Second Only to Rome

The rise of Utica was short-lived. As the Romans began cultivating grain upstream from the river that emptied into the sea there, the waters grew silted, choking the harbor and rendering it entirely useless. The Romans were thus compelled to return to the hospitable site of Carthage and resurrect the city from its ashes. This endeavor took place under Augustus, though the initial blueprints had been drawn up by his father figure, Julius Caesar. As few Roman citizens harbored an eager desire to transplant themselves to Africa, the populace was overwhelmingly composed of local Punic residents.

The city was christened Colonia Iulia Concordia Carthago in Caesar’s honor, yet this proved rather too grand and ceremonious for everyday use, and before long it reverted simply to Carthage. Upon the citadel hill, having leveled its summit, the Romans laid out a forum, radiating regular quarters down to the harbor. The city reclaimed its status as a capital—now of the Roman province that gave its name to the entire continent—and the epicenter of Mediterranean trade, playing a vital role in supplying Rome with African wheat. Surpassing the half-million mark in population, Carthage secured its place as the second-largest city in the Roman Empire.

Virgil’s errors and Punic realities

Of what Punic Carthage actually looked like, rather little is known, relying primarily on Roman sources of questionable reliability. Virgil, for instance, when describing what Aeneas beheld, was plainly inspired by the fully realized Roman colony:

Mīrātur mōlem Ænēās, māgālia quondam,
mīrātur portās strepitumque et strāta viārum…
Iūra magistrātūsque legunt sanctumque senātum;
hīc portūs aliī effodiunt; hīc alta theātrīs
fundāmenta locant aliī, immānīsque columnās
rūpibus excīdunt, scaenīs decora alta futūrīs.

“Aeneas marvels at the massive structures, lately mere huts,
at the bustling gates and paved roadways…
Laws are passed, magistrates and the revered senate are chosen;
here some dig out harbors, there others lay deep
foundations for a theatre and hew massive columns
from the cliffs, grand adornments for stages yet to be.”

(Naturally, there were neither senates nor theatres in Punic Carthage, but such a nuance was quite beyond Virgil’s imagination.)

The archaeological park today

Archaeological finds from Punic Carthage are likewise sparse; much of what is preserved in the Bardo Museum I have already shared with you: the 6th-century BC mask, the 7th–to–3rd-century BC pottery, and the 3rd–to–1st-century BC divine statues.

For the most part, however, what one encounters in Carthage proper and within the Bardo Museum belongs entirely to Roman Carthage. As the schematic map of the archaeological sites illustrates, they are quite numerous and spread out over a considerable expanse, covering a significant portion of the ancient city’s roughly 15-square-kilometer footprint. Even though not all sites are open to visitors, and those accessible vary wildly in preservation and value, a thoughtful exploration demands at least a full day. Indeed, a single day proved insufficient for us, requiring us to split our visit across two—fortunately, the unified ticket is quite modest in price (12 Tunisian dinars, roughly €4).

In forthcoming posts, I shall begin showcasing what remains of Roman Carthage—and an astonishing amount has survived, so do prepare yourselves.