Transcript Carthage

Carthaginians in Sicily
2008 Exploration Seminar in
Sicily
John Pohl
Carthage (Qart Hadasht or
’ new city’) was founded in
814 BC by Phoenician
settlers from the city of
Tyre.
Mythology: Queen Dido
founded Carthage by
tricking a Numedian
Chieftain into given her the
amount of land she could
surround with one cow’s
hide, which she did by
cutting it into a thin strip
and then encirclinging
Byrsa Hill– becoming
Carthage –
It’s naval fleet rises to
power and controls the
seas.
Top Photo Byrsa hill
Left - Photo from the Mosaic Bardo Museum
Background and settlement of Sicily
•Greek history - Pylos, Mycenae and Tiryns are defeated by Dorians (using superior iron versus
bronze weapons) The displaced Greeks become “seafarers” and ultimately traders. Greek Dark
Ages)
•In 733 BC mainlanders from Corinth establish a colony in Sicily occupied by Sikels (native
Sicilians) called Syrakousai (now Syracuse) Site has natural fortifications
•Islanders from Crete and Rhodes founded Gela on the southern coast (River Himeras) and
Megera (730 BC)
•Himara on the North Coast was founded in 648 BC by Zancle
Himera
Carthage
Gela
Tyre
BACKGROUND
•Sicily became the center of the trade routes for the Mediterranean ,
valuable for grain, olive oil, wine and horses.
•Phoenicians settle Sicily in the west.
BY THE 5TH CENTURY BC
•Phoenician settlements fall more and more to Carthaginian control.
•Native settlements Sikels and Elymerians control the interior.
60 kilometers
separates Sicily from
Tunisia
http://www.mmdtkw.org/CNAf0310GreekCarthSettlements.jpg
Early Skirmishes
•6th Century the Greek alliance tries to drive Carthaginian influence out
•Sicily also had mercenaries, refuges and pirates from Corsica (also
Greek) occupying the islands in the north
•Carthage wins first round - capturing Lipari islands (NE Sicily) and
ridding the area of Pirates
•The Battle for Sicily is a battle between Greeks and Carthaginians with
the prime adversary being the Greek controlled city of Syracuse.
Photo of Carthage (Roman villa) looking overlooking the bay of Tunis
War and more war - 5th century BC
The teams: Carthaginian General Hamilcar (mother Sicilian) versus Gelon of Gela (near Arkagas) who
wanted a Greek Sicily
•485 - BC Gelon forms alliance with king of Arkagas and moves most of his people to Syracuse effectively
taking it over – (Gelon has been compared to Hilter, whilst making his own city beautiful – he scared the
independents.)
•Theron of Arkagas covets Himera – whose king Terillos is ousted but only after calling for help from the
Carthaginians.
•Selinus also joins Carthage (They had been anti-punic but feared Gelon)
•Gelon intercepts Punic message - substitutes own men and sneak attacks Himera.
•Phoencians Ships are destroyed (a common strategy if you wanted to defeat Carthage)
•Hamilcar seeing that he is losing , reverts to the tradition of burning sacrifices – then jumps into fire.
•Wealth in the form of silver, funds Hellanic revival for Syracuse and it blooms
•The 5th century is considered a rebuilding time for Carthage. Hamilcar (a Magonid) becomes a hero but
dynasty is weakened. Carthage still a maintains a presence in the West of Sicily
The defeat of Hamilcar
sets the stage for
revenge
http://phoenicia.org/ships.html
4th century BC
•Sicily makes a blunder. They begin to support Sparta (grain exports) and Athens does not
like this. Athens declares war on Syracuse. Corinth and Sparta come to Syracuse’s aid. This
leads to a stalemate. However the Athenian fleet is trapped and defeated in the port.
In the meantime……
Not the Hannibal of the 2nd Punic War
•Hannibal, the grandson of Hamilcar decides the time is ripe. Lands at Punic port of Motya
in 409 BC. Captures Selinus but…. allows the rape and pillaging. Typical of Carthaginian
armies it was made up of mercenaries. Attacks Himera. Another slaughter. Segesta joins
Carthage and now Carthage rules the west. Rape and plundering causes much Sicilian
resentment.
•Hannibal retires and then comes back in 406 BC with the intention of conquering all of
Sicily. Epidemic strikes. Still wins at Akragas (plundered – no slaughter). Hannibal dies.
•Dionysius rallies Syracuse and beats Carthage at the battle of Motya 397 BC . War goes
back and forth. Plague eventually ends up decimating Carthaginian mercenary troops (N.B.
Carthaginians lacked the Roman concept of sanitation.) War is lost by Carthage.
•After all of this Syracuse implodes as a result of in fighting and falls apart on it’s own (but
remains independent for the time being).
Note: Plagues were thought as being out of favor in the eyes of the gods – so the
obvious answer to a Ba’al worshiping people who converted to Tanit, was to sacrifice infants at
a tophet!
A note on Tophets - a place where children were sacrificed:
“When the Sicilian tyrant Agathocles of Syracuse was pressing at the gates 4th Century they
were filled superstitious dread, and they believe that they had neglected the honors of the
gods that had been established by their fathers. In their zeal to make amends for their
omission, they selected 200 of the noblest children and sacrificed them publicly; and others
who are under suspicion sacrifice themselves voluntarily, a number of not less than 300.
There was in their city of bronze image of Cronus, extending its hands, palms up and sloping
towards the ground, so that each of the children were placed thereon rolled down and fell
into a sort of gaping pit filled with fire.“ Diodorus
Tower of Cronus in Sicily
from www.gutenberg.org
Interlude
•This last war benefited Carthage as they began to import
Sicilian items (primarily Greek) and grew in wealth and power.
•The International trading center of the Mediterranean shifts
from Sicily to Carthage.
•Influence of Sicily helped create the craft of making mosaics
in Carthage. (and vice versa)
Virgil holding the Aenid 2 m x 2 m Bardo Museum
Shifting Seas 3rd Century
• Enter Rome. Rome is now beginning to conquer and control the Italian
Peninsula. Treaty with Carthage keeps them out of Sicily.
• Carthaginians still the supreme Naval Power.
•Messana is taken over by mercenaries returning from Syracuse, the
Mamertines (from the god Mamers (Mars)).
•Pyrrhus (Greek from Epirus) invited by the city of Tantareum enters fray to
defeat Romans and Carthaginian in Segesta 281 BC and at Panormus at a huge
cost to the Greeks. Destroys Carthaginian fleet, but wins a “Pyrrhic victory” and
is forced to retreat.
Shifting Alliances –The First Punic war 264 – 241 BC:
Objective - Conquer Sicily
•Hieron II of Syracuse tires of Mamertines, attacks Messana who calls on Rome and
Carthage for help
•Up to this point Rome had a non-intervention agreement with Carthage. This gets broken
when they realize Carthage will take control of Sicily if they are left alone
•Romans capture Carthagian general Hanno – Hanno gives up Messana
•Hieron II now allies with Carthage to fight Rome.
•Romans begin to win – Syracuse defects to Roman side.
•Rome realizes that they must win naval war. Romans defeat the Carthaginian fleet at the
battle of Mylae 260 BC (The Romans found and copied a Phoenician ship but added a
corvus (boarding bridge) which allowed boarding and hand to hand fighting. )
•Hannibal Barca of Carthage enters war and is winning until:
•241BC Carthaginian fleet is again destroyed at the battle of Aegates (Western Sicily)
cutting Carthaginian supplies off, and Carthaginians sue for peace..
Note: the Romans made it a practice of displaying captured
“Rostra” aka a ship’s “beak” from which speeches were
made, hence today’s use of the word Rostrum.
Corvus- note Rostra underneath from www.livus.com
The second Punic War 218 – 202 BC
•Rome controls Sicily by 211 BC – but Carthage establishes a stronghold in Iberia (Modern
Spain)
•Hannibal eldest son of Hannibal Barca (247 BC – 182 BC) desires revenge against Rome which
was fueled by Carthage’s defeats in Sicily and Sardinia .
•The second PunicWar was made most famous by Hannibal's crossing of the Alps with
elephants and his reaching the gates of Rome
•Rome used a strategy of fighting Carthage in Spain and by attacking the Carthaginians at
Carthage - forcing Hannibal home
•Hannibal meets his first defeat at the battle of Zama (Tunisia) in 202 BC
•End of the second Punic war in 202BC meant Sicilian treasures were taken back from
Carthage.
Turner, William Dido building Carthage; or the Rise of the
Carthaginian Empire 1815; Oil on canvas, 155.5 x 232 cm;
National Gallery, London
The Third Punic War
(149-146 BC).
“Delenda
est Carthago”
Translation “Carthage must be destroyed”
Marcus Porcius Cato The Elder Roman Senator
Rome finally defeated Carthage razed
the city and salted it’s soils. Thus ended
the Carthagian empire and its threat to
Sicily.
Turner, William The Decline of the Carthaginian Empire, 1817
Clore Gallery, London
Bibliography
1.
Bryant, J The Project Gutenberg EBook of A New System; or, an Analysis of Antient Mythology. Volume II. (of VI.), 1807
www.gutenberg.org/files/19584/19584-h/19584-h.htm
2. Carthage http://www.crystalinks.com/carthage.html
3. First Punic War UN http://www.unrv.com/empire/first-punic-war.php
4. http://phoenicia.org/ships.html
5. http://www.livius.org
6. http://www.mmdtkw.org/CNAf0310GreekCarthSettlements.jpg
7. Soren, David; Khader Ben abed ben ; Slim, Hedi Carthage Simon & Schister New York, New York 1990
8. The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. http://www.bartleby.com/65/er/Eryx.html
9. Turner, William Artist Painter of light http://www.j-m-w-turner.co.uk/turner-carthage.htm
10. Marcus Porcius Cato The Elder. "Carthage must be destroyed.[De..." The Columbia World of Quotations. Ed. Robert
Andrews, Mary Biggs, and Michael Seidel. Columbia University Press, 2006. eNotes.com. 2006. 6 Aug, 2008
<http://www.enotes.com/famous-quotes/carthage-must-be-destroyed-delenda-est-carthago>
11. UNRV History Roman Empire http://www.unrv.com/empire/first-punic-war.php