Discovering Cartagena

More Articles By Phillip Bruce www.raxomnium.com

Try Some Desert Island Cruising

Carthaginians and Romans – What’s it all about? 

The city of Cartagena has a great time each September with its colourful Carthaginians and Romans Festival.  There are speeches, marches, events on the water, children’s parties, parades, spectacles and a very popular encampment packed with bars. 

The key players in the festival are the “troops”, or groups, which play either Carthaginian or Roman units.  All year is spent getting ready for the big event and thousands of Euros can be spent on costumes and weapons.  Residents and visitors all enjoy the performances and celebrations.   

However, not everyone may be entirely familiar with the historical background on which the festival is based.  The following is an outline of what happened some 2,200 years ago. At that time there were two powers struggling for mastery in the Mediterranean, the Romans and the Carthaginians. 

Now it starts to get complicated. 

When thinking of the Romans forget all about Julius Caesar, Augustus and the emperors, that all came 200 years or so later than the events that we are talking about.  In the 7^th Century BC, Rome was firmly under the control of the Etruscans and it developed as a prosperous city with a strong influence over the surrounding area. A powerful Roman identity, and the Latin language, was maintained.   Traditionally, the foundation of the Roman Republic was dated to 509BC but it may have been later, around 470BC when the Etruscans departed.

By the start of the 3^rd century Rome had established effective control over most of Italy and was becoming a Mediterranean power.  

The people who are now usually called Carthaginians were the other great power with a particular dominance in sea trade and warfare.  Their roots lay in the people described in the bible as Canaanites and elsewhere as Phoenicians. Their lands were largely along the narrow coastal strip of what is now Lebanon. The Latin adjective for Phoenician is “Punic” which explains why the walls built by the Carthaginians that are now on display in the centre near the tourism office are called Punic Walls. There would be much less confusion if they were called Carthaginian Walls.  When the Phoenicians were pushed out of their homeland by invaders from the east they established a new city, Carthage, near what is now Tripoli which rapidly developed into a great port and trading centre.  From then onwards they become known as Carthaginians. 

The two powers fought The First Punic War from 264 to 241 BC, with battles in Sicily and elsewhere.  The Romans who had begun with little naval power rapidly developed both their navy and tactics and emerged victorious with the peace treaty giving them control of Sicily and other islands. 

Carthage turned its attention to Spain, with which it had been trading for centuries.  The powerful Carthaginian family, the Barcas, particularly pushed Spanish expansion.  Barca means “lightning.”  Hamilcar Barca established Carthaginian control and settlements along the southern Spanish coastal areas between 237 and 228BC.  His son-in-law, Hasdrubal, succeeded him and Hannibal, described in one source as another son-in-law and in a second source as his son, took command of the army in 221.  Vin Diesel is now working on a Hollywood epic about Hannibal. 

The site of present-day Cartagena was, prior to the arrival of the Carthaginians, a city called Mastia, inhabited by a local tribe.  Good relations were established and an agreement was reached in 223BC whereby the Mastieni could carry on much as always while the Carthaginians looked after defence. The city of Kart-Hadath, later Cartagena, came into being.  The Carthaginian presence rapidly increased with walls, palaces, storehouses and other facilities rising.  

The Romans had strong interests in limiting Carthaginian expansion in Spain and they signed a treaty with Hasdrubal keeping the Carthaginians south of the Ebro River.  However, they also pledged themselves to protect the city of Saguntum, now Sagunto, on the coast, even though it was south of the Ebro.  Preparations for war began in Cartagena and in 219 Hannibal took Saguntum.  This victory is commemorated in one of the events of the Romans and Carthaginians festival. 

The Second Punic War lasted from 218BC to 201BC.  Hannibal set out in the spring of 217 BC on his famous march from Cartagena on Rome, crossing the Alps with his elephants, 100,000 infantrymen and 12,000 horsemen.  He had gathered and trained his forces in Cartagena and when he departed left behind only a small garrison.  Hannibal was triumphant in combat in Italy and never lost a battle but he was defeated on “home turf” near Carthage in North Africa and the war resulted in complete Roman victory.  A third Punic War took place from 149BC to 146BC which the Romans won again and the Carthaginian city of Carthage in North Africa was completely and utterly destroyed and all its inhabitants killed or sold into slavery.  Cartagena became a key city of Roman Spain. 

During the Second Punic War, The Romans mounted an attack on Cartagena under the command of Publius Cornelius Scipio, the Younger, in 210BC.  Naval troops and marines played important parts in this attack which was victorious after the latter were able to wade across the lagoon at the rear of the peninsula on which the city stood to scale the walls there, while sailors attacked the front walls.  The city fell and was given over to looting. 

Various episodes from the story of the Carthaginians and the battle for Cartagena are replayed during the Romans and Carthaginians Festival.  These include 

end

BACK

© Phillip Bruce 2006-2008 All Rights Reserved

Legal Notice - All script & pictures on this website are legally registered and the copyright property of Phillip Bruce. Any copying of material whatsoever from this site is strictly forbidden and legal action will follow unless prior permission is sought.

Gary Smith Fishing