Carthage (, , Berber: Kartajen, or Karthago, from the Phoenician (meaning
new town) refers both to an ancient city in present-
day Tunisia, and a modern-
day suburb of Tunis. The civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic or Carthaginian. The city of Carthage is located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis across from the center of Tunis. According to Roman
legend it was founded in 814 BC by Phoenician colonists under the leadership of Elissa (
Queen Dido). It became a large and rich city and thus a major power in the Mediterranean. The resulting rivalry with Syracuse and Rome was accompanied by several wars with respective invasions of each other's homeland. Hannibal's invasion of
Italy in the Second Punic
War culminated in the Carthaginian victory at Cannae and led to a serious threat to the continuation of Roman rule over
Italy; however, Carthage emerged from the conflict at its historical weakest. After the Third Punic
War, the city was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC. However, the Romans refounded Carthage, which became one of the three most important cities of the Empire and the capital of the
short-lived Vandal kingdom. It remained one of the most important Roman cities until the Muslim conquest when it was destroyed a second time in
AD 698.
