Carthage, a quiet suburb of the capital Tunisia built up with prestigious villas, is basking in the rays of its former glory. Most come here for the sole purpose of seeing the ruins of an ancient city, the very name of which terrified the entire Mediterranean.
The history of Carthage, the powerful capital of the Phoenician Empire, is a continuous series of wars with its eternal rival Rome. The Romans burned the hated city, plowed it up and covered its territory with salt. But just 25 years later, a new settlement grew from the ashes, which later became the capital of the Roman African province. In 1270, the leader of the 8th Crusade, the French king Louis IX, died in a crusader military camp on the ruins of ancient Carthage. In the 19th century, the French built the Basilica of St. Louis on the site of his death. This pompous church is used today as a concert hall.
The archaeological zone of Carthage occupies quite a lot. The attractions are located in scattered areas and will take at least half a day to explore.
How to get to Carthage
The closest airport to Carthage, which is called Tunis-Carthage, is located only 10 km away. You can fly there with Air France or Alitalia flights from Moscow Sheremetyevo in 6.5 hours, including a transfer in Paris or Rome. A flight from St. Petersburg on Lufthansa planes with a transfer in Frankfurt am Main takes 6 hours 40 minutes.
From airport to city
The best way is to get to the center of Carthage by taxi (travel time 20 minutes, cost 10 TND; from 21:00 to 6:00 - 1.5 times more expensive). The driver must name “Carthage” as the destination of the trip - the word “Carthage” is unfamiliar to local residents. Prices on the page are as of November 2018.
Search for air tickets to Tunis (the nearest airport to Carthage)
Excursion bus
Popular resorts in Tunisia organize bus excursions to Carthage. The cost of such a trip, for example, from Sousse for adults/children is 140/70 TND. At the same time, the tour program allows only 1-2 hours to visit Carthage - barely enough to explore 2 of the 8 sites of the archaeological zone. In addition, there is a high probability that they will be crowded with people who arrived on other excursion buses.
Independent trip
You can explore the ancient city in detail and avoid crowds of tourists on an independent trip, best with a guide in a rented car. Or first take a train or intercity bus to Tunisia and from there get to Carthage. The most affordable option is to take the TGM light metro train, departing from the Tunise Marine starting station (Avenue Habib Bourguiba). The service interval is 5-15 minutes, travel time is 25 minutes, the cost of a ticket in a 1st class carriage is 1.15 TND. Exit at Carthage Dermech (near Birsa Hill) or Carthage Hannibal (Antonian Baths) stations. A taxi ride will take the same time and cost 12 TND.
Any taxi driver at the capital's railway station or bus station is ready not only to take the client to Carthage, but also to take him from one object to another, and then return him to the same place from where he picked him up. The service fee is negotiable, usually 90-100 TND.
Transport
The main mode of transport in Carthage is the TGM light metro line running through it with 6 stops. Trains run from 4:00 to 0:00, frequency - 4-10 times per hour. The metro is convenient for reaching not only the capital, but also the beautiful resort suburbs of Sidi Bou Said and Gammarth.
On the main street La Goulette Rd you can take a bus or minibus going to Tunis. Unfortunately, they run quite rarely, there are no timetables at the stops, and on the buses themselves the route numbers are only the name of the final destination in Arabic.
You can stop the bus anywhere with a wave of your hand. Entrance is through the back door, fare payment is made to the conductor or driver. Men are not recommended to take a seat next to an unfamiliar woman.
Small Carthage does not have its own public transport. In order not to suffer from the heat and to fully taste the local exoticism, you can hire a horse-drawn carriage right at the TGM light metro station and use it to travel around all areas of the archaeological zone. Payment is time-based - from 10 TND per circle. The main competitors of cab drivers are taxi drivers who are ready to drive all day, but for a “negotiable” 80 TND.
One-time taxi ride within Carthage - 5 TND.
Bicycles for rent
This service is available at an additional cost to residents of the Carthage Hill and Villa Carthage hotels. The greatest demand is in April-May and September-October, when the weather is comfortable for cycling.
Maps of Carthage
Carthage Hotels
There are not many hotels in Carthage. The best among them is the Villa Didon Carthage 5* spa hotel. Among its advantages are an excellent location next to the archaeological zone, a French restaurant, panoramic windows, a spa and hammam. True, for a double room you will have to pay 570 TND - a lot even by European standards.
Each of the hotels - Carthrage Hill and Villa Carthage - in the northern part of Carthage, is good in its own way. The first attracts with its excellent cuisine, well-kept garden and ample opportunities for active recreation. The second has spacious rooms, a swimming pool and amazing breakfasts. Room rates start from 250 TND.
All hotels have free Wi-Fi and parking.
For those looking for a homely atmosphere, the Logement Entier Pieds Dans l'Eau apartment sleeps 6 people and has a well-equipped kitchen. It costs little - 225 TND per day plus 120 TND for final cleaning. A good choice of housing is in the neighboring town of Sidi Bou Said, in Gammarth, which lies a little further on the same metro line, and, of course, in the capital Tunis.
Shopping
Numerous souvenir shops are concentrated mainly near the fenced areas of the archaeological zone of Carthage. In almost every one you can see “sand roses” - natural crystalline formations that resemble a stone flower. Tunisia is famous for ceramics, the traditions of which go back to the Roman era. Some products copy antique forms and combine yellow, blue, white and green colors. In addition to things in the Punic-Roman style, ceramics with Andalusian and Arabic motifs are magnificent. When buying inexpensive Tunisian leather - handbags, belts, jackets, you need to carefully check the quality of the workmanship - it often suffers. It is better to take a closer look at silver and coral jewelry, copper dishes, wooden dolls in national clothes, and traditional embroidery with gold and silver thread.
Good and useful souvenirs in every sense are olive oil, dates, spices and hot thick harissa sauce - a mixture of crushed red pepper, garlic with the addition of coriander and cumin. Essential oils of rose, jasmine and amber are sold in beautiful glass bottles.
Tiny, wax-like pieces of precious ambergris are inserted into massive silver jewelry. When they come into contact with the skin, they emit a sweetish aroma that acts as a natural pheromone.
Cuisine and restaurants of Carthage
The culinary palette of Carthaginian catering establishments is extensive and multi-layered. Here, as in France, you can have breakfast with coffee and croissants in a pastry shop, have a Maghreb-style couscous lunch and end the day in a luxurious gourmet restaurant.
In small taverns where Tunisians themselves eat, it is worth ordering a bowl of spicy soup “shorba” or “harira” - a thick lentil stew with meat and vegetables. Such a lunch will cost only 10-15 TND. The menus of mid-price cafes and restaurants include more refined dishes - quail stewed with apricots or chicken baked with pumpkin and dried fruits. The combination of meat dishes with sweet fruits, honey or sugar is typical of Tunisian cuisine. Such a lunch with a bottle of local beer will cost from 40 TND per person.
Traditional Tunisian fast food is briki puff pastries stuffed with tuna or meat mixed with eggs, herbs and potatoes. On the street stall next to them there may well be a sandwich with chicken seasoned with tomatoes or tomato sauce (5 TND).
The best restaurant in Carthage is Le Resto at the Villa Didon Carthage Hotel & Spa, with transparent walls, an open kitchen and unusual designer lighting. The menu includes exquisite dishes of French and Italian cuisine. The wine list includes a wide selection of excellent wines, including Tunisian ones. Dinner with a glass or two of wine will cost a tidy sum here - from 100 TND.
Entertainment and attractions
Marcus Porcius Cato did not waste words; the Romans really destroyed Carthage. When archaeologists cleared away its ruins, they found on the site of the former Phoenician capital a typical Roman city with baths, aristocratic villas, an amphitheater and arrow-straight streets. Most of the sights of the once prosperous Carthage that have come down to us date back to that period.
Next to the archaeological zone is the palace of the President of Tunisia, which is prohibited from photographing.
The Antonine Baths (TGM Carthage Hannibal station) is one of the largest resort complexes of that time, second in size only to the Roman baths of Caracalla, Diocletian and Nero. Little remains of its former grandeur - mainly underground rooms, load-bearing structures and ceilings. You can imagine the scale of the building by looking at the model of the thermal baths installed on the observation deck. The only column that once supported the vault of the cold hall, the frigidarium, was restored to life-size in order to give an idea of the height of the building.
The most controversial site among the ruins of Carthage is Tophet, an open-air burial altar. According to the generally accepted version, here the Phoenicians sacrificed their firstborns to appease the formidable gods - Baal-Ammon and Tanit. Urns with ashes were placed in several rows, and above them were funeral steles, which can still be seen today. The most famous stele, which is believed to depict a priest holding a prepared infant sacrifice, is today in the National Bardo Museum. There are also justifying versions: on the site of Tophet there could be a children’s cemetery, where already dead children were burned before burial, or premature or dead babies were sacrificed to the gods.
The ruins of Carthage are located in several scattered places, and the most important excavation sites extend over 6 km.
In addition, it is worth visiting the Roman amphitheater for 36 thousand spectators, the Maalga water tanks and the remains of the aqueduct that went to the city from the Water Temple in Zaguan (132 km). You can get an idea of the residential development of Carthage by visiting the quarter of Roman villas and the Punic quarter of Mago.
The ruins of the ancient theater are again, like 2000 years ago, filled with spectators at the Carthage Music Festival, held annually in July-August.
Birsa Hill, where the city once began, is interesting. At the top of the hill stands a cathedral in honor of St. Louis, who died here in the 13th century from the plague during the Eighth Crusade. The Carthage Museum, with its magnificent collection of artefacts, is located next to the cathedral (Colline de Byrsa, Carthage).
A single ticket for entry to all 8 sites of the archaeological zone costs 12 TND (children under 12 years old free) and is valid for one day. It can be bought at the box office at the Antonina Baths and on Birsa Hill. Permission for photo and video shooting (1 TND) is also sold there. Opening hours are from 8:30 to 17:00 from mid-September to the end of March and from 8:00 to 19:00 from April to mid-September. A visit to the Oceanographic Museum and St. Louis Cathedral is paid separately - 3 TND and 5 TND respectively.
5 things to do in Carthage
- Visit the famous baths of Emperor Antoninus Pius.
- Recite a couple of pages of Flaubert’s “Salammbô” while standing among the funerary steles of the Punic burial of Tophet.
- Dine in style and with a view of Carthage in the Villa Didon's restaurant.
- Take a photo with the marshmallow pink façade of the Cathedral in the background.
- Ask the price for the “real Phoenician coin” at the souvenir stalls.
Weather
March, when jasmine and mimosa bloom, and April, carrying the scent of blossoming orange trees, are the best and most beautiful times to explore the ruins. In summer, the ancient stones of Carthage heat up in the sun, but the sea breeze helps tourists not melt from the heat. There is practically no rain, but an umbrella is still necessary to hide from the scorching sun.
Autumn delights with comfortable temperatures and the International Film Festival, which takes place in Carthage on odd-numbered years. In winter the weather is good, but sometimes a cold wind from the sea brings rain and makes you think seriously about warm clothes. However, in winter you should not forget about sunscreen.
Tunisia, 22.09 - 29.09.2013
Carthage, 09.25.2013
Legend of Carthage begins with the Phoenician city of Tyre, the beautiful princess Dido, betrayal, greed, lust for power that destroyed the royal family.
Saving her life, Dido fled to an unknown country in northern Africa and there she persuaded the locals to sell her a piece of land that could be covered with the hide of a bull. Clever and cunning Dido cut the bull's skin into the thinnest strips, tied them and laid them out, separating a whole mountain. On the mountain, under the leadership of Dido, the Birsa fortress was built, which means skin, and around the fortress the city of Kart Hadasht - the New City - Carthage grew.
The founding date of Carthage is considered to be 814. BC e.
Over the next centuries Carthage strengthened his position by establishing colonies in Corsica, Ibiza and northern Africa and re-subordinating the former Phoenician colonies.
Thanks to numerous trade routes, Carthage by the 1st century. BC e. became one of the largest cities in the world and the capital of the largest state.
The Carthaginians surrounded their city with impregnable walls. The length of the massive city walls was 37 kilometers and the height was 12 meters. The city had temples, markets, administrative buildings, towers, a cemetery and a theater. There was a fortress in the center of the city, and a port on the coast.
Ancient builders built residential buildings from limestone that reached 6 floors in height. These houses had bathtubs, sinks and even showers. By 600 BC. e. In ancient Carthage, a unified water supply system appeared, consisting of cisterns, canals, pipes and a 132-meter aqueduct. Putting a bathtub and running water to it is half the battle. It was necessary to remove the used water and the ancient builders created a unified sewage system in Carthage.
Reconstruction of ancient Punic Carthage from the National Museum of Carthage.
My main pride Carthage was its harbor, built in the 2nd century. BC e. It had no analogue in the ancient world. The harbor contained two separate ports. The first is for merchant ships; merchant ships from all over the world came here. The second is a circular port with numerous docks in the center and hundreds of warships. Carthaginian warship - quinquereme. These are powerful and fast warships with five rows of oars. Quinquereme could pierce through an enemy ship at high speed. The Carthaginians put production of such ships on stream.
Excavations on Birsa Hill, remains of Phoenician buildings of the 2nd century BC. e.
The main opponent Carthage was Ancient Rome. The size of Carthage's army was smaller, but Carthage had the most powerful fleet of antiquity; for several centuries Carthage dominated the Mediterranean Sea.
History brings to us the names of the great commanders of Carthage: Hamilcar, Hasdrubal, Hannibal.
The wars between Carthage and Rome went down in history as the Punic. The Romans considered Carthage a constant threat to their empire. Only one winner could emerge from this mortal battle; the vanquished must be wiped off the face of the earth.
Remains of a Phoenician city on the hill of Byrsa.
The battles went on with varying degrees of success, but Carthage lost both the first and second Punic Wars.
In 202 BC. e. Roman senator Marcus Cato saw the wealth of Carthage, which had recovered from its defeats in the Punic Wars, and again felt threatened by it. Since then, the famous phrase “Carthage must be destroyed” became the leitmotif of all his speeches in the Senate.
In 149 BC. e. Rome began the third Punic War. Carthage held off the siege of Rome for 3 years, but in the spring of 146 BC. e. Carthage was destroyed to the ground and burned. Its area was forever cursed, the ground was sprinkled with salt as a sign that no one should ever settle here.
However, 100 years later Julius Caesar decided to establish a colony here. Roman engineers removed about 100,000 cubic meters. meters of land, destroying the top of Birsa Hill to level the surface and destroy traces of the past.
Over time Carthage became the second largest city in the West after Rome. Temples, a circus, an amphitheater, a theater, baths, and an aqueduct were built here.
At the top of the hill is the Cathedral of St. Louis (1897). Currently there is a concert hall here.
But the Roman Empire fell into decline and Carthage was captured by the Vandals, then by the Byzantines, and in 698 AD. e. Arabs. Its stones served to build the city of Tunis. In the following centuries, the marble and granite that once adorned the Roman city were plundered and taken out of the country.
Today it's a suburb Tunisia.
Present-day Carthage shows tourists three cultural layers - the very modest remains of a Phoenician city on the hill of Byrsa, numerous ancient Roman ruins and a modern suburb Tunisia with the presidential palace.
The Roman era is represented by numerous mosaics, sculptures and bas-reliefs.
Next to the cathedral is the entrance to the National Museum Carthage, located in the building of a former monastery, whose monks laid the foundation for the collection.
On the outer walls there are paintings with Roman mosaics.
On the ground floor of the museum there is a huge panel of Roman mosaics.
Roman statues and bas-reliefs dedicated mainly to the god of wine, Bacchus.
Marble sarcophagi of the Punic era (15th century BC) Priest...
...and the priestess.
Copy of the giant head of Princess Antonina found in Carthage (original in the Louvre).
Punic masks.
Punic pottery.
Phoenician glass.
Entrance to the Archaeological Park of the Baths of Antonia Pius.
This is the most picturesque of all the surviving sites of Carthage. The park area is more than 4 hectares, it is lined with rectangular alleys. During excavations, remains of various eras were also discovered here - Punic burials, Roman buildings, Byzantine churches.
On the sides of the entrance alley there are small sarcophagi for the burial of children sacrificed to the god Baal.
This is an infamous fact from history Carthage. Archaeologists have discovered a site where urns containing the charred remains of animals and small children were found. 20,000 children were sacrificed over 200 years. Although, perhaps, it was a children's cemetery, and the terrible rumors were black PR for the ancient Romans.
The entrance alley divides the park into two parts. On the left side are ancient underground cisterns, which now contain fragments of statues, mosaics, and ruins of houses with swimming pools. On the right are the ruins of the thermal baths.
Byzantine church with interesting mosaics.
An ancient dwelling where a collection of statues was found.
Mosaic floors in Roman houses.
Near the sea - the baths of Anthony Pius.
The baths were built in 147-162. n. e. under the Roman Emperor Antoninus.
Visiting baths in the Roman Empire was a way of life. Here they communicated, conducted business negotiations, made deals, relaxed, had fun, and made important decisions. “The patrician went to the bathhouse and washed himself at the same time” - an ancient Roman proverb.
What we see now is only the first floor of the baths. There were three in total.
On an area of approximately 2 hectares there were gardens surrounded by a colonnade, huge halls with hot baths, steam rooms, halls for gymnastic exercises, for relaxation and conversation, and public toilets. The baths had open pools by the sea and terraces - solariums, a marble staircase led to the seashore.
The floors of all rooms were covered with mosaics, the walls were lined with marble, and the halls were decorated with marble statues.
The baths were destroyed by vandals in 439. All that remained of the huge complex was the lower utility floor, where the water was heated and from where hot air was supplied to the steam rooms.
Archaeologists installed individual surviving 20-meter columns to show the height of the structure.
Behind the white fence is the presidential palace.
To be continued...
And so, the second part of the review: EXCURSION PROGRAM.
As I already wrote in a previous review, we vacationed in Tunisia from September 11 to September 27 this year. Back at home, we planned six excursions, five of which we managed to implement. I prepared in advance a list of places I would like to visit, but no tourist guides can replace a personal impression of what I saw. And don’t believe those who claim that there is nothing to see in Tunisia. This is what people say when they spend their entire vacation on the beach. I'll try to convince you of this. I will write about my favorite places.
TUNISIA-CARTHAGE – SIDI BOU SAID
During this excursion we visited three cities in Tunisia. The first city on our way was the capital of Tunisia, which bears the same name as the country. For about an hour, a wonderful guide told us the glorious history of his country. According to the GUIDE, “Olives and Tourism” are the two gods that local residents pray to.
TUNISIA is a very modern, noisy and energetic city. It is also called the country of “victorious feminism.” In other countries of the Arab world, women wear veils and take care of the kitchen, home, and raising children. In Tunisia, thanks to the reforms of President Bourguiba, women have all the conditions for a full life. They, along with men, study, work and have fun. Those. live a full life, which, for example, our beloved Egypt cannot boast of. Polygamy has been legally abolished in Tunisia; you must agree, this is a phenomenal phenomenon for the Muslim world. In general, the legislation makes a lot of concessions for women.
The capital of Tunisia has modern highways, an overground metro, hotels, cafes, restaurants, stadiums and museums. The city itself has many French-style buildings, reminiscent of colonial times. As in other cities of the country, the Central Street of Tunis is named after the first president - Avenue Habib Bourguiba. This street starts from the gates of the old city - Medina. On the main street of the capital is the National Theater of Tunisia. Its steps are a meeting place for young people and students. By the way, the University of Tunisia itself is not much younger than Oxford. On the same street is the International Hotel, where our first stop was. The group was given time to walk to the Old City of Medina, which is famous for its large bazaar, with a labyrinth of shopping arcades. Here you could buy all kinds of memorable souvenirs and gifts. The guide immediately warned that the bazaar is so big that you can get lost, so you shouldn’t get carried away and go deep into the shopping arcades. When you find yourself in the Old Medina, you get the impression that you are immersed in oriental life with all its flavor and spicy aromas of spices. We were really afraid of getting lost and returned to Avenue Bourguiba to take memorable photos. In general, the central street of the capital looks very European. I got the impression that Tunisia is a city where “yesterday and today” naturally mixed and intertwined.
BARDO MUSEUM
The National Bardo Mosaic Museum is also located in the capital. The museum building is an ancient palace, where the largest collection of ancient Roman mosaics, as well as statues of gods and heroes, is presented. All museum exhibits were found during excavations in various cities of Tunisia.
The entrance to the museum is guarded by two marble lions. In order to take photographs, you need to pay 1 dinar (22 rubles). The museum has just a huge amount of wall and floor mosaics, of all kinds of sizes and subjects. There are wall mosaics several stories high that hang on the museum's staircases. In the festive hall there is the largest surviving fragment of the mosaic - as much as 56 square meters!
The ceilings of the palace building itself are very beautiful, many are decorated with Italian-style paintings or unusually fine lace carvings. In general, it is very difficult to talk and write about the museum; you have to see it. You can look at the mosaics for hours, and the guide will tell you in detail who created them and for what reason. Throughout the entire tour, our GUIDE never tired of repeating the aphorism “Life is short, but art is eternal.”
CARTHAGE
The next place to visit was the famous city of Carthage or Carthage, familiar to everyone from school. This once powerful empire, founded by the Phoenician princess Elissa, was destroyed several times and was reborn again. To this day, the remains of the Roman buildings of the Capitol, the Carthaginian Amphitheater and the Baths of Antony have been preserved. The ruins of Carthage are located in several scattered places, where excavations are still ongoing. We only visited the park of the baths complex of Emperor Anthony Pius, which were built on the seashore and are best preserved to this day. After the Baths of Trajan in Rome, these baths were the largest in the Roman Empire. The aristocracy of Carthage met here to relax, bathe and conduct business conversations. Of course, only ruins remain of all the splendor, but they are also impressive.
Next to the park there is a fence of the summer residence of Tunisian President Ben Ali, which is strictly guarded (there are booths with machine gunners around the fence). There are signs throughout the area warning that photography is not allowed in this direction. By the way, portraits of the president and state flags hang everywhere - in hotel lobbies, in shops, in shops, in cafes. A sort of patriotism for show.
Modern Carthage is one of the most prestigious suburbs of Tunisia. There are many snow-white villas and nobility live here, as well as the residences of foreign ambassadors. Carthage is carefully preserved from modernity. All telephone and electrical cables are hidden underground, so when walking around the city, it is easy to imagine that time has turned back and you have found yourself in a different era. According to the Guide: Local authorities are still fining homeowners if they don't update the paint on their homes.
In general, we caught ourselves thinking that it was somehow unusual to touch ancient stones that preserve memories of the past greatness of the entire Empire... Once in Soviet times, while studying the history of Carthage in the school curriculum, we could not even imagine that we will see all this with our own eyes...
From Carthage we went to the suburbs to have lunch at one of the Caribbean hotels. Next, our excursion followed to the romantic town of artists, performers and poets...
SIDI BOU SAID
And finally, the last point of our journey is the picturesque blue and white town of Sidi Bou Said, which is located on Mount El Manar, and is located not far from Carthage. In my opinion, this is one of the most beautiful places we have seen in Tunisia.
White and blue are the main colors of the houses in this town. Back in the early 20s, the town of Sidi Bou Said, on the initiative of the British Baron Erlanger, was taken under protection as a historical monument.
We follow the GUIDE past blooming cactus plantations, galleries and souvenir shops. Every now and then we meet students with tablets in their hands, making sketches of local architectural “masterpieces”... We literally turn our heads 180 degrees with our mouths open and take photographs, photographs and photographs...
The steeply rising main street finally leads us to the Nutt cafe. They say this is the most famous cafe in Tunisia, thanks to Auguste Macke's painting "View of the Mosque". Here the guide interrupted his narration and let us go free swimming for an hour and a half. It was the shortest hour and a half of my life. There was no trace of fatigue left. We have time to walk along a shopping street with many shopping shops, take a lot of pictures and look into the famous cafe. Every house in this town, every door covered with ivy or roses, are real works of art. And what an amazing view opens from the terrace of the cafe to the Gulf of Tunis and Mount Bou Cornin. I think that this wonderful, fairy-tale town will not leave any tourist indifferent. To feel the atmosphere of this amazingly beautiful place, you need to stay here for at least one day, but, alas, we have too little time. We are forced to rush back to the bus. It's a pity that there was very, very little time to explore.
This wonderful, educational excursion took the whole day. The cost for 1 person with lunch is 65 Dinars (1400-1450 rubles). For dinner we were brought back to the hotel for a well-deserved rest.
The whole next day we peacefully arrived at the beach and shared our impressions of what we saw with new acquaintances from our vacation. Having rested and gained strength, ready for new experiences, we went on an excursion to the city of El Jem.
EL JEM
First of all, the city of El Jem is famous for its amphitheater, which was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. Like almost all other Roman settlements in Tunisia, the city of El Jem was built on the site of a former Phoenician settlement. The Romans called it Tisdrus (Fisdrus) and under them it was the place where many trade routes converged, along which food was delivered to Rome. The huge Colosseum is a reminder of those times.
And so, about the main attraction of the city - the amphitheater or Colosseum.
We noticed this structure from afar, but thought it was just a mountain. It was only when we got closer that we realized that this was the creation of human hands. This huge building, 38 m high, is visible from all points of the city. The diameter of the building is about 430 meters. The three floors of the structure can accommodate up to 40 thousand spectators. By the way, the Colosseum in Rome is not much larger in size and capacity, but is much worse preserved. I haven’t seen the Roman Colosseum, but I imagine that the Tunisian Amphitheater looks no less majestic. The building at El Jem is very well preserved, including the underground rooms where prisoners and animals were kept. In ancient times, gladiator fights took place here, and Christian martyrs were thrown to be torn to pieces by wild animals. Often the Colosseum became a defensive fortress. According to one legend, El Jem is connected to the city of Mahdia by an underground tunnel through which an elephant can pass, and another tunnel supposedly leads to the catacombs of the city of Sousse. Excavations are still underway on the territory of the amphitheater and underground rooms are being restored. The destruction of the Caliseum was also greatly facilitated by the local residents of the city, who used its walls as a quarry for new construction. But no matter how much destruction the Colosseum suffered, it still stands proudly and majestically above El Jem.
Currently, international classical music festivals are held on the territory of the Colosseum. A modern stage is being installed on the territory of the former arena, and the spectator stands are also being decorated. What else I remember was the excellent acoustics present in the amphitheater. By the way, it was in this Colosseum that the Oscar-winning film “Gladiator” was filmed. In general, there is something to see, something to be impressed by, and something to admire. Our group was given a little over an hour of free time to explore and buy souvenirs. We independently wandered through the underground labyrinths of the Colosseum, took interesting pictures, and climbed to the highest points of the building, from where we had a good view of the modern city of El Jem.
From the Colosseum we are taken to an ancient residence - Villa Africa. This was once one of the most luxurious houses in Roman Africa with an area of 3 thousand m2. To date, the villa has been restored and restored by 70 percent. The ancient mosaic depicting the goddess of Africa, after whom the villa is named, has also been restored. Excavations are still underway on the territory of the villa.
This interesting excursion takes only half a day. At 6 a.m. tourists are picked up from the hotel and brought back by mid-lunch. The cost for 1 person is 35 Dinars (770 rubles). After lunch we relaxed on the beach of our hotel.
I’m all about the educational, now about the entertaining excursion.
LASER SHOW
An entertaining performance takes place in the evening on the territory of the Medinat El Zahra park, near the city of Sousse. The park and its stages are surrounded by mountains and occupy about 3 hectares of land. The laser show is preceded by a folklore performance, where scenes of matchmaking and weddings from the life of the Berbers are played out.
First we were taken to a makeshift Berber village where invited guests are entertained before the wedding. Here you could take pictures in improvised Berber huts, listen to musicians and watch Tunisian dances, which actively attract tourists. Then everyone moved to an improvised amphitheater, where the matchmaking and wedding itself actually took place. The whole performance was accompanied by a beautiful horse riding on Arabian horses.
Next, all guests were invited to the restaurant, where a classic Tunisian dinner took place. Guests were served traditional dishes, the main one, of course, being couscous. Unlimited table red wine, mineral water and other drinks are served with dinner. The entire dinner is accompanied by a folklore show on stage, where national costumes, dances, customs and the wedding ceremony itself are shown.
By the way, in reality, weddings in Tunisia last 7 days and are a grandiose show. Moreover, the bride and groom celebrate separately, each with their family and friends, and do not see each other, but meet only on the last day of the wedding)))
In our opinion, the first part of the evening, although it was quite eventful and interesting, was a little drawn out. People, having tried the treats, began to actively leave the restaurant.
Next, an even more amazing spectacle awaited us - the Laser Show “Sound and Light”. The entire show is accompanied by voice-over text in several languages, incl. and in Russian. The action takes place in an amphitheater, where on one side there are stone stands with wicker mats for spectators, and on the other side there is the decoration of an eastern fortress, with battlements and loopholes. In the center of the amphitheater there is an improvised pond about 80 meters in diameter, and in the middle there are illuminated fountains.
As soon as the first three-dimensional laser projection appeared on the wall, like on a screen, applause rang out in the amphitheater. Truly spectacular! In addition to the laser show, in parallel there is a theatrical action on stage, telling the 3000-year history of Tunisia. The whole performance is so interesting that it keeps you in suspense until the last minute. And how all this was complemented by the dark night, the African starry sky and the thin face of the crescent moon...
If you are going to Tunisia, I highly recommend including the Medinat El Zahra park on your list of must-see places, of course - in addition to Carthage.
With this I will finish my long story about our excursions in Tunisia. Of course, it turned out to be chaotic and incomplete, and we simply didn’t see much. We didn’t see, for example, Bizerte, where the largest harbor in the entire Mediterranean is located. We didn’t see many ancient cities, for example, the famous Utica... And we didn’t even see all of Carthage... I think that the next time I visit Tunisia, I will still decide on an exciting two-day excursion to the Sahara. Or maybe we’ll take it and head to the very south of Tunisia, to the island of Djerba. Then we will be very close to the Sahara)))
And I still want to finish my opus the same way:
If you are still tormented by doubts whether it is worth visiting Tunisia, my answer to you is “MANDATORY”!
During our seal beach holiday, we make sure to take at least one excursion so as not to get fried on the beach every day. In Tunisia, Carthage was chosen to improve general horizons. The excursion cost $80 per person. It takes up the whole day from morning to evening.
Excursion program: a short walk around the capital of Tunisia - Tunis 🙂 ; Carthage Museum; ancient Carthage; the blue and white city of Sidi Bou Said on the seashore; Chateau Bouargoub wine estate and Tunisian wine tasting.
We went on a tour from our hotel Les Colombes ().
So, first a tour bus brought us to the capital of the country - Tunisia. There we saw only one street - Habib Bourguiba. It is here that the most beautiful buildings of the capital are collected... I will check out the rest of the streets the next time I fly here as an independent traveler.
The main attraction of Tunisia looks very beautiful in real life:
The architecture of some buildings is unusual:
The square with the monument is surrounded by barbed wire. I think this was done to prevent protests.
Then we proceeded to a narrow street where merchants reign, selling all sorts of different things to tourists. We quickly skimmed through it without buying anything. Then - onto the bus, to the next point.
Carthage awaits us: the most interesting thing is the ruins, which I really like to look at and imagine what they used to be like.
Here we are:
Not much has been preserved, about 40 minutes is enough to get around everything. I suggest you look at the photos:
Entrance to the grotto:
Date palm in the ruins:
Underground passage:
Here and there a pattern on the stone has been preserved:
Carthage looks very beautiful if you look towards the sea.
I didn’t give up the idea of being photographed next to ancient buildings:
As usual on excursions, we were taken to the market. A colorful merchant in a hat caught my attention:
But he took off his hat and appeared to our eyes with his red hair:
Street in Sidi Bou Said leading to the sea:
Went downstairs:
Very beautiful view of the mountains.
From above, the color of the sea is divine.
The pier with a bunch of yachts looks no less cool:
For the last time I’m attaching a photo of the sea, honestly.
Now it's time to return to the blue and white city and examine it a little more carefully.
We asked someone to take a photo of us :)
Car sign on a Tunisian road. Carthage and Sidi Bou Said to the left! 🙂
The way back to Hammamet is not so interesting. We stopped at a winery and tasted several Tunisian wines. At night, Anton showed signs of poisoning. I even had to call a doctor through my insurance. Perhaps one of the wines is to blame... So taste carefully. I didn’t take any photos of the winery; it was too crowded and crowded.
Way home". This bridge reminds me of something...
Apparently a sand quarry. Some work is underway. It's a pity for the mountains. Photo from the bus window.
And finally, the poor Tunisian dog. She's sad and dirty. And probably hungry. I feel very sorry for her, but there was nothing to feed her.
That's all we saw on this excursion. Overall, it was interesting, but there were a lot of people, and I don’t really like crowds. Therefore, next time, if I go on an excursion, I will prefer an individual one.
I liked Carthage, it reminds me a little of the Crimean Chersonese.
The blue and white city is very interesting to take a walk there. There are few local residents, mostly tourists. Beautiful views of the sea. Cute winding streets. In Sidi Bou Said we bought magnets for $1 as souvenirs.
The capital Tunisia is ok. I can’t evaluate it: we were there too little and saw almost nothing.
Existed in those places 2500 years ago.
Ancient Carthage is the ruins of Roman buildings that rose above Cartaga in the Punic or Phoenician era.
“Carthage was at one time the richest city in the world. Agriculture, which was the basis of its wealth, was considered an honorable occupation.
The turbulent history of Carthage - now a clean and prosperous suburb located 20 kilometers from Tunis - began in 814 BC. Queen Dido or Elissa, pursued by her brother, the ruler of the Phoenician city of Tyre, Pygmalion, after long wanderings, landed on the northern coast of Tunisia. Dido asked the local king to provide her with refuge and permission to build a house. The king did not want to give consent for anything. Then Dido asked to be given as much land as the skin of a bull could cover. The king was in good spirits and rejoiced at the new entertainment. Dido ordered the largest bull to be slaughtered, and then cut its skin into very narrow strips, and surrounded a large area with them. According to the legend of the city's founding, Dido, who was allowed to occupy as much land as an ox's hide would cover, took possession of a large area by cutting the hide into narrow strips. That is why the citadel erected at this place was called Birsa (which means “skin”).
This is how, according to legend, Carthage was founded.
CHAPTER 1
HISTORY OF ANCIENT CARTHAGE
1.1 ANCIENT CARTHAGE.
Carthage (meaning "new city" in Phoenician) was founded in 814 BC. e. colonists from the Phoenician city of Tire. The Romans called it Carthago, the Greeks called it Carchedon.
After the fall of Phoenician influence in the Western Mediterranean, Carthage reassigned the former Phoenician colonies. By the 3rd century BC. e. it becomes the largest state in the western Mediterranean, subjugating Southern Spain, North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica.
The city was surrounded by a 34-kilometer ribbon of walls nine meters thick and fifteen meters high. Inside the walls there were several hundred war elephants in pens and fodder warehouses; there were stables for four thousand horses and barracks for 20 thousand infantry. It is difficult for our minds to comprehend the expenditure of energy and human lives required by the Romans to destroy these fiercely defended Cyclopean structures.
Situated on a lightly guarded peninsula with an unlimited supply of fish, ancient Carthage flourished, becoming one of the richest cities in the world at that time. However, the wealth of Carthage haunted the city's longtime competitors. And Rome waited in the wings - in 146 BC. After more than a century of fighting, Rome destroyed the city.
In IV BC. e. the city of Carthage expanded greatly and began to be populated by merchants, artisans and landowners. Near Birsa, a vast residential area of Megara arose, built up with multi-storey buildings. Carthage developed as a large slave state that owned many colonies. The merciless exploitation of enslaved peoples and the slave trade provided a huge influx of wealth. In the ancient Roman annals, the Carthaginians are called Punes and are characterized as cruel and treacherous enemies who know no mercy for the vanquished. As a military-trading and slave-holding power, Carthage constantly needed a fleet and army. Carthage had a first-class fleet and army, which kept the peoples subject to Carthage in unconditional obedience. The army was recruited from among foreign mercenaries. From each Ouch nationalities formed a special branch of the army. For example, the Libyans made up the infantry, and the Numidians made up the cavalry. The inhabitants of the Balearic Islands supplied detachments of slingers - stone throwers - to the Carthaginian army. The multi-tribal, multi-lingual Carthaginian army was controlled by local leaders, who were commanded by Carthaginian military leaders and officers. The Punic-Carthaginians did not perform ordinary military service. The Carthaginian army had permanent units armed with stone-throwing and ramming machines for capturing fortresses. Special units of the army had war elephants, which were used to break through enemy ranks and exterminate enemy personnel during battle.
The navy was even more important. In navigation, the Carthaginians used the centuries-old experience of the Phoenicians. They were the first to build large five-deck ships - penterae, which easily overtook and destroyed Roman and Greek triremes and galleys in battle. The flagship ships of the Carthaginians had seven decks and were called heptera.
The National Museum of Carthage, located on Byrsa Hill, where the former fortress was located, is a great place to start exploring these places. The museum presents an extensive collection of archaeological finds - ceramics, oil lamps, utensils, mosaics - reflecting the peculiarities of the life of the Carthaginians more than a millennium ago.
Huge reservoirs remain in the ruins of Carthage. A group of such tanks is located near the suburbs of Mars and has more than 25 tanks. Another group is located near the suburb of Malga. There were at least 40 containers here. Not far from them are the ruins of a large aqueduct that supplied water to Carthage from a ridge in the Tunisian Atlas mountains. The aqueduct has a total length of 132 km. Water was supplied by gravity, passing through several large valleys, where the aqueduct had a height of more than 20 m. This aqueduct was founded by the Carthaginians and rebuilt in 136 AD. e. by the Romans (under Emperor Hadrian, 117 - 138). Under Emperor Septimius Severus (193 - 211) it was rebuilt again. The aqueduct was destroyed and rebuilt by vandals. The ruins of the aqueduct still amaze with its grandiose size. It was the longest aqueduct in ancient times. The second longest aqueduct is located near Rome.
At the very top of the Carthaginian Hills, in the area of the village of Sidi Bou Said, at a considerable distance from Birsa, there are the ruins of early Christian religious buildings. This is the Basilica of Damos el Karita. It was a huge structure: about 65 m long and at least 45 m wide. The basilica had nine naves. The central nave had a span of 13 m wide. To the south of this nave there was the apse of the basilica. Four columns indicate an iconostasis that once stood here.
There are only two monuments of the Punic era left in Carthage - the ruins of the temples of Tanit and Baal Hammon and the cemetery of the victims of the goddess Tanit (each family, including the royal family, sacrificed a baby).
Tinnit (Tanit) is a strange goddess. It is unknown how her cult appeared. Tinnit was identified with Astarte, the goddess of fertility and love in Syria, Phenicia and Palestine; in Hellenistic times - with the mother of the gods Juno, with Aphrodite Urania or Artemis.
She is a virgin and at the same time a spouse; "eye and face" of the supreme deity, Baal-Hammon, goddess of the moon, sky, fertility, patroness of childbirth.
At the same time, Tinnit does not shine with female beauty and article. An ancient sculptor depicted her as a squat woman with the head of a lion; later, the “great mother” was represented as a winged woman with a lunar disk in her hands. In various images, Tinnit is surrounded by monstrous creatures: winged bulls, flying elephants with their trunks raised, fish with human heads, multi-legged snakes.
Modern Tunisia, on whose territory Carthage was once located, is a small prosperous Mediterranean state, which is not without reason called “the most European country in North Africa.”
1.2 CITY AND POWER
Carthage owned fertile lands in the interior of the continent, it had an advantageous geographical position, which was conducive to trade, and also allowed it to control the waters between Africa and Sicily, preventing foreign ships from sailing further to the west.
Compared to many famous cities of antiquity, Punic (from the Latin punicus or poenicus - Phoenician) Carthage is not so rich in finds, since in 146 G BC. The Romans methodically destroyed the city, and intensive construction took place in Roman Carthage, founded on the same site in 44 BC. G The city of Carthage was surrounded by powerful walls with a length of approx. 30 km. Its population is unknown. The citadel was very strongly fortified. The city had a market square, a council building, a court and temples. The quarter, called Megara, had many vegetable gardens, orchards and winding canals. The ships entered the trading harbor through a narrow passage. For loading and unloading, up to 220 ships could be pulled ashore at the same time (ancient ships should have been kept on land if possible). Behind the trading harbor there was a military harbor and an arsenal.
Regions and cities.The agricultural areas in mainland Africa - the area inhabited by the Carthaginians themselves - roughly correspond to the territory of modern Tunisia, although other lands also fell under the city’s rule. When ancient authors speak of the numerous cities that were in the possession of Carthage, they undoubtedly mean ordinary villages. However, there were also real Phoenician colonies here - Utica, Leptis, Hadrumet, etc. The cities of the Tunisian coast showed independence in their politics only in 149 BC, when it became obvious that Rome intended to destroy Carthage. Some of them then submitted to Rome. In general, Carthage was able (probably after 500 BC) to choose a political line, which was joined by the rest of the Phoenician cities both in Africa and on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea.
The Carthaginian power was very extensive. In Africa, its easternmost city was more than 300 km east of Eia (modern Tripoli). Between it and the Atlantic Ocean the ruins of a number of ancient Phoenician and Carthaginian cities were discovered. Around 500 BC or a little later, the navigator Hanno led an expedition that founded several colonies on the Atlantic coast of Africa. He ventured far to the south and left a description of gorillas, tom-toms and other African sights rarely mentioned by ancient authors.
Colonies and trading posts were for the most part located approximately one day's sailing distance from each other. Usually they were located on islands near the coast, on capes, at the mouths of rivers, or in those places on the mainland of the country from where it was easy to reach the sea. For example, Leptis, located near modern Tripoli, in the Roman era served as the final coastal point of the great caravan route from the interior, from where merchants brought slaves and gold sand. This trade probably began early in Carthage's history.
The power included Malta and two neighboring islands. Carthage fought against the Sicilian Greeks for centuries, under its rule were Lilybaeum and other reliably fortified ports in the west of Sicily, as well as, at various periods, other areas on the island (it so happened that almost all of Sicily was in its hands, except Syracuse). Gradually, Carthage established control over the fertile regions of Sardinia, while the inhabitants of the mountainous regions of the island remained unconquered. Foreign merchants were prohibited from entering the island. At the beginning of the 5th century. BC. The Carthaginians began to explore Corsica. Carthaginian colonies and trading settlements also existed on the southern coast of Spain, while the Greeks gained a foothold on the eastern coast.
Apparently, when creating its power scattered across different territories, Carthage did not set any goals other than establishing control over them in order to obtain the maximum possible profit.
CHAPTER
II
CARTAGE CIVILIZATION
2.1Agriculture.
The Carthaginians were skilled farmers. The most important grain crops were wheat and barley. Some grain was probably delivered from Sicily and Sardinia. Average quality wine was produced for sale. Fragments of ceramic containers found during archaeological excavations in Carthage indicate that the Carthaginians imported higher quality wines from Greece or the island of Rhodes. The Carthaginians were famous for their excessive addiction to wine; even special laws against drunkenness were adopted, for example, prohibiting the consumption of wine by soldiers. Figs, pomegranates, almonds, date palms grew here. Horses, mules, cows, sheep and goats were bred in Carthage.
Unlike Republican Rome, in Carthage small farmers did not form the backbone of society. Most of Carthage's African possessions were divided among wealthy Carthaginians, in whose large estates farming was carried out on a scientific basis. A certain Mago, who probably lived in the 3rd century. BC, wrote a guide to farming. After the fall of Carthage, the Roman Senate, wanting to attract wealthy people to restore production in some of its lands, ordered the translation of this manual into Latin. Passages from the work cited in Roman sources indicate that Mago used Greek agricultural manuals, but tried to adapt them to local conditions. He wrote about large farms and touched on all aspects of agricultural production. Probably local Berbers, and sometimes groups of slaves under the leadership of overseers, worked as tenants or sharecroppers. The emphasis was mainly on cash crops, vegetable oil and wine, but the nature of the area inevitably suggested specialization: the hillier areas were devoted to orchards, vineyards or pastures. There were also medium-sized peasant farms.
In addition to the houses, temples and palaces of the nobility, the city had many workshops: they processed iron, copper, lead, bronze and precious metals, forged weapons, tanned leather, wove and dyed fabrics, made furniture, ceramic dishes, jewelry from precious stones, gold , ivory and glass.
Carthaginian artisans specialized in the production of cheap products, mostly reproducing Egyptian, Phoenician and Greek designs and intended for sale in the western Mediterranean, where Carthage captured all markets. The production of luxury goods, such as the vibrant purple dye commonly known as Tyrian purple, dates back to the later period of Roman rule in North Africa, but may be thought to have existed before the fall of Carthage. Purple slug, a sea snail containing this dye, was best collected in the fall and winter—the unseaworthy seasons. Permanent settlements were founded in Morocco and on the island of Djerba, in the best places for obtaining murex.
In accordance with Eastern traditions, the state was a slave owner, using slave labor in arsenals, shipyards or construction. Archaeologists have not found evidence that would indicate the presence of large private craft enterprises, whose products would be distributed in the Western market closed to outsiders, while many small workshops have been noted. It is often very difficult to distinguish among finds Carthaginian products from objects imported from Phenicia or Greece. Craftsmen were successful in reproducing simple items, and the Carthaginians do not seem to have been too keen on making anything other than copies.
Some Punic craftsmen were very skilled, especially in carpentry and metalwork. A Carthaginian carpenter could use cedar wood for work, the properties of which were known from ancient times by the craftsmen of Ancient Phenicia who worked with Lebanese cedar. Due to the constant need for ships, both carpenters and metal workers were invariably distinguished by a high level of skill. There is evidence of their skill in working iron and bronze. The amount of jewelry found during excavations is small, but it seems that these people were not inclined to place expensive objects in tombs to please the souls of the dead.
The largest of the handicraft industries, apparently, was the manufacture of ceramic products. The remains of workshops and pottery kilns filled with products intended for firing were discovered. Every Punic settlement in Africa produced pottery, which is found throughout the areas that were part of Carthage's sphere - Malta, Sicily, Sardinia and Spain. Carthaginian pottery is also found from time to time on the coast of France and Northern Italy - where the Greeks from Massalia (modern Marseille) occupied a dominant position in trade and where the Carthaginians were probably still allowed to trade.
Archaeological finds paint a picture of a stable production of simple pottery not only in Carthage itself, but also in many other Punic cities. These are bowls, vases, dishes, goblets, pot-bellied jugs for various purposes, called amphorae, water jugs and lamps. Research shows that their production existed from ancient times until the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. Early products for the most part reproduced Phoenician designs, which in turn were often copies of Egyptian ones. It seems that in the 4th and 3rd centuries. BC. The Carthaginians especially valued Greek products, which was evident in the imitation of Greek pottery and sculpture and the presence of large quantities of Greek products from this period in materials from excavations in Carthage.
2.2 TRADE POLICY
The Carthaginians were especially successful in trade. Carthage can well be called a trading state, since its policies were largely guided by commercial considerations. Many of its colonies and trading settlements were undoubtedly founded for the purpose of expanding trade. It is known about some expeditions undertaken by the Carthaginian rulers, the reason for which was also the desire for wider trade relations. In a treaty concluded by Carthage in 508 BC. with the Roman Republic, which had just emerged after the expulsion of the Etruscan kings from Rome, it was stipulated that Roman ships could not sail into the western part of the sea, but they could use the harbor of Carthage. In the event of a forced landing elsewhere in Punic territory, they asked for official protection from the authorities and, after repairing the ship and replenishing food supplies, immediately set sail. Carthage agreed to recognize Rome's borders and respect its people as well as its allies.
The Carthaginians entered into agreements and, if necessary, made concessions. They also resorted to force to prevent rivals from entering the waters of the western Mediterranean, which they considered as their patrimony, with the exception of the coast of Gaul and the adjacent coasts of Spain and Italy. They also fought against piracy. The authorities maintained the complex structures of Carthage's trading harbor in good repair, as well as its military harbor, which was apparently open to foreign ships, but few sailors entered it.
It is striking that such a trading state as Carthage did not show due attention to coinage. Apparently, there was no own coin here until the 4th century. BC, when silver coins were issued which, if the surviving examples are considered typical, varied considerably in weight and quality. Perhaps the Carthaginians preferred to use the reliable silver coins of Athens and other states, and most transactions were carried out through direct barter.
Goods and trade routes. Specific data on Carthage's trade items is surprisingly scant, although evidence of its trading interests is quite numerous. Typical of such evidence is Herodotus' story about how trade took place on the west coast of Africa. The Carthaginians landed at a certain place and laid out goods, after which they retired to their ships. Then local residents appeared and placed a certain amount of gold next to the goods. If there was enough of it, the Carthaginians took the gold and sailed away. Otherwise, they left it untouched and returned to the ships, and the natives brought more gold. What kind of goods these were is not mentioned in the story.
Apparently, the Carthaginians brought simple pottery for sale or exchange to those western regions where they had a monopoly, and also traded in amulets, jewelry, simple metal utensils and simple glassware. Some of them were produced in Carthage, some in the Punic colonies. According to some evidence, Punic traders offered wine, women and clothing to the natives of the Balearic Islands in exchange for slaves.
It can be assumed that they were engaged in extensive purchases of goods in other craft centers - Egypt, Phenicia, Greece, Southern Italy - and transported them to those areas where they enjoyed a monopoly. Punic traders were famous in the harbors of these craft centers. Finds of non-Carthaginian items during archaeological excavations of western settlements suggest that they were brought there on Punic ships.
Some references in Roman literature indicate that the Carthaginians brought various valuable goods to Italy, where ivory from Africa was highly valued. During the empire, huge quantities of wild animals were brought from Roman North Africa for games. Figs and honey are also mentioned.
It is believed that Carthaginian ships sailed the Atlantic Ocean to obtain tin from Cornwall. The Carthaginians themselves produced bronze and may have shipped some tin to other places where it was needed for similar production. Through their colonies in Spain, they sought to obtain silver and lead, which could be exchanged for the goods they brought. The ropes for Punic warships were made from esparto grass, native to Spain and North Africa. An important trade item, due to its high price, was the purple dye from scarlet. In many areas, traders purchased wild animal skins and leather and found markets to sell them.
As in later times, caravans from the south must have arrived at the ports of Leptis and Aea, as well as Gigtis, which lay somewhat to the west. They carried ostrich feathers and eggs, popular in ancient times, which served as decorations or bowls. In Carthage, they were painted with fierce faces and used, as they say, as masks to scare away demons. The caravans also brought ivory and slaves. But the most important cargo was gold sand from the Gold Coast or Guinea.
The Carthaginians imported some of the best goods for their own use. Some of the pottery found in Carthage came from Greece or from Campania in southern Italy, where it was produced by visiting Greeks. The characteristic handles of Rhodian amphorae found during excavations in Carthage show that wine was brought here from Rhodes. Surprisingly, no high-quality Attic ceramics are found here.
ABOUT Carthaginian culturealmost nothing is known about the history of ancient Carthage. The only lengthy texts in their language that have come down to us are contained in the play of Plautus Punic, where one of the characters, Hanno, delivers a monologue, apparently in genuine Punic dialect, followed by a significant part of it in Latin. In addition, there are many replicas of the same Gannon scattered throughout the play, also translated into Latin. Unfortunately, the scribes who did not understand the text distorted it. In addition, the Carthaginian language is known only by geographical names, technical terms, proper names and individual words given by Greek and Latin authors. In interpreting these passages, the similarity of the Punic language to the Hebrew language is very helpful.
The Carthaginians did not have their own artistic traditions. Apparently, in everything that can be classified as art, these people limited themselves to copying other people's ideas and techniques. In ceramics, jewelry and sculpture, they were content with imitation, and sometimes they copied not the best examples. As far as literature is concerned, there is no evidence that they produced any works other than purely practical ones, such as Mago's manual on agriculture, and one or two smaller compilations of texts in Greek. We are not aware of the presence in Carthage of anything that could be called “fine literature.”
Carthage had an official priesthood, temples and its own religious calendar. The main deities were Baal (Baal) - a Semitic god known from the Old Testament, and the goddess Tanit (Tinnit), the heavenly queen. Virgil in Aeneid called Juno a goddess who favored the Carthaginians, since he identified her with Tanit. The religion of the Carthaginians is characterized by human sacrifices, which were especially widely practiced during periods of disaster. The main thing in this religion is the belief in the effectiveness of cult practice for communicating with the invisible world. In light of this, it is especially surprising that in the 4th and 3rd centuries. BC. the Carthaginians actively joined the mystical Greek cult of Demeter and Persephone; in any case, the material traces of this cult are quite numerous.
2.4 RELATIONS WITH OTHER PEOPLES
The most ancient rivals of the Carthaginians were the Phoenician colonies in Africa, Utica and Hadrumet. It is unclear when and how they had to submit to Carthage: there is no written evidence of any wars.
Alliance with the Etruscans.The Etruscans of northern Italy were both allies and trade rivals of Carthage. These enterprising sailors, traders and pirates dominated the 6th century. BC. over a large part of Italy. Their main area of settlement was immediately north of Rome. They also owned Rome and the lands to the south - right up to the point where they came into conflict with the Greeks of southern Italy. Having concluded an alliance with the Etruscans, the Carthaginians in 535 BC. won a major naval victory over the Phocians - the Greeks who occupied Corsica.
The Etruscans occupied Corsica and held the island for about two generations. In 509 BC. the Romans expelled them from Rome and Latium. Soon after this, the Greeks of southern Italy, enlisting the support of the Sicilian Greeks, increased pressure on the Etruscans and in 474 BC. put an end to their power at sea, inflicting a crushing defeat on them near Qom in the Gulf of Naples. The Carthaginians moved to Corsica, already having a bridgehead in Sardinia.
The fight for Sicily.Even before the major defeat of the Etruscans, Carthage had the opportunity to measure its strength with the Sicilian Greeks. The Punic cities in western Sicily, founded at least no later than Carthage, were forced to submit to him, like the cities of Africa. The rise of two powerful Greek tyrants, Gelon in Syracuse and Pheron in Acragantum, clearly foreshadowed to the Carthaginians that the Greeks would launch a powerful offensive against them to drive them out of Sicily, just as happened with the Etruscans in southern Italy. The Carthaginians accepted the challenge and for three years actively prepared to conquer all of eastern Sicily. They acted together with the Persians, who were preparing an invasion of Greece itself. According to later tradition (no doubt erroneous), the defeat of the Persians at Salamis and the equally decisive defeat of the Carthaginians in the land battle of Himera in Sicily occurred in 480 BC. in the same day. Having confirmed the worst fears of the Carthaginians, Feron and Gelon put up an irresistible force.
Much time passed before the Carthaginians again launched an attack on Sicily. After Syracuse successfully repelled an Athenian invasion (415–413 BC), utterly defeating them, it sought to subjugate other Greek cities in Sicily. Then these cities began to turn to Carthage for help, which was not slow to take advantage of this and sent a huge army to the island. The Carthaginians were close to capturing the entire eastern part of Sicily. At this moment, the famous Dionysius I came to power in Syracuse, who based the power of Syracuse on cruel tyranny and for forty years fought against the Carthaginians with varying success. At the end of hostilities in 367 BC. The Carthaginians again had to come to terms with the impossibility of establishing complete control over the island. The lawlessness and inhumanity committed by Dionysius were partly compensated by the assistance he provided to the Sicilian Greeks in their fight against Carthage. The persistent Carthaginians made another attempt to subjugate eastern Sicily during the tyranny of Dionysius the Younger, who succeeded his father. However, this again did not achieve its goal, and in 338 BC, after several years of fighting, which made it impossible to talk about the advantage of either side, peace was concluded.
There is an opinion that Alexander the Great saw his ultimate goal in establishing dominion over the West as well. After Alexander's return from the great campaign in India, shortly before his death, the Carthaginians, like other nations, sent an embassy to him, trying to find out his intentions. Perhaps Alexander's untimely death in 323 BC. saved Carthage from many troubles.
In 311 BC The Carthaginians made another attempt to occupy the eastern part of Sicily. A new tyrant, Agathocles, ruled in Syracuse. The Carthaginians had already besieged him in Syracuse and seemed to have the opportunity to capture this main stronghold of the Greeks, but Agathocles and his army sailed from the harbor and attacked the Carthaginian possessions in Africa, posing a threat to Carthage itself. From this moment until the death of Agathocles in 289 BC. The usual war continued with varying success.
In 278 BC The Greeks went on the offensive. The famous Greek commander Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, arrived in Italy to fight against the Romans on the side of the southern Italian Greeks. Having won two victories over the Romans with great damage to himself (“Pyrrhic victory”), he crossed over to Sicily. There he pushed back the Carthaginians and almost cleared the island of them, but in 276 BC. with his characteristic fatal inconstancy, he abandoned further struggle and returned to Italy, from where he was soon expelled by the Romans.
Wars with Rome. The Carthaginians could hardly have foreseen that their city was destined to perish as a result of a series of military conflicts with Rome, known as the Punic Wars. The reason for the war was the episode with the Mamertines, Italian mercenaries who were in the service of Agathocles. In 288 BC part of them captured the Sicilian city of Messana (modern Messina), and when in 264 BC. Hieron II, the ruler of Syracuse, began to overcome them, they asked for help from Carthage and at the same time from Rome. For a variety of reasons, the Romans responded to the request and came into conflict with the Carthaginians.
The war lasted 24 years (264–241 BC). The Romans landed troops in Sicily and initially achieved some successes, but the army that landed in Africa under the command of Regulus was defeated near Carthage. After repeated failures at sea caused by storms, as well as a number of defeats on land (the Carthaginian army in Sicily was commanded by Hamilcar Barca), the Romans in 241 BC. won a naval battle off the Aegadian Islands, off the western coast of Sicily. The war brought enormous damage and losses to both sides, Carthage finally lost Sicily, and soon lost Sardinia and Corsica. In 240 BC a dangerous uprising of Carthaginian mercenaries dissatisfied with the delay of money broke out, which was suppressed only in 238 BC.
In 237 BC, just four years after the end of the first war, Hamilcar Barca went to Spain and began the conquest of the interior. To the Roman embassy, who came with a question about his intentions, he replied that he was looking for a way to pay the indemnity to Rome as quickly as possible. The riches of Spain - flora and fauna, minerals, not to mention its inhabitants - could quickly compensate the Carthaginians for the loss of Sicily. However, conflict began again between the two powers, this time due to unrelenting pressure from Rome. In 218 BC Hannibal, the great Carthaginian commander, traveled overland from Spain through the Alps to Italy and defeated the Roman army, winning several brilliant victories, the most important of which took place in 216 BC. at the Battle of Cannae. Nevertheless, Rome did not ask for peace. On the contrary, he recruited new troops and, after several years of confrontation in Italy, transferred the fighting to North Africa, where he achieved victory at the Battle of Zama (202 BC).
Carthage lost Spain and finally lost its position as a state capable of challenging Rome. However, the Romans feared the revival of Carthage. They say that Cato the Elder ended each of his speeches in the Senate with the words “Delenda est Carthago” - “Carthage must be destroyed.” They say that it was the magnificent Carthaginian olives that prompted Senator Cato to think about the need to destroy Carthage, a prosperous city despite the wars. He visited here as part of the Roman embassy in the middle of the 2nd century BC. e. and collected a handful of fruits into a leather bag.
In Rome, Cato presented the senators with luxurious olives, declaring with disarming frankness: “The land where they grow is located only three days’ journey by sea.” It was on that day that the phrase was first heard, thanks to which Cato went down in history. Cato understood both olives and the fate of the world: he was an agronomist and writer...
"...Carthage must be destroyed!" - with these famous words, consul Cato the Elder ended his historical speech in the Roman Senate. His words turned out to be prophetic - the army of Carthage was defeated. The powerful state of Hannibal, which had once conquered all of North Africa, Sicily, Sardinia and even Southern Spain, ceased to exist, and the once prosperous Mediterranean Carthage was turned into ruins. Even the ground on which the city stood was ordered to be sprinkled with a thick layer of salt.
In 149 BC Rome's exorbitant demands forced the weakened but still wealthy North African state into a third war. After three years of heroic resistance, the city fell. The Romans razed it to the ground, sold the surviving inhabitants into slavery and sprinkled the soil with salt. However, five centuries later, Punic was still spoken in some rural areas of North Africa, and many of the people who lived there probably had Punic blood in their veins. Carthage was rebuilt in 44 BC. and turned into one of the major cities of the Roman Empire, but the Carthaginian state ceased to exist.
CHAPTER
III
ROMAN CARTHAGE
3.1 CARTHAGE
HOW LARGE
Y GORODSK
OH CENTER
.
Julius Caesar, who had a practical bent, ordered the founding of a new Carthage, since he considered it pointless to leave such an advantageous place in many respects unused. In 44 BC, 102 years after its destruction, the city began a new life. From the very beginning it prospered as the administrative center and port of an area with rich agricultural production. This period of Carthage's history lasted almost 750 years.
Carthage became the main city of the Roman provinces in North Africa and the third (after Rome and Alexandria) city in the empire. It served as the residence of the proconsul of the province of Africa, which, in the minds of the Romans, more or less coincided with the ancient Carthaginian territory. The administration of the imperial land holdings, which made up a significant part of the province, was also located here.
Many famous Romans are associated with Carthage and its surroundings. The writer and philosopher Apuleius studied in Carthage as a youth, and later achieved such fame there for his Greek and Latin speeches that statues were erected in his honor. A native of North Africa was Marcus Cornelius Fronto, mentor of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, as well as Emperor Septimius Severus.
The ancient Punic religion survived in Romanized form, and the goddess Tanit was worshiped as Juno the Celestial, and the image of Baal merged with Cronus (Saturn). However, it was North Africa that became the stronghold of the Christian faith, and Carthage gained prominence in the early history of Christianity and was the site of a number of important church councils. In the 3rd century. The Carthaginian bishop was Cyprian, and Tertullian spent most of his life here. The city was considered one of the largest centers of Latin learning in the empire; St. Augustine in his Confessions gives us several vivid sketches of the life of students who attended the rhetoric school of Carthage at the end of the 4th century.
However, Carthage remained only a major urban center and had no political significance.Mentioned in the history of Roman Carthagestories about public executions of Christians, about Tertullian’s furious attacks on noble Carthaginian women who came to church in magnificent secular attire, mentions of some outstanding personalities who found themselves in Carthage at important moments in history, But it never rises above the level of a large provincial city. For some time here was the capital of the Vandals (429–533 AD), who, like pirates once, set sail from the harbor that dominated the Mediterranean straits. This area was then conquered by the Byzantines, who held it until Carthage fell to the Arabs in 697.
In 439 AD e. Vandals led by King Genseric defeated the Roman troops, and Carthage became the capital of their state. A hundred years later, it passed to the Byzantines and vegetated in provincial silence, until the Arabs again swept it off the face of the earth in 698 - this time irrevocably.
