In the 9th century BC, the city of Carthage was born on the Gulf of Tunis, in present-day Tunisia. From the sixth century BC. J.-C., Carthage founds a real merchant empire of foreground extending from the south of Spain to Libya while passing by Tunisia, its central ground. Becoming a rich civilization in the same way as the Romans and the Persians, monuments and constructions multiplied in Carthage. Many wars were fought by this empire, especially against the Roman Empire and it was finally in 146 BC. AD that the Carthaginian civilization died out, conquered by the Romans. A second Roman-style Carthage was rebuilt on the ruins of the old empire. Come and discover the Carthaginian and Roman remains of a rich empire dating back to Antiquity!
The place is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the cradle of the Carthaginian civilization and the Punic language. Destroyed and rebuilt by the Romans during the Third Punic War , many constructions of Roman architecture are emerging and today constitute an archaeological site of rare value which would testify to nearly 2000 years of history .
The archaeological site of Carthage therefore shelters vestiges that are mainly Roman, but also Carthaginian, Vandal (East Germanic people), Paleochristian (origins of Christianity) or even Arab. We find in this site the Punic ports , the necropolises , the amphitheater , the basilicas , the acropolis of Byrsa , the baths of Antoninus and the cisterns of Malaga .
The presence of the ancient ports of Carthage can testify to the greatness of the merchant empire, a true ancient commercial and cultural crossroads . All the Phoenician foundations and the Roman constructions demonstrate the important influence that Carthage would have had on the development of the arts, town planning and architecture of the Mediterranean basin . Carthage is almost the only place where observing the remains of the Phoenician-Punic culture is possible. It also forms an important place for the Africo-Roman civilization , because as soon as the city is taken over by the Romans, it is transformed into the capital of the province of proconsular Africa , a stronghold of the Republic and the Roman Empire on the African continent.
From the 20th century , the site of Carthage was urbanized in an uncontrolled manner . But the archaeological site still retains its main remains, all representing the ancient city: forum, theater, baths, temples, houses… The preservation of the site allows almost intact conservation of all the structures and restoration work has been carried out since 2009 in order to best protect this place of ancient history and culture.
Here are more photos that will make you want to immerse yourself in ancient Carthage:
