Quartier Punique in Carthage is one of the most interesting tourist spots in Tunisia. Anyone who is interested in the history of Tunisia will do well to visit this site.
Location
The site is at the south of the Carthage Museum. This ancient city is a suburb of Tunis in Tunisia.
What to See
Excavations in the site have unearthed several artifacts and ruins. The Gens Augusta altar is one of the main features of the place. There are also several temples in the site dating from different periods. Visitors to the site will also get to see the residential homes the people used to live in.
Evidence shows that there was water supply available at the time. One of the most interesting aspects of Quartier Punique in Carthage is that the hill was utilized as a burial ground. It was around the 5th century when workshops were built.
History
Not much is known about the history of Carthage because the records were destroyed by the Romans. There are only a few Punic texts available in Latin and Greek. The major sources of their history are Roman and Greek writers, who competed against Carthage. Their views, unsurprisingly, are mostly hostile against it.
According to the Romans, Phoenician colonists led by Queen Dido (Elissa) established Carthage in 814 BC. The Queen was an exiled princess from Tyre, the Phoenician city. At its height, the metropolis presided over hundreds of other cities.
However, the story of Queen Dido is often regarded as a myth. Most researchers believe that the city was one of the Phoenician settlements at the west of the Mediterranean. Its purpose was to ease trade from the Sidon cities.
The city had several ports designed for their fleets. The earliest rulers of the city were kings that were chosen by the Carthaginian senate.
Cost
A week long guided tour of Tunisia will cost about 2000 USD.
Other Info
Based on archaeological research, the houses were built after the workshops. When Carthage was destroyed, the hill was abandoned. During the rule of Augustus (30 B.C.-A.D. 14), the hill summit was leveled. This necessitated the destruction of the Punic and the Eshmun temple. After the destruction, work on the foundation for the capitol and forum began.
The Quartier Punique in Carthage is one site that people visiting Tunisia can learn a lot from. The ruins are not only impressive, but they give you an idea of how splendid the country’s history is.
