Parts of the City of Carthage cica 146 B.C.

Modern people seem to identify the Carthaginians with the sea. They would not be wrong in identifying the Carthaginians with the sea. The Carthaginians were some of the finest naval explorers in ancient times. They traveled from Carthage to places as far north as Britain. Naturally they travelled round and across Africa.

In the History Channel Special on Building An Empire: Carthage, a fine but debatable study, much was made of the city's naval harbors. Here is my primative recreation of the civil and military harbors. The harbor without a doubt was a primary feature of the city's activities. The outer civil harbor is like a long hall way with slips running on both sides. At the end of this harbor was the military harbor.

The military harbor can be compared to a rail road round house. It had many slips for the city's navy. This place also had the admiral's headquarters in the center. From here a clear view to the sea was possible. It may have served as a light house as well. The Admiral's HQ and the military harbor are actually on an island.