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IN TUNISIA, THE
AURA OF CARTHAGE AND HANNIBAL STILL LIVES ON
by Habeeb Salloum
Standing atop Mount
Byrsa, the acropolis of both Punic and Roman Carthage, I
surveyed the panorama of the modern spread-out urban centre
covering the historic ruins which, without doubt, form an
important part of the heritage of humankind. After having a
short time before explored the few Punic, also known as
Phoenician or Carthaginian, and Roman remains, so far
uncovered, it was easy to fantasize about the Punic/Roman
wars and their most renowned hero, Hannibal - one of the
greatest army commanders in the ancient world and Carthage's
most illustrious son. Among its once splendid villas and
richly adorned temples, he must have strolled, planning his
battles with mighty Rome. Leading his 59,000 men and 40
elephants over the Alps in an epic march, he kept Rome for
years under the threat of his troops. Even though he won
many battles, he was never able to occupy that city.
Eventually, he had to return to defend Carthage. At the
Battle of Zama near Carthage, his army was defeated in 202
B.C. and he fled to Asia Minor where, rather than be
captured by the Romans, he committed suicide.
Today, Hannibal and his
city, of which only traces remain, are remembered by modern
day Tunisians with pride. Ancient Carthage, once the richest
city in the world, is marketed by Tunisian Tourism as a
'storehouse of history'. Throughout the country, hotels and
businesses carry the name of its courageous Carthaginian
leader and his city. Modern Tunisia owes a great deal to
Hannibal in the building of its national character. His city
might be no more, but its memory remains.
Carthage, derived from the
Phoenician Kart Hadascht (new village), was established in
814 B.C. by the Phoenician princess, Elissa-Dido, who had
fled Tyre, in present day Lebanon, to escape the wrath of
her brother Pygmalion. In the ensuing centuries her
descendants created a navy which ruled the seas, guarding
Carthage and its empire until, in 146 B.C., the city was
destroyed by the Romans and their Berber allies. They razed
it to the ground and scattered salt on the ruins to ensure
that it would rise again. Roman historians gleefully
describe how thoroughly they demolished the city. During the
razing, its libraries were burned, hence, all we know of
Carthage was written by her conquerors.
Yet, only a century later,
the Romans built atop the Phoenician ruins, New Carthage and
made it the capital of their African province. It quickly
grew until it became a cultured and cosmopolitan urban
centre with a large university and the second largest city
in the empire. Subsequently, Christians - Saint Augustine
was born here - Vandals, Byzantines, Arabs and Turks took
over the city as it gradually declined. According to Edward
Gibbon, at the beginning of the 16th century Carthage had
only a mosque, a college without students, some thirty shops
and five hundred ignorant peasants.
By the 19th century, little
of the city still stood. It almost became a ghost town after
its stones had been pillaged as building materials for other
towns. When the French occupied Tunisia in 1881, they built
a massive cathedral on the summit of Mount Byrsa - known to
its new conquerors as the hill of Saint Louis. It was named
after the Crusader King Louis IX who was killed trying to
conquer Tunisia and was believed to have been buried
here.
After the French
occupation, his supposed bones were taken back to France.
Atop his burial spot, the Catholic Carmelite Order decided
to carry on his Crusade to Christianize North Africa. They
built the cathedral as a base for this modern Crusade. Yet,
it all came to naught.
The French left in the
1950s and today the cathedral is an empty historic
structure, edged by remnants of a Punic neighbourhood.
Beside it stands a museum where archaeological finds from
Carthage's past are exhibited, relating to three major
periods in Carthage's history - Phoenicio-Punic,
Romano-African and Arab-Islamic. The wide range of objects
from ceramics, mosaics, inscriptions and pottery to
sarcophagi, sculptures, and stelae reflect the particular
nature of each age.
The museum only houses a
minuscule part of the remnants of ancient Carthage. A modern
sparkling-white town dotted with pine trees and mimosa cover
most of the ruins of the Punic and Roman city. Only here and
there have parts of the historic metropolis been
uncovered.
Of these, the most famous
are the remains of the Antonine [Antoine] Thermal
Baths, covering 3 1/2 ha ( 8.6 ac). The third largest and
the most imposing in the Roman Empire, they were completed
in 162 A.D. after 12 years of work by thousands of slave
laborers. A large drawing on a plaque of the baths in their
days of glory and a re-erected granite column 15 m (49 ft)
high, topped by a white capital give visitors an idea of the
luxury and the immense size of the baths. Even the little
that remains is quite impressive.
The 2nd century Roman
theatre was one of the largest in the empire, but through
the centuries it was almost totally razed to the ground. At
the beginning of the 20th century, it was partially
reconstructed. Today, it retains little from its past, yet,
as it did in Roman times, it still draws visitors, providing
an attractive setting in July and August for the
International Festival of Music, Singing and
Dancing.
On the Odeon plateau,
facing Byrsa's twin hill, there is an entire quarter of
Roman villas, a number partially excavated - the most
notable being called 'Villa de la Volière'. It is
positioned around a courtyard colonnade and from its terrace
there is a marvelous view of the sea.
As to Punic Carthage, the
Magon Quarter near Antonie Thermal Baths was originally
Phoenician but rebuilt by the Romans. The Punic Quarter,
edging the cathedral is largely preserved because the Romans
used the site as a dumping ground during their building of
New Carthage. Dating from the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C.,
excavation has revealed a collection of carefully built and
laid-out houses on a regular grid system. These were endowed
in their time with all the conveniences and comforts of that
age which included plastered walls, sewers, tiled floors and
water tanks. In the ensuing centuries, the Romans inherited
these Punic building features and they came down to us as a
legacy of Rome.
Opposite the Roman theatre
stands the tophet - a Punic cemetery, appearing like a
shrub-filled elegant garden. In it, a Punic crematorium and
many small stone coffins with carvings of children on their
face have been unearthed. Guides point to these as
indication of child sacrifice. Yet, it has never been proven
that the Carthaginians practiced this form of offering to
the gods. Only the Romans, Carthage's mortal enemies, have
accused them of this cruel practice.
As I wandered through
Carthage's scattered ruins, I thought of how our world would
be today if Hannibal had occupied Rome. No doubt, instead of
the Roman gods, the Phoenician god Baal-Hammon and the
goddess Tanit would have been the supreme beings of the
pre-Christian Mediterranean lands. Who knows what would have
come thereafter. Yet, was Carthage truly destroyed? Even
though the Romans erased the Punic city from the face of the
earth, its renown is imprinted on the soul of modern day
Tunisia.
IF YOU GO
How To Get
There:
Carthage is only a suburb
of Tunis - tramway costs less than $1. and taxis about
$5.
Facts About
Tunisia:
1) To enter Tunisia, no
visas are necessary for travellers from western Europe,
Japan, the U.S.A. and Canada.
2) It is best to travel to
southern Tunisia in spring or autumn. In summer it is very
hot.
3) The currency used in
Tunisia is the dinar - one US dollar is worth1.25 dinars.
Tunisia is one of the few countries in the world where
hotels give a better exchange rate than the
banks.
4) In all of Tunisia, taxis
are metered and very reasonable; buses and shared taxis
(louages) connect all towns and villages; tour companies
offer excursions; autos can be rented - small ones for about
$60. per day, fully insured.
5) Hotels in Tunisia are
very reasonably priced. However, it is to best book through
a tour company. They can offer even better
prices.
6) Try Tunisian food. It's
very tasty. Four of the best dishes are: couscous - prepared
in seemingly hundreds of different ways - from sweet to very
hot; briq - a thin pastry which comes with a variety of
fillings, but always includes an egg; chakchouka - a
ratatouille which is offered in many types; and spaghetti
cooked Tunisian style - for me the epitome of Spaghetti
dishes.
7) There is less crime in
Tunisia than in western Europe or North America, but beware
of pick- pocketers, especially in crowded trains, buses and
souks.
8) When taking tours, make
sure the guide speaks English. If you do not ask, French
will be the language spoken.
9) Tunisia is the most
sophisticated, relaxed and tolerant state in North Africa.
Women travellers are very safe when travelling
alone.
10) With the exception of
its capital, Tunis, Tunisia is geared up for tourism. The
most up-to-date touristic facilities are found in all its
resorts.
Note: All prices quoted are
in US dollars.
For Further Information,
Contact:
Tunisia National Tourist
Office, 1253 Ave. McGill College, Suite 655, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada H3B 2Y5. Tel:514/397-1182/0403. Fax:
514/397-1647. E-mail: tunisinfo@qc.aira.com
or Tunisian Tourism Office,
1515 Massachusetts Avenue N.W.,Washington, DC 20005 Tel :
(202) 466-2546. Fax : (202) 466-2553. or Web:
www.tunisiaonline.com and www.tourismtunisia.com
Habeeb Salloum
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