CARTHAGE AND ROME
The Phoenicians (Part Two)
Carthage
The cities of Phoenicia were usually controlled by one or another of their powerful neighbours first Egypt, then Assyria, Babylon and Persia. But at the same time, there were free communities of Phoenicians in their trading-colonies all round the Mediterranean world. The most important of these colonies grew into a powerful country in its own right. This was the great commercial state of Carthage, in modern Tunisia.
the 5th century BC, as Phoenicia itself had carthage was founded about 800 BC. By come under Persian control, Carthage became the leader of all the western Phoenicians. It founded more trading-colonies for itself, and soon controlled most of modern Tunisia, which was a rich agricultural region, and the trans-Saharan trade routes. Punic, the Carthaginian dialect of Phoenician, was spoken more and more on the North African coast. Ancient historians agree that Carthage was the richest city in the world. Most of all, Cartage was a great sea power.
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