I was wandering around in Google Earth last night.
One of the things I never got straight in my head was what happened to Carthage after the Romans fired the city and tore the place apart after Hannibal annoyed them so much. I'd thought the place was sown with salt and never inhabited again (that being a garbled transfer of a bible story to Carthage by a 19th century historian) but that's not what happened.
Anyway I looked, and the two great harbours of antiquity are still there. The coastline's changed, there's been land reclamation projects and a new harbour to the South but the original pair, the merchant harbour and the military harbour, are still where the Carthaginians dug them out. Two perfect artificial harbours still intact after 2500 years. The Carthaginians dominated the Mediterranean for hundreds of years from that northern horseshoe.
This is Appian's description, written around 150AD:The harbors had communication with each other, and a common entrance from the sea twenty meters wide, which could be closed with iron chains. The first port was for merchant vessels, and here were collected all kinds of ships' tackle. Within the second port was an island which, together with the port itself, was enclosed by high embankments. These embankments were full of shipyards which had capacity for 220 vessels. Above them were magazines for their tackle and furniture. Two Ionic columns stood in front of each dock, giving the appearance of a continuous portico to both the harbor and the island. On the island was built the admiral's house, from which the trumpeter gave signals, the herald delivered orders, and the admiral himself overlooked everything. The island lay near the entrance to the harbor and rose to a considerable height, so that the admiral could observe what was going on at sea, while those who were approaching by water could not get any clear view of what took place within. Not even the incoming merchants could see the docks, for a double wall enclosed them, and there were gates by which merchant ships could pass from the first port to the city without traversing the dockyards. Such was the appearance of Carthage at that time.
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Carthage
Carthage
Nullius in verba ... ☎||||||||||| ... To Fate I sue, of other means bereft, the only refuge for the wretched left.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
When flower power came along I stood for Human Rights, marched around for peace and freedom, had some nooky every night - we took it serious.
Who has a spare two minutes to play in this month's FG Trivia game! ... My other OS is Slackware.
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chonsigirl
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Carthage
Now [proconsul Publius Cornelius] blockaded Carthage with his fleet and cut off their supplies by sea, while from the land they were poorly supplied by reason of the war.
That is a really cool google shot, and that the harbors are the same as they probably were during the second Punic War.
That is a really cool google shot, and that the harbors are the same as they probably were during the second Punic War.
Carthage
spot;983530 wrote: I was wandering around in Google Earth last night.
One of the things I never got straight in my head was what happened to Carthage after the Romans fired the city and tore the place apart after Hannibal annoyed them so much. I'd thought the place was sown with salt and never inhabited again (that being a garbled transfer of a bible story to Carthage by a 19th century historian) but that's not what happened.
Anyway I looked, and the two great harbours of antiquity are still there. The coastline's changed, there's been land reclamation projects and a new harbour to the South but the original pair, the merchant harbour and the military harbour, are still where the Carthaginians dug them out. Two perfect artificial harbours still intact after 2500 years. The Carthaginians dominated the Mediterranean for hundreds of years from that northern horseshoe.
This is Appian's description, written around 150AD:The harbors had communication with each other, and a common entrance from the sea twenty meters wide, which could be closed with iron chains. The first port was for merchant vessels, and here were collected all kinds of ships' tackle. Within the second port was an island which, together with the port itself, was enclosed by high embankments. These embankments were full of shipyards which had capacity for 220 vessels. Above them were magazines for their tackle and furniture. Two Ionic columns stood in front of each dock, giving the appearance of a continuous portico to both the harbor and the island. On the island was built the admiral's house, from which the trumpeter gave signals, the herald delivered orders, and the admiral himself overlooked everything. The island lay near the entrance to the harbor and rose to a considerable height, so that the admiral could observe what was going on at sea, while those who were approaching by water could not get any clear view of what took place within. Not even the incoming merchants could see the docks, for a double wall enclosed them, and there were gates by which merchant ships could pass from the first port to the city without traversing the dockyards. Such was the appearance of Carthage at that time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage
Haven't been there myself but would love to.
http://www.tourismtunisia.com/togo/cart ... thage.html
One of the things I never got straight in my head was what happened to Carthage after the Romans fired the city and tore the place apart after Hannibal annoyed them so much. I'd thought the place was sown with salt and never inhabited again (that being a garbled transfer of a bible story to Carthage by a 19th century historian) but that's not what happened.
Anyway I looked, and the two great harbours of antiquity are still there. The coastline's changed, there's been land reclamation projects and a new harbour to the South but the original pair, the merchant harbour and the military harbour, are still where the Carthaginians dug them out. Two perfect artificial harbours still intact after 2500 years. The Carthaginians dominated the Mediterranean for hundreds of years from that northern horseshoe.
This is Appian's description, written around 150AD:The harbors had communication with each other, and a common entrance from the sea twenty meters wide, which could be closed with iron chains. The first port was for merchant vessels, and here were collected all kinds of ships' tackle. Within the second port was an island which, together with the port itself, was enclosed by high embankments. These embankments were full of shipyards which had capacity for 220 vessels. Above them were magazines for their tackle and furniture. Two Ionic columns stood in front of each dock, giving the appearance of a continuous portico to both the harbor and the island. On the island was built the admiral's house, from which the trumpeter gave signals, the herald delivered orders, and the admiral himself overlooked everything. The island lay near the entrance to the harbor and rose to a considerable height, so that the admiral could observe what was going on at sea, while those who were approaching by water could not get any clear view of what took place within. Not even the incoming merchants could see the docks, for a double wall enclosed them, and there were gates by which merchant ships could pass from the first port to the city without traversing the dockyards. Such was the appearance of Carthage at that time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthage
Haven't been there myself but would love to.
http://www.tourismtunisia.com/togo/cart ... thage.html