Carthage, an ancient Phoenician city, was a prominent Punic colony in the Mediterranean. At its peak, it was the capital of a small empire that encompassed parts of Spain, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, and Libya. Founded in the 9th century BC as a Phoenician port in the Gulf of Tunis, it became independent and exerted strong influence in the western Mediterranean. From the 3rd century BC, it clashed with Rome in three Punic Wars. Despite Hannibal's achievements, Carthage was defeated. Scipio Aemilianus destroyed it at the end of the third war. Rebuilt by the Romans, it thrived under the Vandal Kingdom and the Byzantine Empire. In 698 AD, the Umayyads occupied it, marking the end of its history. Archaeologists find its remains in modern-day Carthage, near Tunis.
