Between 264 and 146 BC, the rival empires of Carthage and Rome met in the three “Punic wars”. In which modern country was the city of Carthage located?
A) Lebanon B) Spain C) Tunisia ü D) Turkey
The city of Carthage is now part of Tunis, capital of the north African nation of Tunisia. The city was founded in about 814 BC by Phoenicians who journeyed there from their capital city of Tyre in present-day Lebanon. The term “Punic” comes from the Roman term for the Carthaginians, punici, which in turn reflects their Phoenician origins. The Carthaginians never achieved more than temporary victories in any of the three wars, and were completely crushed in the third. Carthage was razed — though it would eventually be rebuilt as a Roman city on the same site — and its inhabitants were slaughtered or enslaved.
