Defining Punic Carthage

Archaeology of the Phoenician Colonies

“…Its oldest archaeological levels have been dated to 760 BC, but the radiocarbon dating indicates an earlier occupation, at the end of the ninth century BC (Docter et al 2005). From its early days, the city grew quickly and developed a complex structure: it is estimated that in the seventh and sixth century BC it could have covered an area of 25 ha and had a population of between 5000 and 8000 inhabitants (Telmini et al 2014). Some of the cemeteries surrounding the city were built the eighth century BC.…”

Evidence of everiday punic culinary habits from Proratiora island, Sardinia

“…The former was possibly originally founded in the 8th century BCE by Phoenicians (D'Oriano 2009: 370-373) but only became an urban site in the second half of the fourth century BCE under the Carthaginians (Pisanu 2010). Posada was a probable Nuragic and later Phoenician/Punic settlement (Sanciu 2010;2011: 51) whilst San Teodoro was frequented by both Phoenician and Punic traders (Mancini and Sanciu 2014). The whole area was probably controlled by Olbia and produced goods and foodstuffs for the local city, which were also traded across the Tyrrhenian sea with the Italian peninsula (Cavaliere 2010;Cavaliere et al forthcoming).…”

“…However, it is noticeable that many authors do not distinguish between them, e.g. Vegas F.67 is called a Chytra/ cooking pot despite having an internal ledge (Maraoui Telmini et al 2014). Possibly the two forms were quite interchangeable.…”