How did Carthage rise as a country comparable to Athens in northern ancient Africa?

The vast area of North Africa west of Egypt is called by Arabs. Maghreb? (? The west? )。 The Maghreb region starts from Agadir Bay in the west, reaches khalij surt and Gabes Bay in the east, borders the Mediterranean Sea in the north, and reaches the Sahara Desert in the south, which is roughly quadrangular.

First, the aborigines? Berbers Since ancient times, Berbers, the local residents of the Maghreb, have worked, lived and multiplied in this area. The Neolithic culture in capps has been continuously developed here. In North Africa written by Greek and Roman writers, the Berbers here are roughly divided into three ethnic groups: from the Atlantic coast to the Mulua River in the west, Mauri people live, and their land is called Mauritania; To the east of the Maori people live Numidians, and their land is called Numidian. On the northern edge of the Sahara desert, there are people living in Geturi.

Maori and Numida people live a semi-nomadic life, and some places begin to settle down and gradually engage in farming. The Geturi people still live a nomadic life. The Berber society takes the paternal family as the unit and forms tribes. It can be seen from the investigation of the tombs of Muzola and Medea Sen that in the 4th and 3rd centuries BC, the trend of alliance among big tribes was developing throughout the Maghreb.

Second, immigrants on the east coast of the Mediterranean? Phoenicians However, in the history of the world, it was not the native Berbers who first caught the attention of North Africans, but immigrants from the eastern Mediterranean? Phoenicians.

Phoenicians living on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean were famous for their good navigation and trade in the ancient world. With the decline of the new kingdom of Egypt, Phoenician cities such as Tyre, Sidon and Bieber became independent one after another, and maritime trade became more active. Tyrus, the most powerful city in Phoenicia, colonized the outside world along the western Mediterranean from about 10 century BC.

On some coastal and offshore islands along the coast of North Africa, they gradually established some settlements developed from temporary berthing points, and then developed into new city-states separated from their home countries. Carthage and Utica, located in the transportation hub of the eastern and western Mediterranean, are the best among these new colonial city-states. Among them, the rise of Carthage is the most prominent.

Third, Carthage stood out and developed into a powerful country in the western Mediterranean. New town? ) is located near today's Tunisia. Located in a fertile valley, it is convenient to develop agriculture; Close to the Gulf of Tunisia, it is a natural harbor. According to the legend handed down, it was built in 8 14 BC. However, according to the current archaeological findings, its earliest history can only be traced back to the middle of the eighth century BC.

At first, like other Phoenician colonies, it was very small, with only a few hundred residents. Politically, it depends on its home country, and it is only the anchorage and supply place for long-distance trade fleets of Tyre and Romania. Later, because Tyre declined and became a vassal of the Babylonian Empire, the Greeks rose rapidly and expanded their power in the western Mediterranean, leaving the Phoenician city-states in the western Mediterranean to safeguard their status and interests.

In this situation, Carthage stood out and developed into a powerful country in the western Mediterranean. In addition to controlling the west coast of North Africa, it also occupied southern Spain, most of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and Balearic Islands. In the fifth century BC, it once expanded to the African continent. Of particular importance is the merger of the collapse of the Cape Peninsula and a large area of southern Carthage.

The occupation of Tunisia, the most fertile land, ensured the food supply of Carthage's huge urban population in the future, and also provided a solid foundation for Carthage's prosperous maritime trade, developed industry and commerce, and powerful Lu Haijun.

Carthage built a powerful army. Since the 6th century BC, there has been a sharp contradiction between Carthage and the Greeks in their westward expansion. It fought against the Greek colonial city-state in Sicily for 300 years. Both sides win and lose, and things are equally divided. On the continent of North Africa, it is bounded by Sidra Bay in cyrenaica.

In the long-term struggle with the Greeks, Carthage established its own powerful army and a set of well-developed state institutions.

The army is the main pillar of Carthage's continuous expansion, hegemony and maintenance of its trade monopoly in the western Mediterranean. Therefore, the method of military service for a limited number of Carthaginian citizens in the early days obviously failed to meet the above requirements.

In the middle of 6th century BC, under the auspices of Margo (the founder of the ruling family in this city), a large-scale mercenary system was established. Libyans conquered by Carthaginians constitute the main body of mercenaries, mainly serving as light infantry. Cavalry, composed of soldiers from Numidia and Mauritania, plays a special and important role in the Carthaginian army. In addition, there are Spaniards, Gauls, Italians and even Greeks among the mercenaries. Carthage's army was also equipped with war elephants and siege equipment. Carthage's navy is particularly powerful.

According to historical records, in 480 BC, Carthage sent troops to Sicily to fight the Greeks, and there were more than 200 concentrated warships. This figure is no less than the naval power of Athens, the largest maritime power in the Greek city-state.

It should be pointed out that the mercenary system played an extremely important role in the development of Carthage, but it was also a complex role. On the one hand, Carthage dominated the world with this powerful force and supported such a long-term foreign war; On the other hand, in the long-term foreign war, it was mercenaries who exhausted Carthage's own strength. Under the tenacious attack of the Roman citizen corps, the once mighty mercenaries were finally defeated and defeated, which led to the collapse of the Carthaginian regime.

Verb (abbreviation of verb) Carthage's national institution Carthage is a slave country of oligarchy. There was a throne at the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the king was elected rather than hereditary. During the war, the king can be the military commander when necessary. Since the fifth century BC, imperial power has been declining and gradually known as? Sofitel Replaced by the head of state. ? Sofitel Is the highest head of state, held by two people, annual elections, mainly in charge of the military, but also has other powers such as trial, similar to Rome's consul status.

In addition, a 300-member Senate has been established with legislative power. There is also a meeting of the 100 Committee, which is dedicated to supervising all government agencies. The civic meeting of the lower class gradually failed, and the state power was completely in the hands of the urban aristocrats composed of big businessmen and big landlords. Some powerful families, such as margot and Basside, have been attacking each other for generations, manipulating the center and deciding national policies.

In the vast areas controlled by Carthage, subjects were ruled to varying degrees. In addition to the citizens of Carthage, the ancient Phoenician colonial city-states and the newly established settlements of Carthaginians were the first to be promoted. They have local governments like Carthage. It's just that they have to pay import and export taxes, and sometimes they have to recruit from them. Later, they could only trade with Carthage and were forbidden to trade with other countries and regions.

As for Libyans in the mainland, the situation is even worse. Although allowed to keep their tribal organizations, the Carthaginians extorted money here. According to the regulations, the general tax is a quarter of the harvest. But in case of war emergency, sometimes it is as high as 50%. Historical records:? What Carthaginians admire and value is not the governors who are generous and kind to their subjects, but the governors who are best at extracting people's oil and treating them like tigers? .

6. Carthage City Carthage City is not only the political and economic center of the country, but also a military fortress. Carthage has an exceptionally strong wall, 22 miles long, and an internal castle surrounded by a two-mile long wall. There are six-story buildings in the city. Its port throughput is amazing, with 220 warships moored. The towering console of the harbor is higher than all other buildings and can be seen from the sea.

The city is densely populated, with an estimated population of 700,000 in Strappo. This figure may include the whole Cape area. Another figure is * * * 400,000 people, including slaves. Only the latter is estimated to be comparable to Athens.

7. What supports Carthage? The powerful country of Carthage is supported by its developed agriculture and handicraft economy, especially the endless wealth brought by its extensive and huge intermediary trade.

In Carthage, large-scale real estate system prevailed in agricultural management, and slaves were widely used. The source of slaves is mainly prisoners obtained through wars and pirates. There are a large number of slaves working on farms, usually thousands. In addition to slaves, many farmers are also in a subordinate and dependent position and are brutally exploited.

In the long-term management, the land nobles in Carthage have accumulated rich experience in managing slave real estate economy. As early as the 6th to 5th century BC, margot wrote a rich agricultural book. The Romans attached great importance to this book, and the Roman Senate ordered it to be translated into Latin. When Carthage finally fell, the besieged Roman army was ordered to do its best to protect this work after the city was broken. Later, the popularity and management of Roman real estate were influenced by Carthaginians.

Carthage is more dependent on trade than other city-states on the coast of North Africa. In the eyes of the world at that time, a typical Carthaginian was synonymous with businessmen. In a sense, the Carthaginian Empire was a trading empire. Trade brings it wealth, and trade brings it expanding spiritual and material power. Its trade tentacles are not only tightly wound in the western Mediterranean, but also extend to the Atlantic Ocean, Sahara and the East.

The Carthaginians first monopolized the trade in the western Mediterranean. No other nation or country may trade with the area west of Carthage. This serious monopoly is achieved by concluding treaties with other countries containing the above clauses, or ruthlessly sinking all foreign ships that invade the restricted area. As a result, a large number of imported goods were transferred to Carthage merchants. Stimulated by the huge international trade, Carthage began to cast its own metal currency in the fourth century BC.

The Carthaginians also left the Strait of Gibraltar westward and entered the Atlantic Ocean. According to Strappo's records, Carthage's shipbuilding industry is very developed, and the ships built are suitable for sailing in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The Carthaginians went north along the Atlantic coast of Spain and France until Brittany, and even had indirect contact with Britain; To the south, it sailed along the coast of Africa, established many colonies along the way, and reached some places in West Africa as far as possible.

In this respect, Chaonuo Zhou Hang (translated into Greek) left us a fascinating account. Some scholars believe that the voyage reached the mouth of Senegal, while others believe that it reached Sierra Leone further away. Herodotus, a great historian, recorded a vivid scene of Carthage's trade with black people in West Africa.

In addition to maritime trade, the Carthaginians also explored the trade in sub-Saharan Africa. Herodotus recorded the Galamant and Nassaman people in the Sahara, saying that it would take thirty days to get there from the coast. Another message tells the story of a Carthaginian named Margo who crossed the Sahara desert three times.

Therefore, Carthage became a huge international intermediary trade center in the ancient world. There are many things and frequent transactions here. Slaves and ivory on the African continent, precious carpets and various textiles in West Asia, gold and silver in Spain, tin in Britain, wax in Corsica, wine in the Balearic Islands, wine and oil in Sicily, exquisite handicrafts in Greece and food produced in Carthage are all traded and transshipped here.