SocietyNorth Africa

Carthage

815 BCE – 147 BCE

The richest city in the Mediterranean, erased by its rival

In depth

Carthage had a harbour holding over two hundred warships, built to a standardised system that allowed hulls to be assembled from numbered parts. Mago's manual of agriculture was translated into Latin by order of the Senate — the one Carthaginian text Rome preserved. The story of child sacrifice is still debated: the burial grounds exist, but their interpretation is contested.

For children

Carthage was a Phoenician colony that grew into a great power controlling the western Mediterranean. After three wars with Rome the city was levelled in 146 BCE. Almost everything we know of the Carthaginians comes from their enemies.

Connects to

The Phoenicians1,201 BCE – 301 BCE
The Punic Wars265 BCE – 147 BCE
The Roman Republic510 BCE – 28 BCE

Part of Terra Saga — the story of Earth on a timeline. terrasaga.org