Carthage was a powerful city founded by Phoenician settlers in North Africa, near today’s Tunis, Tunisia, traditionally in 814 BC. It built a rich trading empire across the western Mediterranean and became Rome’s greatest rival. The two fought three Punic Wars (264–146 BC), which ended with Rome destroying Carthage.

What Was Carthage? Rome's Great Rival in the Punic Wars

A city of traders

The Phoenicians, from cities like Tyre in today’s Lebanon, were skilled sailors and merchants. Legend says Queen Dido (Elissa) founded Carthage after fleeing Tyre. Carthage grew rich on trade in metals, purple dye and goods across North Africa, Spain, Sardinia and Sicily. Its famous circular military harbor could shelter around 200 warships.

“Punic” comes from the Latin word for Phoenician, Punicus.

The three Punic Wars

War	Years	Outcome
First	264–241 BC	Fought mainly at sea over Sicily; Rome wins
Second	218–201 BC	Hannibal invades Italy; Rome eventually wins at Zama
Third	149–146 BC	Rome besieges and destroys Carthage

Hannibal

In 218 BC, the Carthaginian general Hannibal marched from Spain across the Pyrenees and the Alps into Italy with an army that included around 37 war elephants. He crushed Roman armies, most famously at Cannae (216 BC), but never captured Rome itself. Learn about his route in the mountains between Spain and France.

“Carthage must be destroyed”

The Roman senator Cato the Elder reportedly ended his speeches with “Carthago delenda est” (Carthage must be destroyed). In 146 BC, Roman forces burned the city and enslaved its survivors. The story that Rome salted the earth is a later myth.

Carthage reborn

Julius Caesar and Augustus later founded a Roman city on the site, which became one of the largest in the empire. Its ruins, including Roman baths and the Punic harbors, are now a tourist site near Tunis. Rome’s other great rival in the east was the Persian Empire; see the Royal Road.

What was Carthage?