Empire · 814–146 BCE · Northern Africa

Carthaginian Empire

Also known as Carthage

Carthage was founded on the coast of modern Tunisia by Phoenician settlers from Tyre, traditionally in 814 BCE. It grew into the leading Phoenician city in the west, building a commercial empire of trading posts and colonies across North Africa, southern Spain, Sardinia and western Sicily.

Carthage was a republic run by wealthy merchant families, with two elected chief magistrates called suffetes and a council of elders, and it relied on a powerful navy and mercenary armies. Rivalry with Rome led to three Punic Wars. Carthage lost Sicily in the first, and in the second Hannibal crossed the Alps with elephants and crushed Roman armies, but he was finally defeated at Zama in 202 BCE. In 146 BCE Rome besieged and destroyed the city.

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Years

814–146 BCE

Capital

Carthage (near modern Tunis)

Greatest extent

220 BCE, about 300,000 km²

Region

Northern Africa

After the Barcid conquests in Spain: coastal North Africa, southern and eastern Spain and the Balearics; c. 0.3M km² (Taagepera 1979); Taagepera (1979) gives c. 0.3M km² for c. 220 BCE, when Barcid Spain had replaced the lost islands; c. 0.3M km² (Taagepera 1979, dated c. 220 BCE)