Carthage

قرطاج

Tunisia · Tunis

Ancient cityIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 1979
Approximate period814 BCE — 698 CEPhoenician-Punic, Roman and Late Antiquity See on the map ↓

In brief

Punic Carthage was destroyed by Rome in 146 BC; Roman Carthage developed over its remains. Various sections of this extensive site have been excavated, and the coordinate marks the Byrsa archaeological sector.

What was found?

  • 1Racetrack of the Roman circus

    The track and spectator areas near the starting gates of the chariot-racing building were investigated. Trenches left by dismantled walls show that the building stones were later used elsewhere.

  • 2Yasmina cemetery

    A Roman-period cemetery containing statues, inscriptions, coins, pottery and human remains. According to researchers, the diversity of the finds indicates that people from different social groups were buried here.

  • 3Marble charioteer statue

    A statue of a charioteer found in Yasmina cemetery. According to researchers, it reveals a relationship between the nearby circus and the cemetery.

  • 4Lead curse tablets

    Inscribed lead sheets found during the circus excavation; one example was folded and attached to the track with a bronze nail. They document magical practices in the racing arena.

  • 5Horse skeletons

    Horse remains uncovered behind the spectator area. According to researchers, they suggest that a stable may have stood nearby.

What does it point to?

The racing building, charioteer statue and tablets reveal the connections between spectacles, social life and magical practices. According to researchers, the varied graves and objects in Yasmina cemetery reflect a broad cross-section of society in Roman Kartaca.

What did it teach us?

  1. Showed that the racing arena and the nearby cemetery were related.
  2. Documented the use of inscribed objects for magical purposes on the racetrack.
  3. Revealed that stones from the circus walls were dismantled and reused.

Images

Tunisie Carthage Ruines 08
Calips · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Phoenician-Punic; Roman; Vandal; Byzantine
Coordinates
36.8522°, 10.3239°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. classics.uga.edu
  3. en.wikipedia.org

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