Carthages

Carthages, in the ancient world, refers to the Phoenician city-state of Carthage and its sphere of influence in the western Mediterranean. Located near modern-day Tunis in Tunisia, it was traditionally founded by Phoenician settlers from Tyre in the 9th or 8th century BCE. Carthage grew into a major commercial and maritime power, building a broad network of trading posts and colonies across the western Mediterranean and parts of Iberia, Sicily, and North Africa.

Carthage was governed as an oligarchic republic in which two suffetes shared power and a powerful council represented the mercantile elite. The state maintained a strong navy and exercised control over overseas trade, agriculture, and currency. Its economy depended on trade, taxation of allied cities, and agricultural production in its Libyan hinterland, with products such as grain, olive oil, and wine moving through a network of ports and markets.

Its military relied on professional mercenary armies and diverse allies. The most famous conflicts with Rome were the Punic Wars, beginning in 264 BCE and ending in 146 BCE. Hannibal Barca led Carthaginian forces in the Second Punic War (218–201 BCE) and crossed the Alps with elephants. Despite several early victories, Carthage was defeated at Zama and lost its empire; in 146 BCE Rome destroyed Carthage, razing the city and incorporating its territory as the Roman province of Africa.

After destruction, the Romans rebuilt Carthage, which later became a major city in the Roman Empire. Carthages left a lasting legacy in navigation, trade, and religious practice in the region, and its history is a central subject in studies of ancient Phoenician-Punic civilization.