Carthage -- Ancient History Encyclopedia

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Timeline

814 BC

Carthage is founded by Phoenicians.
580 BC - 376 BC

Carthage and Greece fight for dominance in Sicily.
539 BC

Etruscan & Carthaginian alliance expels the Greeks from Corsica.
500 BC

Carthage expands into southern Spain.
396 BC

The Carthaginian city of Lilybaeum is founded on Sicily.
264 BC - 241 BC

First Punic War. Carthage cedes Siciliy to Rome.
c. 263 BC

Antaros and 3000 Celts fight with Carthage in the First Punic War.
249 BC

Antaros withdraws his support from Carthage.
248 BC - c. 182 BC

Life of Hannibal.
241 BC - 238 BC

The rebellion of the mercenaries: Unpaid mercenaries under the leadership of Mathos and Spendios rebel against Carthage. Despite a peace treaty, Rome seizes the opportunity to strip Carthage of Sardinia and Corsica.
218 BC - 201 BC

Second Punic War. Hannibal leads 50,000 foot soldiers, 9000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants over the Pyrennees and the Alps.
217 BC

Victory of Hannibal over the Romans at Lake Trasimene.
216 BC

Battle of Cannae. Worst defeat in Roman history, against Carthage.
216 BC

"Hannibal ante portas." Hannibal directly threatens the city of Rome, but cannot advance due to lack of supplies and reinforcements.
207 BC

Battle of Metaurus. Carthage loses against Rome and loses control of Iberia (Spain).
204 BC

Scipio Africanus sails over to Africa.
202 BC

Battle of Zama. The Carthaginian army is defeated, Hannibal flees to Hadrumentum.
202 BC

Roman conquest of Carthage, end of the Second Punic War. Peace terms: Carthage loses Iberia, gives Numidia to its King Masinissa, pays 10,000 talents in 50 years, gives all warships to Rome (except 10 triremes), is forbidden to wage war outside Africa, requires Roman approval for wars within Africa.
195 BC

Facing the threat of being handed to the Romans as a result of the opposition to the reforms he initiated in Carthage, Hannibal flees to Crete and then to Tyre, in Seleucid territory. He will become one of the military advisors of king Antiochos III Megas in his war against Rome.
c. 183 BC

As an ambassador to the Hellenistic kingdom of Bithynia, T. Quinctius Flamininus, the general who defeated Macedon, demands that Hannibal should be surrendered in Roman hands. As king Prusias gives in, Hannibal commits suicide in the village of Libyssa, in order to escape captivity. The Roman Senate did not approve of Flamininus' action.
149 BC - 146 BC

Third Punic War.
146 BC

End of the Third Punic War. Carthage is destroyed and its lands become the Roman province Africa.

Definition

Carthage was the most powerful of Phoenicia's colonies. Founded in 814 BC by colonists from Tyre, it became the major Phoenician hub in the western Mediterranean. According to legend, the city was founded by Dido (Elissa), the sister of the king of Tyre, who was fleeing after murdering her husband. In Carthage, she established a new center of the cult of the Phoenician sea deity Melquart.

The city survived the downfall of Phoenicia as it became the most important trading power in the western Mediterranean with the islands of Sardinia and Sicily becoming Carthaginian possessions. An alliance with the Etruscan city states made Carthage one of the main enemies of the just-emerging republic of Rome.

Rome and Carthage clashed in the three Punic Wars (264-241 BC, 218-201 BC, 149-146 BC), which resulted in the ultimate defeat of the Carthaginian empire and the total destruction of the city of Carthage. The Carthaginian lands were divided into provinces of the Roman empire.

Written by Jan van der Crabben.

Articles

Carthaginian Monarchs

Until 308 BC, Carthage was ruled, at least officially, by Monarchs. Find below a list of monarchs of Carthage between 814-308 BC. Didoian Dynasty Dido 814-c.760 BC -queen (unknown rulers)Hanno...
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