{"id":135,"date":"2014-09-15T14:48:45","date_gmt":"2014-09-15T18:48:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/?p=135"},"modified":"2015-01-02T07:58:54","modified_gmt":"2015-01-02T12:58:54","slug":"carthaginians-as-migrants-and-colonizers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/carthaginians-as-migrants-and-colonizers\/","title":{"rendered":"Carthaginians as Migrants and Colonizers"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"Shipwrecked<\/a><\/p>\n

In Vergil’s epic, Aeneas and his band of Trojan refugees seem to embody all aspects of the migrant cycle: they are forced to leave their homeland, experience many challenges on their travels, and eventually find a new land where they can settle. \u00a0However, the Aeneid<\/em> includes another group that faces the same trials and in many ways parallels the Trojans’ journey.\u00a0 Vergil writes that the <\/a>

The first 4 books of the Aeneid take place in Carthage.<\/div> were also migrants before settling in North Africa. \u00a0Interestingly, they also play the part of an established population that receives outsiders when they host the exile Trojans. \u00a0Given the Carthaginians’ travels, why do they have such a prominent role in the Aeneid? \u00a0More importantly, how did Rome’s <\/a>
For over a century, the Romans and Carthaginians were bitter enemies, ending with the Third Punic War, when the Roman Senate ordered the destruction of Carthage in 146 BCE.<\/div> with Carthage impact Vergil’s description of these people?<\/a>
Adcock,\u00a0Delenda Est Carthago,\u00a0<\/em>P. 117<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

Tyrian Migrants:\u00a0the Origins of Carthage<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Ruins<\/a><\/p>\n

In the Aeneid, Vergil\u00a0uses the most popular foundation myth for Carthage to provide a background for Queen Dido and her people. \u00a0According to a number a Greek sources dating back to the third century BCE, Carthage was founded by settlers from <\/a>

An ancient Phoenician city located in what is today southern Lebanon<\/div>.<\/a>
Lancel,\u00a0Carthage: a History<\/em>, P. 7<\/div><\/sup> \u00a0Supposedly, upon his death\u00a0in 831 BCE, King Mattan bequeathed the kingdom of Tyre to his son Pygmalion and his daughter Elissa, whom Vergil refers to as Dido. \u00a0After the Tyrian people protested this division of power and established Pygmalion as the king of Tyre, Pygmalion secured his dominance by killing Elissa’s husband Acherbas, whom Vergil calls Sychaeus. \u00a0Elissa hid her hatred of Pygmalion for his deed, and requested to live with him.<\/a>
Miles, Carthage Must be Destroyed: the Rise and Fall of an\u00a0Ancient Civilization, <\/em>P. 58<\/div><\/sup>\u00a0 In order to help Elissa move in with him, Pygmalion sent her on a ship with a number of his attendants to retrieve her belongings. \u00a0However, while at sea, Elissa threw a few bags of what she claimed to be Acherbas’ gold overboard, and convinced Pygmalion’s attendants to join her flight from Tyre by arguing that Pygmalion would kill them for the loss of the gold. \u00a0Elissa and her followers then sailed to Cyprus, where they were joined by a high priest and eighty girls, who would serve as wives for the men, before traveling to North Africa and founding Carthage.<\/a>
Miles,\u00a0Carthage Must be Destroyed: the Rise and Fall of an\u00a0Ancient Civilization,\u00a0<\/em>P. 59<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

When\u00a0Aeneas and his companions are shipwrecked in North Africa in the first book of the Aeneid, Venus appears to them disguised as a Tyrian hunter, and recounts Carthage’s origin story with a few small variations. \u00a0She describes how Pygmalion killed Sychaeus to get access to his gold, and Dido was unaware of this murder until the ghost of her husband revealed the deed. \u00a0Venus describes how Dido then fled Tyre with Sychaeus’ gold and sailed to North Africa.<\/p>\n

his commota fugam Dido socios parabat.
\n<\/em>conueniunt quibus aut odium crudele tyranni
\n<\/em>aut \u00a0metus acer erat; nauis quae forte paratae,
\n<\/em>corripiunt onerantque auro. portantur auari
\n<\/em>Pygmalionis opes pelago; dux femina facti.<\/em>\u00a0(Aeneid 1, 360-364)<\/p>\n

“Having been roused by these things Dido was preparing her escape and her companions.
\nthe ones to whom there was either fierce hate of the tyrant
\nor sharp fear assemble; they seize ships, which by chance
\nwere prepared, and load them with gold. \u00a0The wealth of greedy<\/p>\n

Pygmalion is being carried by the sea; the leader of the deed is a woman.”<\/p>\n

It is unclear how true this myth is to the actual events leading up to the founding of Carthage, since much of Carthage’s own records of its past were lost when the Romans sacked the city in 146 BCE.<\/a>

Lancel,\u00a0Carthage: a History<\/em>, P. 424<\/div><\/sup>\u00a0While the details of the daring story may have been manipulated by Greek and Roman historians, it is believed that Carthage was indeed founded by Phoenician settlers.<\/a>
Soren, Khader, and Slim, Carthage: Uncovering the Mysteries and Splendors of Ancient\u00a0Tunisia<\/em>, P. 17<\/div><\/sup>\u00a0 Nevertheless, the version that Vergil presents makes the Carthaginians’ flight from their homeland seem extremely similar to that of the Trojans. \u00a0Both groups were forced to leave homes they loved and were destined to found great cities. \u00a0The travels that both the Carthaginians and Trojans have to endure in the Aeneid<\/em> emphasize the similarity\u00a0between the two groups and the powerful role of migration in the human experience.<\/p>\n

Indigenous African Response: the Carthaginians as Colonists<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Dido<\/a><\/p>\n

The poet further heightens the shared humanity between the migrant Carthaginians and Trojans by describing each people’s interactions with indigenous populations. \u00a0Much like the Trojans interacting with the native peoples of Italy<\/a>, Dido and her fleeing Tyrians faced challenges with the peoples of North Africa in founding their city.<\/a>

Aeneid 1.365-368<\/div><\/sup> \u00a0According to the Aeneid, when Dido first arrived at the site of Carthage, the native leaders allowed her to claim all the area she could cover with a \u00a0<\/a>
This myth arose from the fact that the Carthaginian name for their citadel, Bosra<\/em>, sounds similar to the Greek word for a bull’s hide, Byrsa.<\/em><\/div>, which she cleverly tore into thin strips to surround the largest area possible.<\/a>
Austin,\u00a0P. Vergili Maronis Aeneidos, Liber Primus<\/em>, P. 133<\/div><\/sup>\u00a0 In most accounts, the North African peoples lived in peace with Carthage, until the city rapidly developed into a powerful mercantile center. \u00a0The native populations who once granted the exiled Tyrians a site to build a humble city began to show resentment as Carthage\u00a0surpassed their own towns. \u00a0According to legend, the Libyan king Iarbas, who initially allowed Dido to peacefully enter his city, threatened to attack Carthage with a superior military force unless Dido agreed to marry him. \u00a0Dido first complies with his ultimatum to save her city, but then commits suicide.<\/a>
Miles,\u00a0Carthage Must be Destroyed: the Rise and Fall of an\u00a0Ancient Civilization,\u00a0<\/em>P. 58<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

While Dido does not kill herself to avoid marriage with Iarbas in the Aeneid, Iarbas displays a great amount of hostility towards Carthage. \u00a0Spurned by Dido’s rejection of his marriage proposal and her acceptance of Aeneas, he complains to Jupiter about the situation.<\/p>\n

femina, quae nostris errans in finibus urbem<\/em>
\nexiguam pretio posuit, cui litus arandum<\/em>
\ncuique loci leges dedimus, conubia nostra<\/em>
\nreppulit ac dominum Aenean in regna recepit.\u00a0<\/em>(Aeneid 4, 211-214)<\/p>\n

The woman, who wandering in our territory set up
\na puny city for a price, to whom we gave the shore to be plowed
\nand to whom we gave laws of the place, she rejected
\nour wedding and accepted Aeneas into her kingdom.<\/p>\n

Iarbas’ tirade is one of the most notable cases of anti-immigrant convictions in the Aeneid and is comparable to the hostility hurled at Aeneas and his company when they arrive in Italy. It shows an important stage in the migrant cycle and\u00a0further extends the parallels between the Trojans and Carthaginians.<\/p>\n

Relationship with the\u00a0Trojans<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"During<\/a><\/p>\n

The shared migrant histories of the Carthaginians and the Trojans draw the two peoples closer together in the Aeneid. \u00a0However, their specific behaviors and interactions in the epic establish contrasts between the two groups. \u00a0The Carthaginians immediately welcome Aeneas into their city and show sympathy for the Trojans’ plight. \u00a0They serve as generous hosts to their shipwrecked guests. \u00a0Eventually, due to intervention by Venus, a <\/a>

Venus causes Dido to fall in live with Aeneas to help protect her son when he is in Carthage. \u00a0Juno is also in favor of this relationship because she thinks it will keep Aeneas in Carthage, thereby preventing him from founding Rome, which is destined to destroy Carthage.<\/div> develops between Dido and Aeneas, and Dido requests that the Trojans stay with her people. \u00a0However, driven by Zeus’ commands, Aeneas leaves Carthage to fulfill his destiny of founding a city in Latium.<\/a>
Aeneid 1-4<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

The Carthaginians are gracious hosts, but they display several qualities that oppose the values of the Trojans and their eventual Roman descendants.<\/a>

Miles,\u00a0Carthage Must be Destroyed: the Rise and Fall of an\u00a0Ancient Civilization,\u00a0<\/em>P. 58<\/div><\/sup> \u00a0Their opulent buildings and the importance of a treasure of gold in their background story suggest an excessive propensity for luxury, at the expense of military security and religious piety.<\/a>
Adler,\u00a0Vergil’s Empire, Political Thought in the Aeneid,\u00a0<\/em>P. 40<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Even though Vergil’s Carthage is bordered by warlike peoples and Dido has a strained relationship with the violent King Iarbas, the Aeneid<\/em> downplays the Carthaginian military forces or a preparedness to deal with their neighbors.<\/a>

Adler,\u00a0Vergil’s Empire, Political Thought in the Aeneid,\u00a0<\/em>P. 29<\/div><\/sup> \u00a0Furthermore, while their city is sacred to <\/a>
Juno hates the Trojans for several reasons, including the facts that Paris deemed Aphrodite more fair than her and that their descendants are destined to destroy her favorite city, Carthage. \u00a0She was an important factor in the Greek victory at Troy.<\/div> and possesses a temple to the goddess, Aeneas never shows discomfort with Carthaginian worship of the goddess who hates his race and caused him to become shipwrecked. \u00a0Instead, the Carthaginian temple seems to celebrate wealth more than Juno, and Dido never offers honors to the city’s patron goddess specifically.<\/a>
Adler,\u00a0Vergil’s Empire, Political Thought in the Aeneid,\u00a0<\/em>P. 22<\/div><\/sup> \u00a0Finally, the fact that Dido is maddened by Aeneas’ departure to fulfill Jupiter’s divine plan shows her vulnerability to earthly desires and suggests ignorance of the gods. \u00a0The Carthaginians’ focus on wealth and material possessions instead of military power and religious piety directly conflicts with the Roman ideals embodied by Aeneas and his followers.<\/p>\n

Relationship with the Romans<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite the initial period of friendship between Dido and Aeneas, destiny demands an unfavorable ending to the relationship between the Carthaginians and the Trojans. \u00a0Following Aeneas’ cold departure, Dido goes mad and commits <\/a>

She throws herself on a sword that Aeneas gave to her. \u00a0Jupiter sends the goddess Iris to lead Dido’s spirit to the underword<\/div>.<\/a>
Aeneid IV 642-705<\/div><\/sup> \u00a0In some of her last words, she curses Aeneas and his people and plans to haunt him as a shade. \u00a0While no fighting between the two groups occurs in the Aeneid, the epic sets the stage for future rivalry and violence.<\/a>
Reed,\u00a0Virgil’s Gaze: Nation and Poetry in the Aeneid,\u00a0<\/em>P. 74<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

felix, heu nimium felix, si litora tantum<\/em>
\n numquam Dardiniae tetigissent nostra carinae.\u00a0<\/em>(Aeneid 4, 657-658)<\/p>\n

Happy, alas I too would have been happy, if only
\nthe Dardanian keels had never touched our shores.<\/p>\n

\"Dido<\/a><\/p>\n

The Aeneid shows the Carthaginians and Trojans as relatable peoples sharing a similar human experience defined by migration, and the tragic character of Dido likely aroused feelings of sympathy for the Carthaginians in Vergil’s Roman audience. \u00a0Nevertheless, the epic sets the stage for future conflict between the two groups. \u00a0Vergil mentions their fated rivalry in some of the first lines of the Aeneid.<\/a>

Reed, Virgil’s Gaze: Nation and Poetry in the Aeneid,\u00a0<\/em>P. 73<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci
\n<\/em>audierat Tyrias olim quae uerteret arces;
\n<\/em>hinc populum late regem belloque superbum
\n<\/em>uenturum excidio Libyae; sic uoluere Parcas.\u00a0<\/em>(Aeneid I, 19-22)<\/p>\n

But in fact (Juno) had heard that descendants were being drawn
\nfrom Trojan blood who would turn over the Tyrian citadels;
\nfrom here a people ruling extensively and proud in war
\nwould come for the destruction of Libya; thus the fates were rolling.<\/p>\n

Therefore, by the time Vergil\u00a0has finished writing about the Carthaginians, they appear\u00a0as worthy rivals of the Romans, and in many ways the epic celebrates Rome’s long history of conflict with and eventual conquest of these people .<\/a>

Adcock,\u00a0Delenda Est Carthago,\u00a0<\/em>P. 120<\/div><\/sup><\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/strong><\/p>\n

Recounting the history of the Carthaginians almost immediately after Aeneas’ flight from Troy establishes migration as a dominant theme in the Aeneid<\/em>. \u00a0Since the Aeneid<\/em> meticulously recounts\u00a0their experiences as exiles, migrants, colonizers, and hosts,\u00a0the prominence of the Carthaginians in the beginning of the epic highlights the importance of movement in the human tradition.<\/p>\n

The high profile of the Carthaginians in the Aeneid serves a political purpose. \u00a0The Carthaginians experience similar trials as the Trojans and their Roman descendants. \u00a0However, the Carthaginians display distinct divergences from Roman values that allow them to serve as a foil for the Trojans. \u00a0In addition to emphasizing the Trojans’ virtues, the Carthaginians’ characteristics and their strained relationship with the Trojans at the end of Book 4 make them appear as worthy rivals to Aeneas’ company. \u00a0The description of the Carthaginians as similar to Trojans celebrates Rome’s historic rivalry with Carthage and its eventual conquest of the great North African city.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Carthage was one of Rome’s most hated enemies, yet the city dominates the first 4 books of the Aeneid. What are the effects of Vergil’s portrayal of the Carthaginians?","protected":false},"author":4750,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4750"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135"}],"version-history":[{"count":97,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":442,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135\/revisions\/442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/aeneid-migrations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}