Carthage Timeline - Biblical Archaeology

RELG 433 - Biblical Archaeology

Timeline for Carthage

Carthage as a Phoenician colony

814 BC: Carthage founded by Elissa (Dido), sister of the King of Tyre
ca. 800 BC: Phoenicians present in Sardinia
770 BC: Founding of Gadir, port for silver from Spain
700-500 BC: Greeks colonized Sicily, Southern Italy, Southern Provence, Andalusia and Cyrenaica, encircling Carthaginian territory.
654 BC: Carthage founded the colony of Ibiza in the Balearic Islands
600 BC: Greeks founded the colony of Massilia (Marseilles), hindering Phoenician expansion into what would become southern France. The Sicilian Wars, between Greek and Carthaginian colonies in Sicily, began.
574 BC: Nebuchadnezzar captured Tyre - Phoenician support for Carthage was weakened
550 BC: Carthage allied with the Etruscans of Italy against the Greeks
550 BC: Malchus led the Carthaginians against the Greeks in Sicily. Malchus captured half of the island of Sicily, but was defeated in Sardinia. Malchus was banished, then led an army against Carthage, but was defeated and executed
ca. 550 BC: Founding of the Carthaginian colonies of Africa, Algeria, Hadrumetum, and Leptis
539 BC: Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered the motherland of Phoenicia
510 BC: Rome threw off the Etruscan rulers and established the independent Republic of Rome
509 BC: Carthage and Rome formed their first treaty. The terms included prohibition of Carthaginian interference in Italy.
498 BC: Hippocrates and Theron seized control of Syracuse and attempted to throw Phoenicians off the western part of Sicily
480 BC: Carthage and Persia formed an alliance against the Greeks but were defeated in Sicily
480 BC: Carthaginian forces under Hamilcar Mago were defeated by Sicilian Greeks at Himera, cutting off access to the East. Hamilcar Mago committed suicide on the battlefield.

The Early Republic of Carthage

480 BC: Revolution in Carthage overthrew the Magonid dynasty and established the Court of 104 Magistrates
479-450 BC: Carthage conquered most of Tunisia. Colonies in North Africa were founded or strengthened. Mago led an expedition across the Sahara desert
?460 BC or 410 BC: Hanno the Explorer's expeditions to Morocco and Senegal
410 BC: Himilco the Navigator's expeditions in the Atlantic along the coast of northern Europe
410 BC: Phoenicians in Spain joined with Celtiberians to secede from Carthage, denying the state important silver and copper revenues. Overland tin trade was cut off
409 BC: Start of the First Sicilian-Carthaginian War. Carthage attempted to conquer Sicily. Hannibal Mago, grandson of Hamilcar Mago (not the later Hannibal Barca who crossed the Alps during the Punic Wars) took the fortified towns of Selinus and Himera by use of siege towers.
405 BC: Hannibal Mago and hundreds of troops died in an epidemic outside the fortified town of Acragas. Hannibal Mago's relative Himilco took over command, but was defeated by forces from Syracuse
405 BC: Himilco defeated forces from Syracuse and took the towns of Gela and Camarina
405 BC: Himilco's army was hit by an epidemic. Himilco made a treaty with Syracuse, by which Syracuse granted control of most of Sicily to Carthage, and paid tribute to Carthage. Dionysius I was confirmed as Tyrant (dictator) of Syracuse. The First Sicilian-Carthaginian War ended.
398 BC: Dionysius sacked Motya, and the Carthaginians permanently moved their main Sicilian base to the fortified town of Lilybaeum
397 BC: Himilco drove Dionysius back to Syracuse and resumed the siege. Himilco sank or boarded 100 Syracusan warships and took 20,000 prisoners.
396 BC: Carthaginian forces were hit again by an epidemic in Sicily. Dionysius defeated Himilco in battle. Himilco survived, but returned to Carthage and starved himself to death.
393 BC: Carthaginian forces under Mago, nephew of Himilco, were defeated trying to re-take Messana.
392 BC: Mago was defeated again and Carthage signed a truce with Sicily.
384 BC: Carthage renewed the war with Sicily.
375 BC: Carthage was defeated at Cabala, where Mago and 10,000 soldiers were killed. Mago's son Himilco continued the fight and defeated Dionysius near Himera. A truce favorable to Carthage was concluded.
367 BC: Dionysius attacked the Carthaginians at Lilybaeum in Sicily, but his fleet was defeated by Hanno the Great.
366 BC: Death of Dionysius I, Tyrant of Carthage. The Sicilian-Carthaginian War continued.
360 BC: Hanno the Great tried to take over Carthage, but was foiled and was then crucified.
348 BC: Carthage signed a second treaty with Rome
343 BC: Mago tried to invade Syracuse, failed, and committed suicide rather than face a court-martial. Hasdrubal and Hamilcar tried to invade Sicily, but lost the Battle of Segesta. Hasdrubal was executed for failure. Gisco, the son of Hanno the Great, was authorized to make peace and the island of Sicily was divided along the Halycus River. This ended the Second Sicilian-Carthaginian War
334 BC: Alexander the Great's conquest of Phoenicia and the East
323 BC: Death of Alexander the Great
315: Agathocles of Syracuse seized the town of Messana.
311 BC: Agathocles besieged Acragas and crossed the Halcyus river, violating the peace treaty.
310 BC: Hamilcar, grandson of Hanno the Great, defeated the Greek force at Himera and besieged Syracuse.
309 BC: Agathocles invaded Northern Africa and defeated a much larger army led by Bomilcar and Hanno. Thousands of Carthaginians were killed, but the city itself was not captured. Carthaginian forces continued to besiege Syracuse.
308 BC: Bomilcar tried to become dictator in Carthage, but was defeated and tortured to death.
307 BC: Greek forces captured and killed Hamilcar outside Syracuse.
307 BC: Carthage defeated the Greek forces in Africa. A treaty favorable to Carthage was signed.
306 BC: Carthage and Rome signed their third treaty.
300 BC: Pytheas explored the Atlantic. Euthymenes explored the coasts of Africa.
289 BC: Death of Agathocles, Tyrant of Syracuse. End of the Third Sicilian-Phoenician War.
279 BC: Pyrrhus of Epirus, a relative of Alexander the Great, invaded southern Italy and Sicily. He drove most of the Phoenicians out of Sicily, leaving only Lilybaeum as their remaining stronghold.
279 BC: Carthage and Rome agreed to fight Pyrrhus of Epirus.
ca. 277 BC: Carthage sank 70 of Pyrrhus' 110 ships and Pyrrhus gave up the war.
272 BC: A woman threw a tile from a rooftop as Pyrrhus invaded Argos, and killed him before he could invade Sicily further.

The Late Republic of Carthage. The Punic Wars. The End of Carthage.

263 BC: Start of the First Punic War. Rome and Carthage got into a disagreement over the island of Sicily.
262 BC: Rome won Messana, Syracuse went over to the Romans, and Acragas fell to the Romans.
261 BC: Carthage raided the coast of Italy, and lost a ship, which was copied by the Romans and used as the basis of their first fleet. The Roman fleet defeated the Carthaginians at Mylae. The commander Hannibal was crucified. Carthaginians were victorious at the Battle of Thermae
257 BC: Roman forces landed in Africa and took Tunis. Carthage was saved by forces led by Hasdrubal and Bostzer, with the help of Numidian cavalry under the Greek mercenary leader Xanthippus
253 BC: Rome won the naval battle off the Aegates Islands, west of Sicily, and cutting off the African supply bases for Carthage. Hasdrubal was defeated was executed by his own forces. Carthage appealed for a Truce.
241 BC: End of the First Punic War. Carthage lost Sicily, lost its fleet, and faced financial ruin.
241-237 BC: Mercenary soldiers employed by Carthage led a revolt and stirred up the poverty-stricken peasants of Libya and Utica. The revolt was put down by Hamilcar Barca, but Carthage had to hand over Sardinia and Corsica to Rome in order to keep Rome out of the struggle.
237 BC: Hamilcar Barca reconquered Spain.
229 BC: Death of Hamilcar Barca. His son-in-law Hasdrubal the Fair became the leader of the Carthaginian forces.
228 BC: Hasdrubal the Fair founded Carthago Nova (Cartagena) in Spain.
226 BC: A treaty with Rome set the Ebro River as the boundary between Roman and Carthaginian territory in Hibernia (Spain).
221 BC: Hasdrubal the Fair was assassinated. Hannibal Barca, son of Hamilcar Barca, became the leader of the Carthaginian forces.
219 BC: Hannibal Barca and his brother Hasdrubal Barca conquered the entire Iberian Peninsula up to the River Ebro.
218 BC: Hannibal Barca took the Roman-supported town of Saguntum. Hannibal continued his invasion over the River Ebro, across France, over the Alps and into northern Italy. Hannibal defeated Cornelius Scipio at Ticinus, and Sempronius Longus at Trebia. However, Rome defeated the Carthaginian general Hanno in Iberia, and won a naval battle off Lilybaeum. Carthage lost control of the island of Malta.
217 BC: Hannibal Barca won the Battle at Lake Trasimene over Flaminius.
216 BC: Hannibal Barca won the Battle at Cannae over Terentius Varro.
214 BC: Roman forces under Marcellus captured Syracuse.
218 BC: Hasdrubal Barca returned to Spain, fought against the Scipio brothers, Publius Scipio and Gnaeus Scipio, and defeated and killed both of them at the Battles of the Upper Baetis. Scipio Publius' son Scipio Africanus took up the leadership of the Roman forces.
210-205 BC: Scipio took Spain with the aid of the Numidian Prince Massinissa, then went on to invade Africa and took Tunis.
207 BC: Hasdrubal Barca was defeated and killed by the Romans at the Battle of the Metaurus in Italy. The Romans decapitated Hasdrubal and threw his head into his brother Hannibal's camp.
204 BC: Scipio formed an alliance with the Numidian Prince Massinissa, and with Libyans and Moors, to fight Carthage. Carthage lost two battles, and agreed to a peace treaty. Hannibal returned to Carthage.
202 BC: Carthage re-opened the War by attacking Roman ships. Hannibal Barca fought and lost the Battle of Zama. The Second Punic War ended with the Carthaginian fleet reduced to 10 triremes, and further war prohibited.
194 BC: Hannibal fled east to Antiochus to escape his Roman enemies.
183 BC: Hannibal committed suicide rather than be handed over to the Romans.
150 BC: King Massinissa of Numidia took control of land belonging to Carthage. Carthage retaliated, but lost the fight.
149 BC: Rome declared war on Carthage for breaking the terms of the treaty of 202 BC (by fighting Numidia). Start of the Third Punic War
146 BC: Fall of Carthage to Scipio Aemilianus. The city was burned to the ground, and Cato the Censor's perpetual demand that 'Carthage is to be deleted' (Delenda est Carthago) was accomplished.

Dr. Rollinson

Station 19, ENMU
Portales, NM 88130

Last Updated : March 2, 2022

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