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Carthage (traditionally founded c. 814/813 BCE; destroyed 146 BCE) emerged from the wider Phoenician colonial world to become the leading Punic power in the western Mediterranean. From roughly the 7th century BCE, its influence expanded through maritime trade, naval strength, treaty relationships, colonies, fortified ports, and commercial networks across North Africa, Sardinia, western Sicily, the Balearics, and southern Iberia. Rather than a continuous land empire, Carthaginian power was largely coastal and maritime, built around control of sea lanes, access to metals, agricultural wealth, and strategic harbors. Its political system combined aristocratic councils, elected suffetes, and powerful military commanders, while its armies often relied on Libyan, Numidian, Iberian, Balearic, and other allied or mercenary forces. By the 3rd century BCE, Carthage had become the strongest rival to the expanding Roman Republic.
The struggle with Rome culminated in the Punic Wars (264–146 BCE), three conflicts that transformed the balance of power in the Mediterranean. The First Punic War (264–241 BCE) cost Carthage Sicily, while Rome later seized Sardinia and Corsica in 238 BCE. In response, the Barcid family built a new power base in Iberia (c. 237–218 BCE), using silver mines, local alliances, and Iberian troops to restore Carthaginian strength. Hannibal Barca (247–183 BCE) brought Carthage close to victory during the Second Punic War (218–201 BCE), but Rome’s manpower, alliance system, logistics, and political resilience ultimately prevailed. After 201 BCE, Carthage survived under severe Roman restrictions while Rome-backed Numidia increased pressure on its African territory. The Third Punic War (149–146 BCE) ended with the destruction of Carthage, the enslavement or dispersal of many of its inhabitants, and the creation of Roman Africa, marking Rome’s decisive rise as the dominant power of the Mediterranean.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2026, June 18). Map of the Rise & Fall of Carthaginian Power, c. 650–146 BCE. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20574/map-of-the-rise--fall-of-carthaginian-power-c-650/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Rise & Fall of Carthaginian Power, c. 650–146 BCE." World History Encyclopedia, June 18, 2026. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20574/map-of-the-rise--fall-of-carthaginian-power-c-650/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Rise & Fall of Carthaginian Power, c. 650–146 BCE." World History Encyclopedia, 18 Jun 2026, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20574/map-of-the-rise--fall-of-carthaginian-power-c-650/.
