4.7 • 3.5K Ratings
🗓️ 22 February 2024
⏱️ 57 minutes
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Famed as one of Rome’s fiercest enemies, the city of Carthage was one of the jewels of the ancient Mediterranean world. Situated on the coast of North Africa on the tip of what is now Tunisia, it first rose to prominence as a Phoenician colony. But how did this once fledgling outpost rise to claim it’s ancient pre-eminence?
In this episode of the Ancients, Tristan Hughes is once again joined by Dr. Eve MacDonald to explore the origins of this most famous of ancient cities and tell the story of how Princess Dido of Tyre journeyed across the seas to found the future home of Hannibal, bane of Rome.
This episode was produced by Elena Guthrie and Joseph Knight and edited by Aidan Lonergan. Scriptwriter: Andrew Hulse
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| 0:00.0 | If you're enjoying all the content in this episode and the rest of the ancient series, |
| 0:03.8 | then why not join me on a trip uncovering Pompeii and Herculaneum alongside the legendary |
| 0:09.2 | archaeologist Dr. Sophie Hay. You'll get exclusive access to the Vesuvian sites, |
| 0:14.3 | a Plontis and the Bay of Naples. To book now or find out more about this |
| 0:18.8 | and other historical trips, just go to History Hit.com |
| 0:22.3 | forward slash trips. Sing, Musas. |
| 0:35.0 | to me a story of heroes and the deathless gods who govern earth, sea and sky. |
| 0:44.0 | That is what Inias asks as he waits alone for the Queen of Carthage. |
| 0:49.0 | Her palace was the first thing he saw from the prow of his ship. As dusk fell the hill of Carthage was picked |
| 0:56.2 | out like a flaming crown, and the palace was the jewel at its peak, like something out of a dream. In the hill's shadow, gentle waves lap at a bustling port. |
| 1:09.8 | Towering tenements reach almost to the shore. It could be a haven and Aeneas is in desperate need of one. |
| 1:19.2 | Squeezed into his ship's hold are the last remnants of Troy, those families lucky enough to escape the devastation. |
| 1:26.5 | They are destined to found a new city, Rome, but their wanderings have felt endless. |
| 1:34.0 | First Ainea, then Ortiger, now Pergama, now Sicily. |
| 1:39.0 | At each port the exiles have met with suspicion, mistrust, even violence. |
| 1:44.6 | When they have been shown hospitality, it has been short-lived. |
| 1:49.4 | And so that is why he goes to the Palace of Carthage alone. That is why he goes to the palace of Carthage alone. That is why he asks the musers to tell him of |
| 1:57.0 | this queen. Dido. |
| 2:02.0 | It's the ancients on history hit. I'm Tristan Hughes, your host. |
| 2:07.8 | And in today's episode, while we are exploring the origins and rise of one of the great cities of the ancient Mediterranean world, Carthage, |
| 2:17.0 | home of famous figures such as Dido the Queen, Hano the Explorer, and of course, Hannibal, Bain of Rome. |
| 2:25.0 | Now, as with the origins of many great ancient cities, Carthage's early history, |
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