History of Carthage

The history of Carthage is hardly easy to study because of its constraint by the Romains at the end of the Third Punic War. It remains only little of primary historical sources Carthaginian. Certain punic texts were translated into Greek or Latin, like inscriptions on monuments of North Africa. However, the majority of the sources reached us by the means of Greek and Roman authors: Tite-Live, Polybe, Appien, Cornélius Népos, Silius Italicus, Plutarque, Dion Cassius and Hérodote.

These authors often come from cultures in competition with Carthage. The Greek disputed to him supremacy in Sicily and the Romans entered in war against the city. These sources written by foreigners are not always stripped of prejudices. However, of the recent excavations put at the day of the more reliable primary sources. Certain excavations confirm aspects of the life with Carthage such as described it the old authors, but others not, and much of discoveries remain still not very convincing. Like all the counters Phéniciens, Carthage must, as a sign of allegiance, to pour a tribute with Tyr. However, the decline of Tyr vis-a-vis the progression of the Greeks encourages it to take his independence during second half of seventh century BC. One century and half after the foundation of the city, the Carthaginians settle with the Balearic Islands then dominate the west of the Sicily, the south of the Sardinia and, combined with the Étrusques, push back the Greeks out of Corsica. They then control the totality of the trade and navigation in the Western Mediterranean, and have many territories inside as outside Africa: Maurétanie, Numidie, Ibérie, south of the Gaulle, Sicily, Sardinia and south of the Italy. At the dawn of the First Punic War, Carthage represents a territory of approximately 73.000 km ² and a population of almost 4 million inhabitants.

As in the case of Rome, its enemy mortal, the name of the city includes all the territories subjected to its jurisdiction.

Foundation of Carthage

The Élyssa queen

According to the Mythology, the city was rested by the Élyssa queen. Girl of the king of Tyr Muttoial (or Bélus II), it flees of Phénicie when his/her brother Pygmalion assassinates her Sychée husband, large priest of Melqart, to reach the capacity.

Élyssa (also spelled Alissa ), in Arab rear اليسار, rear اليسا or rear عليسا, is called Didon among Romans.

After a stopover with Cyprus, Élyssa settles on the coasts of Africa (current Tunisia) with his/her sister Anna, other Tyréens (of which some are the notable ones) having given up Tyr, as well as virgin of Cyprus. It is thus a heteroclite quota which would be at the origin of the one of the largest cities of the Antiquité. The Tradition date the foundation of the city in 814 av. J. - C.. According to the Latin Poet Virgile, the king of the country, Iarbas, agree to offer a territory “as large to them as could cover a skin with it with ox”. Élyssa then cut out the skin in thin straps of which it surrounded a sufficient territory to build a Citadelle there. This territory, called Byrsa (“leather”), will become the historical center of the punic city. The Phéniciens of Tyr newcomer in Carthage gave to the city its divinity poliade: Melqart.

The historians refute this legend however and date the foundation from the city in the middle of eighth century BC.

Didon and Énée

The love of the queen Didon and Énée is sung by Virgile in Énéide .

During his tour to found a news Troy, prince Énée reaches the ground of Africa and fact stopover after a storm. He is accommodated by the queen of Carthage. A great passion is born between them but it is stopped by the gods of Olympe, which remind the Trojan hero that he must take again his voyage to found a new capital (in fact Rome).

When Énée leaves Carthage, Didon, incompetent to support this abandonment, prefers to give itself death on a Bûcher after being transpierced with the sword that it had given to him. The shade of Didon refuses to forgive in Énée, which it meets with the Enfers accompanied by the Sibylle by Cumes, and refuses to answer its questions.

The Philène brothers

To decide on a Border with the Greek colony of Cyrène (current Libya), Carthage is appropriate that each of the two cities will send the same day a forwarding which will skirt the coast. The border will have to be located at the point of meeting. The Carthaginians, led by the Philène brothers, go day and night, so that they meet Cyréniens more close to Cyrène that of Carthage - to see the current border enters Tunisia and Libya. Cyréniens show them to be parties before the agreed date. Lastly, they declare that they will recognize this border only if the Philène brothers are made bury alive on the spot. By devotion towards their city, those accept, act that Salluste announces by the presence of the furnace bridge of the Philène brothers in his work the War of Jugurtha .

Colonization phenician

Phéniciens

With, various populations live a territory which corresponds to the current Lebanon. They speak a Semitic Langue, similar to the Hebrew old, which names the canaanite. For their part, the Greeks call these people the “Phéniciens”.

Phéniciens live trade and have important ports. Their principal city is Tyr, which founds commercial stations through the Mediterranean basin.

Extension of the counters phenicians

To ensure of the stopovers their merchant fleet and to preserve a Monopoly on the natural resources of the Mediterranean regions, Phéniciens establish many colonies on the littoral. They base these counters with business ends, and also to pay the tribute required by Tyr, Sidon and Byblos, but also by fear of a total influence of the Greeks on the Mediterranean which would mean the ruin of their trade. They are not however enough numerous to establish autonomous cities and much of their counters hardly the 1000 inhabitants reach.

Some 300 counters settle in Tunisia, with the Morocco, in Algérie, on the Iberian peninsula and, to a lesser extent, on the coasts of the Libya. Phéniciens control the island of Cyprus, the Sardinia, the Corsica and the Balearic Islands as well as minor possessions in Crete and Sicily. These two islands are in permanent conflict with the Greeks. During a limited time, Phéniciens will keep the control of whole Sicily. The island will pass then under the domination of Carthage, which in its turn will send new colonists to found other establishments or to reinforce the counters which separated from Tyr and Sidon.

The first counters are located on the double road of Iberian minerals: on the one hand, along the African coast, and on the other hand in Sicily, Sardinia and in the Balearic Islands. Tyr remains the economic and political center world phenician. But the city loses little by little its capacity following many seats - until its destruction by Alexandre Large the. Even if each counter pays a tribute with Tyr or Sidon, none of the two cities exerts a true control on them. That will change with the rise to power of Carthage, which will name its own magistrates with the head of its colonies, thus securing a direct control. This policy will involve the rallying of several Iberian colonies at the side of the Romans at the time of the Punic Wars.

Treaty with Rome

In 509 av. J. - C., Carthage and Rome sign a treated which divides the trade and areas of influence between the two cities. It is the first source which indicates that Carthage conquered the Sicily and the Sardinia.

At the beginning of the fifth century BC, Carthage became the shopping mall of the west of the Mediterranean basin. At that time, the city conquered the majority of the old colonies phenicians, like Hadrumète, Utique and Kerkouane, subjected the tribes of the Libya and seized the North-African coast since the Morocco to the borders of the Egypt. Carthage also extended its influence in the Mediterranean by taking Sardinia, the island of Malta, the Balearic Islands and the Western coast of Sicily. Important counters are founded in the Iberian peninsula.

Sicilian wars

First sicilian war

The economic prosperity of Carthage as well as the importance of the marine ways for its trade lead the city to be armed with a fleet powerful, intended to discourage the commercial Pirate S and rivals. The fleet of Carthage and its increasing hegemony have very to worry the Greeks.

The Sicily, with the doors of Carthage, becomes the scene of the sicilian Guerres. For a long time, the Greeks and Phéniciens covet this strategic island and establish many establishments on its coasts. Since centuries, there exist local conflicts between these various counters. In 480 av. J. - C., Gélon, tyrant of Syracuse, tries with the support of several Cité S Greek to unify the island under its domination. Carthage feels the threat and, probably with the alliance of the Persian Empire, declares the war with the Greece by sending its troops under the command of the general Hamilcar de Giscon. According to the traditional sources, Hamilcar has 300.000 men then. This figure is surely exaggerated even if its force were undoubtedly considerable.

On the way for Sicily, Hamilcar undergoes losses because of the bad weather at the time of the crossing. After its arrival with Panormus (current Palermo), it is beaten with the battles of Himère in 480 av. J. - C.. He would have died during the engagements or would have committed suicide of shame. Following this defeat, Carthage replaces old the aristocratic government by a republic.

Second sicilian war

Towards 410 av. J. - C., Carthage recovered from its military setbacks. It conquered most of the current Tunisia, strengthened and founded new colonies in North Africa; it supports forwardings of Hannon along the African coast and of Himilcon in the Atlantic Ocean. During this period, the colonies of the Iberian peninsula rebel against Carthage - cutting its provisioning of Argent and Cuivre - but Hannibal de Giscon, grandson of Hamilcar, begin preparations to reconquer Sicily and launch at the same time forwardings to the Morocco, with the Senegal and in the Atlantic.

In 409 av. J. - C., Hannibal de Giscon embarks for Sicily with its troops. He manages to invade minor cities like Sélinonte and Himère before turning over triumphantly to Carthage with his spoils. But the enemy principal one, Syracuse, is not touched and, in 405 av. J. - C., Hannibal carries out the one second forwarding with the intention to seize the very whole island. This time, it encounters resistances. At the time of the seat of Agrigente, the Carthaginian forces are decimated by a epidemic of Peste and Hannibal itself is victim. Its successor Himilcon manages to gain successes by breaking the seat, while seizing the city of Gela and by beating on several occasions the army of Denys Old the, tyrant of Syracuse, which also is reached him by the epidemic of plague and is constrained to negotiate a peace treaty.

In 398 av. J. - C., Denys violates the treaty by attacking the Carthaginian fortress of Motya. Himilcon counteracts by a resumption of Motya and a conquest of Messine. Finally, Himilcon besieges Syracuse until in 396 av. J. - C., when the plague obliges the Carthaginian forces to leave. During the sixty following years, Carthaginois and Greek will clash in various Escarmouche S. In 340 av. J. - C., the Carthaginian army is confined in the south-western part of the island and the peace which reigns in Sicily east far from being final.

Third sicilian war

In 315 av. J. - C. the tyrant of Syracuse Agathoclès seizes Messine and, in 311 av. J. - C., it invades the last Carthaginian counters of Sicily. It also besieges Agrigente.

Hamilcar directs the Carthaginian response successfully. In 310 av. J. - C., it controls practically whole Sicily and makes the head office of Syracuse. In cause of despair, Agathoclès carries out in secrecy a forwarding of 14.000 men on the Continent in order to save its reign by an attack against Carthage. This forwarding is a victory; Carthage is obliged to point out Hamilcar and the major part of its army to face the new threat. The army of Agathoclès is beaten thereafter in 307 av. J. - C. but it succeeds in fleeing in Sicily, from where it negotiates a peace which keeps in Syracuse its statute of Greek fortified town.

War of Pyrrhus

Punic Wars

First Punic War: frontal shock with Rome

Second Punic War: countryside of Italy

Third Punic War: destruction of Carthage

Roman Carthage

The end of the Third Punic War marks the establishment of the Roman province of Africa. After the fall of Carthage, its rival Utique, allied of the Romans, becomes the capital of the province and replaces Carthage as an economic and political center regional. Utique is at the edge of the basin of the Medjerda, only Rivière of Tunisia which has a constant Débit during all the year, which constitutes an advantageous position for the city. However, the culture of Blé upstream increases the level of silt which ends up settling in the port, constraining Rome to rebuild Carthage.

After a fallen through attempt of the Gracques, Carthage is thus rebuilt by Jules César and takes the name of Colonia Julia Karthago. The city becomes again the capital of the province, and quickly finds its row and its prosperity of formerly. At the 1st century, it reaches the 500.000 inhabitants and becomes one of the most important cities of the Roman Empire of Occident. During one short period, of 308 with 311, the usurper Domitius Alexander establishes its Capitale there. Then, for the period of the Lower Empire, the city gained with the Christianisme undergoes imperial persecutions. It becomes nevertheless at the 4th century one of the greatest spiritual centers of Occident: Tertullien, holy Cyprien or holy Aurèle of it is originating. Tertullien will write to the Roman governor: The State, exclaims one, is besieged into the campaigns, the strengthened boroughs, the islands, it has only Christians there; people of any sex, any age, any condition, any row even pass to the Christian name and one afflicts oneself some like damage!

A series of Concile S begins a few years later with the participation of 70 bishop S. Tertullien separates then from the current mainly represented by the bishop of Rome, a more serious Schisme being the controversy between catholics and donatists, against which Augustin d' Hippone fight on several occasions. In 397, the biblical gun of the Church of Occident is confirmed with the Concile of Carthage.

Lastly, Carthage and the other centers of the province are invaded in 439 by Genséric, king of the Vandales, who beats the general Byzantine Boniface and made of Carthage his capital.

Carthage vandal

Byzantine Carthage

Medieval Carthage

With the the Middle Ages, holy Louis takes the city during the Eighth crusade, during which he dies of the Dysenterie. He then hoped to convert the Sultan hafside with the Christianisme and to draw up it against the sovereign of Egypt in order to force this last to withdraw Jerusalem. The failure of this strategy marks the end of the Croisade S. a cathedral is high at the 19th century on the hill of Byrsa (at the supposed place of its burial).

Since then, Carthage is a residential small town of the Faubourg S of Tunis.

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