercial and at least a large military port (whose access passes by the largest commercial port of the city, a rectangular port of which the length is parallel to the coast. Shops, gravers various (baker, goldsmith etc), districts of the stores, warehouses, districts of the craftsmen in periphery, like that of the potters, the metallurgy, of the dyeing, places on the market which arised without doubts like the still existing souks of today, Nécropole S (of which some are located between the dwellings and the plain and others higher on the hills) existed as well as temples. The whole crowned by the central citadel on the hill of Byrsa (which accommodated also the principal temples of the city like that of Baal-Hammon).

Carthage was a large cosmopolitan city of the antiquity, populated of Phéniciens but where côtoyaient themselves Greek, Berbères of North Africa, Ibères of Spain, and other people resulting from the Carthaginian territories from overseas: Sardinia, Sicily, Balearic Islands, Spain, but also coming from Black Africa by the Atlantic coasts or the roads of the oases, roads taken again later by the Romans. One can imagine districts of Greeks, the Berber ones, men come from all Mediterranean basing itself in a city where the mixed marriages were not rare, contributing to develop this punic civilization.

Carthage seems to be developed starting from the hill of Byrsa, citadel and religious center of the city, then it extended in the coastal plain, with the necropoles, the ports and the workshops in periphery (the necropoles with hillside located at north, the North-West of the city, even part of the sides of Byrsa were used as necropolis (side sea). The factories are rather in the south and the east, the ports finally in the south, after the factories of the south and in the west). Lastly, it extended these suburbs in the hills of north, like that of Mégara, which seems to be built in a more anarchistic way, without plan; it east can be the most recent suburb, which did not have time to be structured.

All in all, the plain was squared by streets, and the agora, the places, established the link with the streets which radiated in the hills starting from these public spaces. The city was surrounded by thick walls of blocks of a white stone which made it luminous, dazzling by far.

Thus was to present Carthage before its fall. A city built according to a plan leaving think that the Greeks could not be exclusively at the origin of the rectilinear urban plans ordered on two axes crossing perpendicularly in their center, the cardo and the decumanus , however common to the majority of the cities of the ancient world. A city with the Eastern influences more by its operation: indeed, it is observed that the Babylonian Numérologie intervenes amongst other things in the number of hold and warships thus being used for to repair these dry boats in the military port. This numerology is based on figure 6; there is thus fleets of 60 ships and a total of 220 warships approximately, at least in the principal military port of Carthage (can be the only one of Carthage). Its military port was a circular basin strengthened with a central small island sheltering a tower, sits of the command of the fleet.

Certain Greek texts let indeed think that the whole of the punic fleet comprised approximately 220 vessels (without counting the trading vessels being able to be used with transport as troops) at the time of the wars between Greeks and punic for the control of Sicily.

Religion

The Carthaginian Mythologie is mainly inherited the Phéniciens, but integrates also certain aspects of the African worships such that returned into the goddess Tanit, alternative local of Astarté (or representation of Astarté), and with the god Baal - Hammon ( Ba' Al Hammon ). Both are at the top of the the punic Pantheon.

One observes a religious continuity, the former gods phenicians being always venerated at the Carthaginians (or punic), like Astarté, Eshmoun (god of medicine) and Melqart, god phenician of the expansion and the enrichment of the human experiment. They were it particularly at the important moments of their history: to return grace of the success of a maritime forwarding, or to support a military company to come.

Baal-Hammon, originating in Phénicie, was also influenced by Egyptian contributions; thus Ammon was known in Libya and in practically all North Africa. It was compared to a local god of which the representation was also a ram. This god and his worship were related to fire, with the sun.

The punic term baal also means as a “main” phenician, “lord”, “citizen”; it is not exclusively a term with religious connotation. One finds the term baal in several Carthaginian first names; Hannibal, Hasdrubal, just as one finds in the name Hamilcar the same root as in the name of the Melqart god on which it is dependant.

That supposes a tradition, a culture and a religion preserving its identity phenician in spite of external influences, like those received from the Greek cultures and religions and Egyptian women who penetrated the punic mediums deeply. This religion while consolidating the identity recognition in Phéniciens of occident, was thus porous, absorbed external characteristics.

The religion was business of State, public. The priests intervened directly in the policy neither interior nor external of Carthage (they do not play for example any part in the Punic Wars putting at the catches Romans and Carthaginian). They had a great influence on the company, deeply religious like any ancient company. These worships and their practice left visible traces in the various colonies phenicians of the Western Mediterranean, become Carthaginian, but also at the people come into contact with punic civilization, like the Berber ones of Numidie (old kingdom located between the Algérie and Tunisia), the Berber ones of Maurétanie (Morocco), Ibères of the south of Spain (with the kingdom of Tartessos).

At the time Roman, the worship of Baal will adopt Jupiter features, major deity of the Roman Pantheon. And at the beginning of Christianity Baal will be still known.

In the same way, Melqart adopted characters of the Greek god Héraclès. And a worship of the fertility and the Helene harvest was imported in Carthage (Déméter and Coré) at the time of the greco-punic war.

Thus, the Punic ones had faith in a life after death. Death chambers are found (even if the incineration were also practiced) where deaths, prepared for their following life, were accompanied by offerings in food and drink. Also, their tomb was decorated as a residence; one scented even the tomb before closing again it. Moreover, some dead were lying (according to the Eastern rite), whereas others were in fetal position (according to the Berber belief) and coat with ocher, showing a local, Berber influence on the Carthaginian religion at least in the Maghreb. In the same way, one found in the punic tombs of the Balearic Islands of the typical statuettes of the local culture.

It is even question of necropolis for child, a tophet . Some think that sacrifices were practiced in this place; but the debate remains open.

One will note a difference between the religion of State, public, with the worships of Baal and Tanit, and the popular belief in amulets and other talismans (protection against the demons, disease, etc) in strong Egyptian influence. In the same way, one finds divinities Egyptian like the dwarf god in the popular classes.

the lieus of worships discovered are urban, those located in seaside (ports, etc) benefit from their contact with the foreigners to grow rich (offerings, ex-voto, donation, etc).

The worships are structured, with a hierarchy of priests whose high positions are occupied by the family members most influential of the city, those which hold the capacity.

The worships have an important economic weight by the offerings (like the meats and other food products, drinks, etc) made to the gods and to the priests. There exist tariffs according to each request.

See too

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