Archaeological Site of Carthage
Kart-hadasht · Qart Hadasht · Carthago
Punic to Byzantine (814 BCE–698 CE; Punic peak 550–146 BCE; Roman from 44 BCE)·Phoenician/Punic / Roman / Byzantine / Vandal·🇹🇳 Tunis Governorate, Tunisia
About
About Archaeological Site of Carthage
Phoenician metropolis founded 814 BCE by Tyrian princess Elissa (Dido), Carthage became Mediterranean superpower until Third Punic War destruction 146 BCE, then rebuilt as Roman Africa capital. Punic quarter (Byrsa hill), tophet with child stelae debate, Punic ports (circular military harbour 300 m), Antonine Baths – largest in Africa (110×70 m), Amphitheatre, Byrsa acropolis with Hannibal quarter.
Why it mattersGreatest Phoenician colonial city; Rome's African rival
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Tophet urns – child sacrifice rite vs infant cemetery (Schwartz vs Xella debate)
- 02Exact harbour engineering linking rectangular merchant and circular war port
Theories
- 01Carthaginian child sacrifice periodic crisis rite not regular (recent osteology shows pre-term infants)
- 02Roman destruction slighted but not totally levelled – Appian exaggeration
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- 814 BCE traditional by Elissa; Roman colony 44 BCE Julius Caesar refoundation under Augustus
- Period
- Punic to Byzantine (814 BCE–698 CE; Punic peak 550–146 BCE; Roman from 44 BCE)
- Culture
- Phoenician/Punic / Roman / Byzantine / Vandal
- Purpose
- Phoenician western empire capital controlling Sicily-Spain trade; later Roman provincial capital and early Christian centre
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
814 BCE traditional by Elissa; Roman colony 44 BCE Julius Caesar refoundation under Augustus
Initial construction
c. 1230 CE
Major expansion
On the ground
Structures & features
36.8528° N · 10.3233° E · 35 m · 3 mapped features
Punic Ports (Cothon)
harbourRectangular merchant harbour + circular war harbour 300 m with 170 warship sheds islet
36.8455° N · 10.3275° EAntonine Baths
baths145–162 CE massive baths 110×70 m second largest outside Rome
36.8545° N · 10.3355° ETophet of Salammbo
cemeteryOpen-air sanctuary with 6,000 stelae and urns of Tophet debate
36.8440° N · 10.3205° E
Gallery