The clever beginnings of Carthage set the tone for the country it would become. It all started in the 9th century BC when Dido, then soontobe queen of Carthage, settled a new community in the Northern tip of Africa. When she arrived, she was told by the local tribes that she could take as much land as an ox hide would cover. Clever Dido took the hide and cut it into small strips in order to secure a nice sized piece of fertile land along the coast (Sterling Documentaries, 2015). Such placement set Carthage up to develop into a massive economic and cultural empire. Exploration and Engineering As Carthage grew, it turned its focus to the Mediterranean Ocean. This body of water along with their great sense of engineering became crucial reasons
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Naval Power The Carthage Empire 3 The naval power of Carthage was also a major reason behind their success. When Carthage set out to conquer and explore the sea, they didn’t just conquer the islands of the Mediterranean and grow their empire. They also aimed to push the boundaries of the geographical knowledge at the time. Hanno set out in the 5th century BC to venture into the edges of the “known world” just west of Africa. Nobody had attempted this before and it was a great feat at the time. They accomplished all of this through a powerful combination of engineering, navigation skills, and seafaring techniques. They built one of the most advanced harbors at that time. This was the heartbeat of Carthage and was set up in a way that the first portion was dedicated to the ease of access for tradesmen from all over the known world sailing in and out of the city and the other quite larger portion was dedicated to housing their navy. This area held 220 ships, of which were magnificently built boats with five tiers called the …show more content…
This is where their strength lied and success grew (Sterling Documentaries, 2015). Carthage’s Genius Leads to the Beginning of the End The Carthage Empire 4 According to the documentary Carthage, the Roman Holocaust (Shorun Qualtec, 2014), Carthage’s clever assembly of their naval ships was one big reason for their downfall. During the Punic wars, the Romans found a shipwrecked Quinquereme. They were able to easily deconstruct the Carthaginians ship and figure out how to build one of their own. Knowing they were not skilled in seafaring, the ingenuitive Romans built bridges into these boats so that they could easily cross over to the enemy’s ship during battle. This allowed the Romans to fight as they would on land. The Carthaginians did not expect this and even with their superior navy, they could not effectively hold off these attacks. Slowly Rome was able to take over the islands in the Mediterranean which cut Carthage off from its vital trade routes and began signaling the end for its powerful empire(Mark, 2011). Conclusion Carthage and Rome were both great powers who at one time dominated the
Naval Power The Carthage Empire 3 The naval power of Carthage was also a major reason behind their success. When Carthage set out to conquer and explore the sea, they didn’t just conquer the islands of the Mediterranean and grow their empire. They also aimed to push the boundaries of the geographical knowledge at the time. Hanno set out in the 5th century BC to venture into the edges of the “known world” just west of Africa. Nobody had attempted this before and it was a great feat at the time. They accomplished all of this through a powerful combination of engineering, navigation skills, and seafaring techniques. They built one of the most advanced harbors at that time. This was the heartbeat of Carthage and was set up in a way that the first portion was dedicated to the ease of access for tradesmen from all over the known world sailing in and out of the city and the other quite larger portion was dedicated to housing their navy. This area held 220 ships, of which were magnificently built boats with five tiers called the …show more content…
This is where their strength lied and success grew (Sterling Documentaries, 2015). Carthage’s Genius Leads to the Beginning of the End The Carthage Empire 4 According to the documentary Carthage, the Roman Holocaust (Shorun Qualtec, 2014), Carthage’s clever assembly of their naval ships was one big reason for their downfall. During the Punic wars, the Romans found a shipwrecked Quinquereme. They were able to easily deconstruct the Carthaginians ship and figure out how to build one of their own. Knowing they were not skilled in seafaring, the ingenuitive Romans built bridges into these boats so that they could easily cross over to the enemy’s ship during battle. This allowed the Romans to fight as they would on land. The Carthaginians did not expect this and even with their superior navy, they could not effectively hold off these attacks. Slowly Rome was able to take over the islands in the Mediterranean which cut Carthage off from its vital trade routes and began signaling the end for its powerful empire(Mark, 2011). Conclusion Carthage and Rome were both great powers who at one time dominated the