A short history of Carthage before the First Punic

    Carthage was founded by the Phoenecian city Tyre. The Phoenicians were forced into their then current position by the Jews and Egyptians. This area was abundant with supplies that could build and outfit ships. Naturally, the Phoenicians became the foremost traders in the whole of the Mediterranean. 
    Tyre, through size and trading, became the dominant city of Phoenicia. The Phoenicians were known for their mineral resources and their distribution of the world's goods. Sometimes, however, overpopulation in the city or discontent would cause colonies to be formed. Gades founded around 1200 BC in Spain was of Phoenician origin. Utica was founded from 1200-1000 BC, both cities much older than Carthage. Tyre itself founded many colonies between 1000-600 BC. Tyre was captured and sacked by Alexander in 332 BC. 
    Carthage is said to have been settled in the eighth century BC. Contrary to prior thinking Carthage was not founded as a trading post but as a full fledged colony. Carthages astounding growth was probably due to its being on several important trade routes. 

    Carthage from its very beginning  was a prime trading centre engaging in the Iberian, Italian, and Levantine trading routes. With the decline of Tyre and the Iberian trade Carthage took over due to it's heavier reliance on the Tyrrhenian trade. After its founding and several centuries after Carthage had to import most of it's food due to a lack of land. 
    During the sixth century Carthage began its expansion into Africa. During the fourth century even more of Africa came into the Punic sphere and Carthage became an agricultural powerhouse. Punic trade with Sardinia had been going on almost since Carthage was founded. Punic settlements in Africa and Spain were brought into the Punic fold usually by alliance. The Carthaginian signed a military and economic treaty with the Etruscans in the sixth century BC. A combined Punic-Etruscan fleet drove the Greek refugees from Corsica. A commercial treaty was also signed with Rome in 509 BC. 

    Phoenician cities in Sicily were also absorbed by Carthage in the fifth and fourth centuries BC. A private intervention not state backed was crushed at Himera in 480 BC. In 410 BC military intervention was once again used in Sicily. Segesta a Carthaginian ally and Selinus a Syracusan ally. Selinus was captured and its walls were raised. Himera however after being captured was sacked and fully destroyed. The Carthaginian army was then paid off and disbanded. 

    Carthage continued to expand absorbing most Phoenician or Punic cities in the western Mediterranean. 

    Several more wars were fought between Syracuse and Carthage but the one with the largest impact was Agathocles invasion of Africa. In 311-310 BC Carthaginian Africa was invaded by 13,500 men and 60 ships. 

    Agathocles a tyrant of Syracuse coming to power through trickery had lost almost all the Sicilian cities besides Syracuse his expeditionary force managed to slip out to Africa. 

    Agathocles defeated Punic armies numerous times and the Punic army in Sicily was in shambles. Libyans and the Greek city Cyrene rallied to Agathocles. Bomilcar a Punic general tried to seize Carthage in a violent coup but he was defeated by the Carthaginian citizens. 

    Agathocles hearing that his remaining cities in Sicily had claimed independence he left for Sicily and left the army under his son Archagathus. The Carthaginians split their army into thirds each having one sphere if land, Archagathus did the same and several of his detachments were destroyed. 

    When Agathocles returned there was nothing he could do. He fled to Sicily leaving two sons and his army in Africa. His sons were killed and the army surrendered to Carthage. 

    Agathocles' men were either recruited into the Carthaginian army, settled in Sicily, put on work detail, or crucified. A peace was made soon after, Agathocles recognized all Punic posessions in Sicily and they paid him an amount of gold and grain. In this way the first invasion of Africa was defeated. The Numidian and Libyan revolts were also put down. 

    The years went by and Carthage now had all of Sicily and Corsica, the western half of Sicily and some of southestearn Spain. Carthage had also expanded its African holdings greatly acquiring much of northern Africa. 

    In the early third century Rome tried to conquer the Greek cities of Italy or Magna Graecia. Pyrrhus took control of the army and defeated Rome twice at Heraclea in 279 BC. Carthage offered Punic intervention but Rome rejected this. 
    At this time another treaty was made between Carthage and Rome promising mutual cooperation militarily against Pyrrhus and agreeing to the same economic terms as previously. Pyrrhus land in Sicily in 278 BC. All Carthaginian cities in Sicily besides Lilbaeum fell quickly to the invader. Pyrrhus' heavy handed actions alienated his Sicilian allies and decided to sail back to Italy. The Carthaginians provided the Romans naval support and eventually Pyrrhus was defeated at Beneventum in 275 BC. 

    Punic control was eventually restablished after Pyrrhus left. So after two massively costly wars Carthage once again had peace. This was not to last however as a group called the Mamertines murdered the original male citizens of Messana and took over. This would be a cataclysmic event that would set the stage for three wars that would change the world forever. 

Cite: Hannibal by Dodge
Carthage Must Be Destroyed by Richard Miles
Hannibal by Serge Lancel
By Lance Hickman A.K.A DER

It seems so. The Phoenecians were also connected the Sea People.

Eh???

Any opinions on my writings? :p

Thanks mate. Would you like it as an article?

Not quite. Carthage never had a governor sent from Phoenecia though they were connected. The story of Elissa/Dido is a myth and there isn't much if anything to substantiate it. The closest spurce for the story is a Greek one in the 200's BC. Its a Greek/Roman tale of propaganda highlighting "Punic Faith". Carthage was never ruled by kings Greek propaganda again.
"Later Greek claims that Carthage was a monarchy ruled by 'kings' until the sixth century BC appear to have been built on a misunderstanding of its oligarchic government From its earliest beginnings the city was ruled by an aristocratic cabal referred to as the b'lm, the lords or princes, who controlled all thr important judicial, governmental, religious and military organs of state."
Pg 67 Carthage must be destroyed by Richard Miles

Delenda, what do you think about Roman claims Carthaginians worshipped Molech? Could their ancestors have also introduced this practise to the Minoans, giving rise to the Minotaur?
http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=29666&PN=2

Here a picture of a good looking Cartagenian guy


http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/36178/an-ancient-carthaginian-hunk-is-revived-by-art-in-a-tunisian-museum/

There is still a bias against the cultural life of Cartage, with putting stress on baby sacrifces, etc, and stopping there; while actually Cartage had a very cultured world. Moat lamentably, amost all is lost, which makes the case against it easier.

"...It is definitely known that Carthage established vast libraries. Most of these must have been lost during the destruction of the city by the Romans in 146 B.C. Not all, however, since the Elder Pliny tells us that "after the capture of Carthage the Senate presented the libraries of the town to the region's princes" . One always wonders, as does Stephen Gsell for example, whether these libraries had been established only at the time of the Punic wars, on the model of that of Alexandria, or whether, much earlier, the Carthaginians had copied the example of the Assyrian King Assurbanipal in the seventh century B.C. The relevant point is, however, that the formation of a library postulates the existence of a vast body of Punic literature which had been accumulating for centuries, some of it going back as far as the foundation of Carthage. Indeed, it is highly unlikely that the Tyrian colonists setting out to found Phoenician establishments on the distant shores of Western Mediterranean under the patronage of the gods of the mother city would not have brought with them their sacred books, their mythological tales and their epic poetry. We can form of which an idea from the Ugaritic texts from Ras Shamra, their rituals and laws. It moreover, equally unlikely that they would not rapidly elaborate on their own epics, narrating the fabulous feature of Queen Dido-Elissa, the legend, founder of Carthage. In the first place several ancient authors refer to Punic chronicles setting down the history the city's foundation. These facts, in conjunction with everything we can discover about Punic religion, thanks in large part to the inscriptions, confirm that there actually existed in Carthage a body of religious literature probably very extensive. They were forming, in other Phoenician cities, the most important part of all Punic literature. Moreover, in a work of Plutarch there is a reference to sacred writing kept in the temples and accessible only to priests and initiates, which were secretly buried at the time of the sack of Carthage. Although he was referring to an action attributed to an imaginary person, unlike Gsell, I do not believe that his evidence should be completely rejected. It is certainly an echo, even if somewhat distorted of an historical fact. Alongside the rich and extensive religious literature we know that true historical literature existed at Carthage...."http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/geoghist/histories/oldcivilization/phoenicia/origin/puniclit/extent.html

Edited by Don Quixote - 16-Aug-2012 at 06:52

True. Here a quote on how to select oxen, maybe CV  would give his us professional opinion on how much the Cartagineans knew what they were talking about.
"..."They must be young, stocky and sturdy of limb with long horns, darkish and healthy, a wide and wrinkled forehead, hairy ears and black eyes and chops, the nostrils well-opened and turned back, the neck long and muscular, the dewlap full and descending to the knees, the chest well-developed, broad shoulders, the belly big like that of a cow in calf, the flanks long, the loins broad, the back straight and flat or a little depressed in the middle, the buttocks rounded, the legs thick and straight, rather short than long, the knees straight, the hooves large, the tail long and hairy and the hair on the body thick and short, red c brown in colour and very soft to the touch."...
http://www.cartage.org.lb/en/themes/geoghist/histories/Oldcivilization/phoenicia/origin/puniclit/magostreat.html