Carthago: from the phoenician colony to the roman province

Iako je započela kao fenička kolonija otprilike 814. g. pr. Kr. u sjevernoj Africi, Kartaga se vrlo brzo razvila u najjaču mediteransku silu koja je kontrolirala trgovačke puteve i stvarala svoje vlastite kolonije, neprestano šireći svoj teritorij. Njezina konstitucija bila je hvaljena i od samog Aristotela kao kombinacija monarhije, oligarhije i demokracije te je za vrijeme punskih ratova bila vrlo važna uloga sufeta koji su nadzirali vojne generale kako ne bi došlo do narušavanja stabilnosti uprave. Punske snage bile su ponajviše temeljene na plaćeničkoj vojsci, što je ponekad predstavljalo probleme za grad zbog neisplaćenog novca te su nastajale razne pobune. Stanovništvo je s druge strane bilo obvezno sudjelovati u borbi jedino kada je prijetila izravna opasnost samom gradu. U Kartagi je prevladavala kanaanska religija koja je slavila objekte vidljive u prirodi, a najveću duhovnu vrijednost imao je Melkart, bog punskog grada. Utjecaj matične zemlje mogao se najviše očitovati kroz umjetnost gdje su prevladavali fenički elementi, ali bilo je također i egipatskih. Od onog što je pronađeno na prostoru sjevernoafričkog grada, sačuvani su primjeri terakote od kojih su mnoga bila djelo lokalnih umjetnika. Kako je Kartaga bila uništena, tako su nestala i njezina književna djela koja su bila darovana okolnim afričkim gradovima, odnosno punskim neprijateljima. Ipak, rasprave o poljoprivredi koje je napisao autor Magon prevedena su na latinski te su brojni Rimljani primjenjivali njegove savjete u praksi. Kada su u pitanju bili ratovi, prvi važniji protivnici Kartažana bile su grčke kolonije na Siciliji koje su prijetile punskim gradovima. Tako je tiranin Agatoklo odlučio prenijeti rat sa Sicilije u samu Afriku, gdje se sukobio s punskom vojskom i uspješno ju porazio. Kada je Agatoklov sin preuzeo vojsku, Kartažani su se reorganizirali te spasili svoj grad. No ipak, najveću prijetnju predstavljao je Rim te su tako izbila tri punska rata koja su sveukupno trajala od 264. do 146. g. pr. Kr. Tijekom sukobljavanja kao najvještiji general iskazao se Hanibal iz obitelji Barka čiji je otac osvojio dijelove Hispanije. Hanibal je ostao zapamćen zbog svog puta kroz Alpe te bitke kod Kane u kojoj je poginulo oko 30.000 rimskih vojnika. Zadnja i odlučujuća bitka dogodila se 146. g. pr. Kr., te je tada sjevernoafrički grad uništen, a stanovništvo prodano u roblje. Rimljani su stvorili provinciju Afriku, a za vrijeme vladavine cara Augusta antički je grad ponovno obnovljen.Although it began as a Phoenician colony around 814 BC in northern Africa, Carthage rapidly developed into the strongest Mediterranean force that controlled the trade routes and created its own colonies, constantly spreading its territory. Its constitution was praised by Aristotle as a combination of the monarchy, the oligarchy and the democracy, and during the time of the Punic wars the role of the suffete was very important since it supervised the military general in order not to undermine the stability of the administration. Punic forces were mostly based on the mercenary army, which sometimes posed problems for the city because of unpaid money that created various rebellions. The population, on the other hand, was obliged to take part in the fight only when it posed direct threat to the city itself. In Carthage dominated the Canaanite religion which celebrated objects visible in nature, and the greatest spiritual value had Melqart, the god of the Punic city. The impact of the home country could be mostly seen through art in which Phoenician elements prevailed, but there were also Egyptian elements. From what has been found in the area of the North African city, examples of Terracotta have been preserved, many of which were the work of local artists. As Carthage was destroyed so was its literary work, which were donated to surrounding African cities which were enemies of the Punic people. Nevertheless, the discussions on agriculture of the author Mago were translated into Latin and many Romans applied his advices in practice. When it came to wars, the first important opponents of Carthage were the Greek colonies in Sicily that posed threat to the Punic cities. Thus, the tyrant Agathocles decided to transfer the war from Sicily to Africa itself, where it clashed with the Punic army and successfully defeated it. When the son of Agathocles took over the army, the Carthaginians reorganized and rescued their city. Still, the greatest threat was Rome which caused three Punic wars that lasted from 264 to 146 BC. During the clash the most prominent general proved to be Hannibal of the Barca family, whose father won parts of Spain. Hannibal remained remembered for his journey through the Alps and the battle at Cannae, where some 30 thousand Roman soldiers were killed. The last and decisive battle occurred in 146 BC when the North African city was destroyed, and the population sold into slavery. The Romans created the province of Africa, and during the reign of Emperor Augustus, the ancient city was restored