The Punic Harbour

Overview

Carthage's twin harbours — a rectangular merchant basin and a famous circular military port — were a marvel of ancient engineering, hidden behind a single narrow entrance and lined with sheds for hundreds of warships.

Historical Context

In 200 BC Carthage had just lost the Second Punic War to Rome but was still a wealthy mercantile power. Within fifty years Rome would destroy it utterly in the Third Punic War.

What to Notice

• The circular military harbour with its central island.
• Ship-sheds slotted around the rim.
• Sailors and merchants in tunics; Punic script on amphorae.