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Phoenician Unification Research Paper

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Carthage- city in present day Tunisia, dominated the commerce of the western Mediterranean, there was a tradition/story that a member of the royal family of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre fled with her supporters to the western Mediterranean, where they cleverly won the land. A Phoenician colony, established around 814 B.C.E., controlled the middle portion of the Mediterranean, stretched between the original hilltop citadel and a double harbor, had a population of roughly 400,000, ethnically diverse, each year two “judges” were elected from upper class families to serve as heads of state, however the real power was in the senate where wealthy merchant families served for life, power rested on the navy, which was strong and effective, foreign policy reflected economic interests, few records of what was traded, there is evidence that trade was done with sub-Saharan Africa, did not directly rule a large amount of land, they ruled a core area and then indirectly ruled and allowed other communities to remain independent, but still looked to Carthage for military protection, heavy emphasis on trade, citizens were not required to serve in the army, when involved in conflicts with Rome or …show more content…

They did not have a particularly strong army and relied on mercenaries from neighboring areas to fight major battles and deal with conflicts, they also ruled most of their territory indirectly. This suggests the the people here focuses on trade as source of income and support, as opposed to conquest and expansion. Lack of a strong military also suggests that there may have been a stronger focus on arts and academic pursuits. Ruling indirectly may have been a choice made based on the lack of a strong military, or it could have been that it was preferred to allow other to govern themselves and have less administrative

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