Carthago

Carthago, or Carthago in Latin sources, refers to the ancient Phoenician city-state of Carthage, located on the gulf of Tunis near present-day Tunis in Tunisia. Traditionally dated to the 9th or 8th century BCE, Carthage grew from a Phoenician trading colony into a major maritime power, building a wide network across the western Mediterranean and controlling key ports and cities.

Its government was an oligarchic republic; chief magistrates called suffetes, a council of elders (gerousia), and other bodies consulted in policy. Its wealth rested on trade, seafaring, and agriculture such as grain and olive oil. Religion in Carthage centered on deities such as Baal Hammon and Tanit; religious practice is known from inscriptions and remains, including tophets documented by archaeologists.

Carthage fought wars with Rome for more than a century, culminating in the Punic Wars. Hannibal Barca’s campaigns during the Second Punic War are among the most famous episodes of the conflict. In 146 BCE, after the Third Punic War, Carthage was destroyed by Roman forces; the site was subsequently rebuilt as Colonia Julia Carthago and became the capital of the Roman province of Africa.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Carthage passed through Vandal and Byzantine control before Arab conquest in 698 CE. Today the remains on the Tunisian coast, including Byrsa, the Antonine Baths, and other Roman and Punic ruins, form a major archaeological site near modern Tunis and a UNESCO World Heritage property known as Carthage.