What Impact Did Carthage Have On American Culture

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Ancient history civilization did not leaves us much aside from great legends and tales that transcends through time. Carthage was one of these great city-states. It was situated in North Africa and claimed to have been founded around 813 BCE by Queen Elisa, also known in history as Dido. She, along with other Phoenicians, fled the city of Tyre once Macedonians took over. By driving away Natives such as the Lydians and the Numidians away from the tunisian region, the phoenicians started a small trading port and grew to become one the most powerful cities of the Mediterranean before Rome rose over them as the new Empire.(Cartwright, 2018).

Located along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, Carthage was known for their seafaring and trading abilities. …show more content…

The wealthy lived in palaces, while the lower classes still lived in well build homes (Cartwright, 2018). In terms of politics “the Carthaginians had two elected sufetes (the Greeks called them kings) that served along with a senate, citizen assembly and pentarchies (five-person commissions)” (Owen, 2012). The city got to be so attractive that it was one of the favorite place of many Roman emperors, including Julius Caesar and his successor Augustus Caesar (Hunt, 2016). Consequently, Carthage external influences also grew, leading to new places such as Sardinia, Spain and …show more content…

It is important to note that Carthage was also known for its innovation and quality in ship designs. “Ships were constructed using mass-produced pieces marked with numbers for ease of assembly” (Cartwright, 2016). On top of that the Carthaginian “naval fleet was composed of large warships propelled by sail and oars which were used to ram enemy vessels using a bronze ram mounted on the prow below the waterline”(Cartwright, 2016). By the time the first Punic war took place, it is estimated that Carthage had 350 ships and were able to rapidly renew their fleet during and after