Carthage

This book traces the formation of the archaeological site of Carthage and how it re-emerged in the minds of European antiquarians and travellers in the early modern world. For almost 1,600 years the ancient city sat on the north coast of Africa, dominating the central Mediterranean until its fall in 698 CE. One of the oldest cities in the Mediterranean, it was founded in legend by the Tyrian queen Dido and destroyed after epic wars with Rome. It was soon reborn as a Roman city, and late in antiquity evolved into a centre for Christian worship.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, when European explorers first arrived, searching for the site of Carthage, they were amazed that almost nothing of its former glory remained and lamented its loss. The gradual and sometimes controversial exploration of Carthage has, over the last two centuries, brought the story of this renowned ancient city back into the public imagination. From the first discovery of Punic artifacts to the plunder of the site for the enrichment of European museums, the book follows the many personalities whose interests and diligence led to the establishment of scientific archaeological excavations and the re-emergence of Carthage from the ruins.

Sandra Bingham is a Senior Teaching Fellow in Classics at the University of Edinburgh, UK. She has been involved in excavations at Carthage and now works in Greece. She has written The Praetorian Guard (2012); other interests include espionage in antiquity and Roman imperial women.

Eve MacDonald is a sessional lecturer in the Department of Classics at the University of Reading, UK. As an archaeologist she has excavated at and taught extensively on Carthage. She is the author of Hannibal: A Hellenistic Life (2015) and currently works on excavations on the Sasanian Persian frontiers.