Ethan Hansen, age 14, of Champaign, I11., for his question:
WHAT HAPPENED TO CARTHAGE?
Carthage was one of the greatest cities of ancient times. It was located on a peninsula in North Africa, near the present city of Tunis, Tunisia. The city was founded about 814 B.C. by Phoenician merchants from Tyre (now Lebanon) and was destroyed by the Arabs at the end of the seventh century.
Carthage grew quickly because of its location on the peninsula and its two excellent harbors. One harbor, inside the city walls, was large enough to shelter hundreds of military vessels.
The city was well protected. A wall about 40 feet high and 30 feet wide stretched across the peninsula. Another wall enclosed the Byrsa, or inner fortress.
Carthage was probably the first city state to control an empire. Much of western North Africa, southern Spain, Sardinia, Corsica and the western half of Sicily came under Carthage's rule. The Carthaginians were more interested in trade than conquest, but they used military power when they felt it was necessary.
Carthage often fought with Greek forces on Sicily. Then Carthage made an alliance with the Etruscans, a people who lived in central Italy. But Etruscan power declined after 500 B.C. The Greeks crushed a Carthaginian army in Sicily in 480 B.C. and Carthage could not get help from eastern Phoenicians.
Carthage then went through a period of isolation and decline.
After 265 B.C., Carthage fought and lost three wars called the Punic Wars with Rome. Carthage was destroyed in the third war.
Carthage later became an important city in the Roman Empire. St. Augustine was one of its famous inhabitants.
Carthage was overrun by the Vandals around A.D. 439 and destroyed in 698 by the Arabs.
Carthage built a large trade in the western Mediterranean Sea. The traders competed with the Greeks who had settled along the coasts of southern France and Italy.
By about 535 B.C. the Carthaginians controlled the islands of Sardinia, Corsica and a part of Sicily. They also held large territories in Spain where there were rich silver and copper mines. To protect its trade, Carthage built a strong navy and made trade treaties with other countries.
In government, Carthage was a republic. It was ruled by a Senate, a Council of Judges and an Assembly of the people. The Senate was made up of rich merchants and landowners. Slaves and the poorer citizens made up a large part of the population.
Since the Carthaginians were of Phoenician origin, their language and their religion were Semitic. They worshipped the Phoenician nature gods: Baal, Astarte and Melkarth, the partron god of Tyre.
Because of their Phoenician origins, Carthaginians were called Poeni by the Romans. From this came the word "Punic."