Name of Monument:

Carthage archaeological site

Location:

Carthage, Tunisia

Responsible Institution (original language):

Institut National du Patrimoine

Date of Monument:

Ancient site

History:

Founded by the Phoenicians around 814 BC, Carthage was the city that brought Africa into mainstream European historical narratives. Hanno's Carthage ruled the seas, and Hannibal's Carthage was master of the land; Carthage certainly saw its golden age before disappearing. Augustus built Carthage as the capital of proconsular Africa, and the Imperial Roman Carthage that succeeded it put great importance on art and literature. Christian Carthage of Saint Augustine's times appeared to be a city fuelled by religion and passion. It was ruled by the Vandals for a century, then the Byzantines and finally the Arabs. However, although the leadership changed many times over the years, Carthage itself did not move. Modern Carthage, therefore, holds the evidence for many different histories. It has been listed as a UNESCO world heritage site since the 26 October 1979.

Description:

Explorers and travellers - starting with T. Falbe and E. Beulé in the early 19th century and continuing through to the end of the 20th century - have been fascinated by interrogating and analysing the remains of one of the most important ancient cities: Carthage. It was conquered by Hassan ibn Nu'man in 698, but was then abandoned by the Arab Muslim population in favour of Tunis, and so for twelve decades was used as a quarry for marble and other stone for the construction of monuments in Tunis and other cities. By the early 20th century only some of what is visible today had been uncovered, namely the baths of Antoninus with their great cisterns, the huge cisterns of La Malga, some sections of the aqueduct connecting Carthage to Zaghwan, the lagoons of the two Punic ports, the remains the amphitheatre and the perimeter of the circus.

Citation of this web page:

Saloua Khadhar Zangar "Carthage archaeological site" in "Sharing History", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024.
https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;AWE;tn;27;en;en

Prepared by: Saloua Khadhar Zangar
Translation by: Flaminia Baldwin

MWNF Working Number: TN 027