Carthage (Qart Hadasht or ’ new city’) was founded in 814 BC by Phoenician settlers from the city of Tyre. Mythology: Queen Dido founded Carthage by tricking.

Carthage (Qart Hadasht or ’ new city’) was founded in 814 BC by Phoenician settlers from the city of Tyre. Mythology: Queen Dido founded Carthage by tricking a Numedian Chieftain into given her the amount of land she could surround with one cow’s hide, which she did by cutting it into a thin strip and then encirclinging Byrsa Hill– becoming Carthage – It’s naval fleet rises to power and controls the seas.

Top Photo Byrsa hillLeft - Photo from the Mosaic Bardo Museum

Carthaginians in SicilyCarthaginians in Sicily2008 Exploration Seminar in 2008 Exploration Seminar in

SicilySicilyJohn Pohl John Pohl

Carthage

Tyre

Background and settlement of Sicily•Greek history - Pylos, Mycenae and Tiryns are defeated by Dorians (using superior iron versus bronze weapons) The displaced Greeks become “seafarers” and ultimately traders. Greek Dark Ages) •In 733 BC mainlanders from Corinth establish a colony in Sicily occupied by Sikels (native Sicilians) called Syrakousai (now Syracuse) Site has natural fortifications•Islanders from Crete and Rhodes founded Gela on the southern coast (River Himeras) and Megera (730 BC)•Himara on the North Coast was founded in 648 BC by Zancle

Gela

Himera

60 kilometers separates Sicily from Tunisia

BACKGROUND•Sicily became the center of the trade routes for the Mediterranean , valuable for grain, olive oil, wine and horses.•Phoenicians settle Sicily in the west. BY THE 5TH CENTURY BC•Phoenician settlements fall more and more to Carthaginian control. •Native settlements Sikels and Elymerians control the interior.

http://www.mmdtkw.org/CNAf0310GreekCarthSettlements.jpg

Early Skirmishes•6th Century the Greek alliance tries to drive Carthaginian influence out•Sicily also had mercenaries, refuges and pirates from Corsica (also Greek) occupying the islands in the north•Carthage wins first round - capturing Lipari islands (NE Sicily) and ridding the area of Pirates•The Battle for Sicily is a battle between Greeks and Carthaginians with the prime adversary being the Greek controlled city of Syracuse.

Photo of Carthage (Roman villa) looking overlooking the bay of Tunis

The teams: Carthaginian General Hamilcar (mother Sicilian) versus Gelon of Gela (near Arkagas) who wanted a Greek Sicily•485 - BC Gelon forms alliance with king of Arkagas and moves most of his people to Syracuse effectively taking it over – (Gelon has been compared to Hilter, whilst making his own city beautiful – he scared the independents.)•Theron of Arkagas covets Himera – whose king Terillos is ousted but only after calling for help from the Carthaginians. •Selinus also joins Carthage (They had been anti-punic but feared Gelon)•Gelon intercepts Punic message - substitutes own men and sneak attacks Himera.•Phoencians Ships are destroyed (a common strategy if you wanted to defeat Carthage)•Hamilcar seeing that he is losing , reverts to the tradition of burning sacrifices – then jumps into fire. •Wealth in the form of silver, funds Hellanic revival for Syracuse and it blooms•The 5th century is considered a rebuilding time for Carthage. Hamilcar (a Magonid) becomes a hero but dynasty is weakened. Carthage still a maintains a presence in the West of Sicily

War and more war - 5th century BC

The defeat of Hamilcar sets the stage for revenge

http://phoenicia.org/ships.html

4th century BC•Sicily makes a blunder. They begin to support Sparta (grain exports) and Athens does not like this. Athens declares war on Syracuse. Corinth and Sparta come to Syracuse’s aid. This leads to a stalemate. However the Athenian fleet is trapped and defeated in the port.

In the meantime……

•Hannibal, the grandson of Hamilcar decides the time is ripe. Lands at Punic port of Motya in 409 BC. Captures Selinus but…. allows the rape and pillaging. Typical of Carthaginian armies it was made up of mercenaries. Attacks Himera. Another slaughter. Segesta joins Carthage and now Carthage rules the west. Rape and plundering causes much Sicilian resentment.•Hannibal retires and then comes back in 406 BC with the intention of conquering all of Sicily. Epidemic strikes. Still wins at Akragas (plundered – no slaughter). Hannibal dies. •Dionysius rallies Syracuse and beats Carthage at the battle of Motya 397 BC . War goes back and forth. Plague eventually ends up decimating Carthaginian mercenary troops (N.B. Carthaginians lacked the Roman concept of sanitation.) War is lost by Carthage.•After all of this Syracuse implodes as a result of in fighting and falls apart on it’s own (but remains independent for the time being).

Not the Hannibal of the 2nd Punic War

Note: Plagues were thought as being out of favor in the eyes of the gods – so theobvious answer to a Ba’al worshiping people who converted to Tanit, was to sacrifice infants at a tophet!

A note on Tophets - a place where children were sacrificed:“When the Sicilian tyrant Agathocles of Syracuse was pressing at the gates 4th Century they were filled superstitious dread, and they believe that they had neglected the honors of the gods that had been established by their fathers. In their zeal to make amends for their omission, they selected 200 of the noblest children and sacrificed them publicly; and others who are under suspicion sacrifice themselves voluntarily, a number of not less than 300. There was in their city of bronze image of Cronus, extending its hands, palms up and sloping towards the ground, so that each of the children were placed thereon rolled down and fell into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire.“ Diodorus

Tower of Cronus in Sicily from www.gutenberg.org

• Enter Rome. Rome is now beginning to conquer and control the Italian Peninsula. Treaty with Carthage keeps them out of Sicily. • Carthaginians still the supreme Naval Power. •Messana is taken over by mercenaries returning from Syracuse, the Mamertines (from the god Mamers (Mars)). •Pyrrhus (Greek from Epirus) invited by the city of Tantareum enters fray to defeat Romans and Carthaginian in Segesta 281 BC and at Panormus at a huge cost to the Greeks. Destroys Carthaginian fleet, but wins a “Pyrrhic victory” and is forced to retreat.

•This last war benefited Carthage as they began to import Sicilian items (primarily Greek) and grew in wealth and power.•The International trading center of the Mediterranean shifts from Sicily to Carthage. •Influence of Sicily helped create the craft of making mosaics in Carthage. (and vice versa)

Shifting Seas 3rd Century

Interlude

Virgil holding the Aenid 2 m x 2 m Bardo Museum

•Hieron II of Syracuse tires of Mamertines, attacks Messana who calls on Rome and Carthage for help •Up to this point Rome had a non-intervention agreement with Carthage. This gets broken when they realize Carthage will take control of Sicily if they are left alone•Romans capture Carthagian general Hanno – Hanno gives up Messana •Hieron II now allies with Carthage to fight Rome. •Romans begin to win – Syracuse defects to Roman side.

Shifting Alliances –The First Punic war 264 – 241 BC: Objective - Conquer Sicily

•Rome realizes that they must win naval war. Romans defeat the Carthaginian fleet at the battle of Mylae 260 BC (The Romans found and copied a Phoenician ship but added a corvus (boarding bridge) which allowed boarding and hand to hand fighting. )•Hannibal Barca of Carthage enters war and is winning until: •241BC Carthaginian fleet is again destroyed at the battle of Aegates (Western Sicily) cutting Carthaginian supplies off, and Carthaginians sue for peace..

Corvus- note Rostra underneath from www.livus.com

Note: the Romans made it a practice of displaying captured “Rostra” aka a ship’s “beak” from which speeches were made, hence today’s use of the word Rostrum.

•Rome controls Sicily by 211 BC – but Carthage establishes a stronghold in Iberia (Modern Spain)•Hannibal eldest son of Hannibal Barca (247 BC – 182 BC) desires revenge against Rome which was fueled by Carthage’s defeats in Sicily and Sardinia . •The second PunicWar was made most famous by Hannibal's crossing of the Alps with elephants and his reaching the gates of Rome•Rome used a strategy of fighting Carthage in Spain and by attacking the Carthaginians at Carthage - forcing Hannibal home•Hannibal meets his first defeat at the battle of Zama (Tunisia) in 202 BC•End of the second Punic war in 202BC meant Sicilian treasures were taken back from Carthage.

The second Punic War 218 – 202 BC

The Third Punic War (149-146 BC).

“Delenda est Carthago”

Translation “Carthage must be destroyed”Marcus Porcius Cato The Elder Roman Senator

Rome finally defeated Carthage razed the city and salted it’s soils. Thus ended the Carthagian empire and its threat to Sicily.

Turner, William Dido building Carthage; or the Rise of the Carthaginian Empire 1815; Oil on canvas, 155.5 x 232 cm; National Gallery, London

Turner, William The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire, 1817 Clore Gallery, London

1. Bryant, J The Project Gutenberg EBook of A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume II. (of VI.), 1807 www.gutenberg.org/files/19584/19584-h/19584-h.htm

2. Carthage http://www.crystalinks.com/carthage.html 3. First Punic War UN http://www.unrv.com/empire/first-punic-war.php4. http://phoenicia.org/ships.html5. http://www.livius.org6. http://www.mmdtkw.org/CNAf0310GreekCarthSettlements.jpg7. Soren, David; Khader Ben abed ben ; Slim, Hedi Carthage Simon & Schister New York, New York 19908. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. http://www.bartleby.com/65/er/Eryx.html9. Turner, William Artist Painter of light http://www.j-m-w-turner.co.uk/turner-carthage.htm 10. Marcus Porcius Cato The Elder. "Carthage must be destroyed.[De..." The Columbia World of Quotations. Ed. Robert

Andrews, Mary Biggs, and Michael Seidel. Columbia University Press, 2006. eNotes.com. 2006. 6 Aug, 2008 <http://www.enotes.com/famous-quotes/carthage-must-be-destroyed-delenda-est-carthago>

11. UNRV History Roman Empire http://www.unrv.com/empire/first-punic-war.php

Bibliography