14. Carthage was so powerful that it rivaled Rome and Greece
If you’ve been (un)fortunate enough to study Latin or Classics at school, you’ll know that the greatest rival to Rome and Greece for many years was the kingdom of Carthage. But did you know that Carthage was an African Kingdom? Carthage was founded by the Phoenicians in the 8th century BC, and is now a suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. Its site was no accident: Carthage offered good access to the Gulf of Tunis and the Mediterranean Sea, and was easily to defend against attack. Carthage grew wealthy through conquering other nations and controlling North African trade.
Ancient sources tell us that Carthage became the wealthiest city in the world, helped in no small part by its aggressive policy of sinking ships belonging to rival nations and expanding its commercial interests by sending explorers to the coast of Spain and Morocco. Unlike the later Kingdom of Benin (above), Carthage did not spend so much on fine art, but invested its wealth in maintaining a vast army of mercenaries. Carthage’s iron-grip in trade and military strength inevitably put it into conflict with Rome, and thus the three bloody Punic Wars erupted between 264 and 146 BC.