[4]

Carthage​ (​/ˈkɑːrθədʒ/​; ​Punic​: 𐤕𐤔𐤃𐤇𐤟𐤕𐤓𐤒, ​romanized: Q ​ art-ḥadašt, ​lit.​ ​'New City'; ​Latin​: ​Carthāgō​)​
was an ​ancient​ ​Phoenician​ ​city-state​ and ​civilization​ located in present-day ​Tunisia​. Founded
around 814 BC as a colony of ​Tyre​, within centuries it became the center of the ​Carthaginian
Empire​, a major commercial and ​maritime power​ that dominated the western ​Mediterranean​ until
the mid third century BC.​[5]​[6]​[7]
After gaining independence in the seventh century BC, Carthage gradually expanded its
economic and political ​hegemony​ across northwest Africa, Iberia, and the ​major islands of the
western Mediterranean​.[8]​ ​ By 300 BC, it became one of the largest and richest cities in antiquity,
with its ​colonies​, ​vassals​, and ​satellite states​ constituting more territory than any other ​polity​ in
the region. Carthage's wealth and power rested primarily on its strategic location, which provided
access to abundant fertile land and major trade routes. Its vast mercantile network, which
extended as far as west Africa and northern Europe, provided an array of commodities from all
over the ancient world, as well as lucrative exports of agricultural goods and manufactured
products. This commercial empire was secured by one of the largest and most powerful navies in
the ancient Mediterranean, and an army largely comprised of foreign ​mercenaries​ and
auxiliaries​.
As the dominant power of the western Mediterranean, Carthage inevitably came into conflict with
many neighbors and rivals, from the indigenous ​Berbers​ of North Africa to the nascent Roman
Republic.​[9]​ Following a centuries-long ​series of conflicts​ with the ​Sicilian Greeks​, its growing
competition with Rome culminated in the ​Punic Wars​ (264–146 BC), which saw some of the
largest and most sophisticated battles in antiquity, and nearly led to Rome's destruction. In 146
BC, after the ​third and final Punic War​, the Romans destroyed Carthage and established a new
city in its place a century later.​[10]​ All remaining Carthaginian dependencies, as well as other
Phoenician city-states, came under Roman rule by the first century AD.
Notwithstanding the cosmopolitan character of its empire, Carthage's culture and identity
remained staunchly Phoenician, or ​Punic​.​ Like other Phoenician people, its society was heavily
urbanised and oriented towards seafaring and trade, reflected in part by its more famous
innovations and technical achievements, including serial production, uncolored glass, the
threshing board, and the ​Cothon​. The Carthaginians became distinguished for their commercial
ambitions and unique system of government, which combined elements of democracy, oligarchy,
and republicanism, including modern examples of checks and balances.
Despite having been one of the most influential civilizations in the ancient world, Carthage is
mostly remembered for its long and bitter conflict with Rome, which almost threatened the rise of
the Roman Republic and changed the course of Western civilization. Due to the destruction of
virtually all Carthaginian texts after the Third Punic War, much of what is known about its
civilization comes from Roman and Greek authors, many of whom wrote during or after the Punic
Wars, and to varying degrees were shaped by the hostilities. Popular and scholarly attitudes
towards Carthage reflected the prevailing Greco-Roman view, though archaeological research
since the late 19th century has helped shed more light and nuance on Carthaginian civilization.