In the last episode, we took a look at Carthage's early kings. We examined the stories of the first four kings of the city. We used the four kings as anchors with which to ground our discussion on Carthage’s early politics. Apart from the politics, the one other thing that we observe during this time …
Author: Ahsan Irfan
Episode 1.6 – The Early Kings
In the last episode, we examined the three Carthaginian founding myths that the Greco-Roman literature describes. We looked at the legend of Elissa and examined her misfortunes and contrivances in detail. We saw how she escaped the clutches of her brother and, after a short stay in Cyprus, landed at Utica and founded the city …
Episode 1.5 – The Founding of Carthage
In the previous episodes, I've summarized as briefly as I could the history of Tyre's colonization of the Mediterranean, and the circumstances that led to that migration. We've seen how Tyre's lust for wealth made her plant small trading stations all over the Mediterranean, and how the expansion of Assyrian hegemony in the Levant caused …
Episode 1.4 – Cooperation & Conflict
By the middle of the eighth century BC, the Tyrians were all over the Mediterranean. Under Hiram I, they had begun developing an extensive trading network that connected various Mediterranean regions. They traded in precious metals like gold, silver, tin, and lead and also dealt in ivory, wine, olive oil, and, of course, the famous …
Episode 1.3 – The Colonies of Vassals
The Late Bronze Age collapse was the first domino to fall that allowed the Phoenician city of Tyre to rise to the top. The resulting circumstances permitted Hiram I to consolidate religious, political and economic power within himself and his dynasty. To seal the deal, he also propped up the Phoenician god Melqart and his …
Episode 1.2 – A Phoenix Reborn
Legend has it that two large rocks, known as the Ambrosial Stones, drifted about aimlessly in the Mediterranean Sea. Atop one of them was an olive tree. The tree burned with a fire that never went out. Nor did it consume the tree. Perched on one of its branches was an eagle. On another …
Episode 1.1 – The Death of Carthage
Greetings Ladies & Gentlemen! In this episode, I introduce the series on Carthage. Initially, I had thought I would put the transcripts for the episode on a Patreon account. However, after thinking about it for some time, I have decided against it. You'll find the transcript of this episode below:
