Latest news with #Carthaginians
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
A Strategy Board Game With a Focus on Ancient Imperial Militaries
Graduation season is here and high school students will be maneuvering toward college or their careers. Most high school students will exit their 12 years of education without much, if any, knowledge of the ancient world, especially the militaries of the ancient world. There may be a simple method to bridge that educational gap. Ways of the Game Osprey Games has recently issued a new board game called 'Battalion: War of the Ancients.' It enables two to four players to command the ancient armies of the Greco-Bactrian Kingdom, the Roman Republic, the Carthaginians, or the Han Dynasty. Choosing any military enables players to learn some of the methods of ancient warfare, the similar and dissimilar tactical maneuvers of these competing empires, as well as the type of units each possessed, such as cavalry, archers, and foot soldiers (and their empire-specific names). 'Battalion' may be a simple method to introduce anyone to the world of ancient warfare, but the game is anything but simple. This isn't like the 'Battleship' game of my youth. It's much more like 'Risk,' but a bit more complex. There are a lot of combat options: 144 rank tiles identify specific military units, such as the Carthaginian Scutarii, the Greco-Bactrian Hoplites, or the Roman Hastati, 72 cards label specific maneuvers that units can make (some specific only to a particular military), and two to four camps are separated by sector markers used to illustrate small-scale or large-scale conflicts. And as with any actual military engagement, there are major risks and, in this case, the literal roll of the dice.
Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Frank McGuinness: ‘I fell in love with Elizabeth Bennet and Huck Finn – they are brilliant, defiant and good for the exercise of body and mind'
Frank McGuinness was born in Co Donegal in 1953 and now lives in Dublin. He has written 16 plays including Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme, Carthaginians and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, and 20 adaptations of European classics. His version of Ibsen's A Doll's House won a Tony award.
Daily Mirror
18-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Spanish seaside city with '5-star' attractions named one of best for a holiday
The port city of Cartagena in Spain is a great destination for holidaymakers who want to learn more about the history of the country, as it's full of ancient ruins and museums Nestled on the southeastern coast of Spain, Murcia's Cartagena is steeped in history as a port city, even snagging the title of "best Spanish seaside town for history" from a recent Which? Travel survey. For those enraptured by the tales of Spain's past, Cartagena stands out as an ideal destination. Which? Travel's experts were effusive about its "five-star" attractions, resplendent with museums and ancient relics for tourists to relish. Delving into what makes the area so special, Which? experts said: "That's thanks to sights such as the 1st-century Roman amphitheatre and contemporary bathhouse and arcade preserved as the Barrio del Foro Romano." Despite its historical clout as a hotspot for Carthaginians and Romans, today Cartagena retains its naval significance with a bustling shipyard and status as a cruise ship haven that sees vessels docking every other week. This does mean, however, that Cartagena can experience quite the hustle and bustle, meriting only two stars from Which? for tranquillity. Notable cultural treasures include the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology, Cartagena Roman Theatre Museum and Municipal Archaeology Museum. Cartagena also boasts remarkable architectural vestiges of bygone civilisations, such as the enigmatic Torre Ciega. The monument is the sole remaining feature of the Roman necropolis that once stood along the route from Carthago Nova to Tarragona. This port town also boasts the Roman Theatre of Cartagena, believed to have been constructed between 5 and 1 BCE. An ongoing restoration project has breathed new life into the theatre and provided the city with a fresh museum space for visitors to explore. But it's not just history that this coastal town is known for, , reports the Express. Cartagena also prides itself on its rich culinary scene, thanks to the diverse landscapes of the Region of Murcia. In Cartagena, the standout dishes include brine-preserved products, fish, rice dishes and paellas. Another regional favourite is fig bread, and if you're looking to drink like a local, Cartagena's asiático is a must-try, made from condensed milk, cognac and cinnamon.
Daily Mirror
29-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Europe's sunniest city named and it's just three hours from UK with £2.50 beer
With an average of 283 hours of monthly sunshine and summer temperatures regularly exceeding 30C, the rain really does stay mainly on the plane A Spanish city has been crowned the 'sunniest city in Europe ', making it an irresistible destination for sun-seekers. Research by holiday rental booking portal Holidu uncovered the continent's most sun-drenched cities, with eight of the top ten located in Spain. Nestled in the southeast region of Murcia, Cartagena enjoys an enviable Mediterranean climate, vibrant culture and a surprisingly affordable cost of living. The historic port city, founded by the Carthaginians in roughly 220BC, boasts an average of 283 hours of sunshine per month — more than any other European city. This abundance of sun translates into warm, inviting weather for most of the year, with annual averages hovering around a temperate 19C. From June to September, daytime highs typically range between 28C and 31C, with July and August often seeing the mercury soaring even higher. Rainfall is scarce, especially in the summer, ensuring long, dry days perfect for exploring the city or relaxing by the sea. One of Cartagena's most attractive features is its affordability. The average price for a pint of local draught beer is just £2.50, a fraction of what you'd pay in London or other major UK cities. Dining out is also budget-friendly, with inexpensive restaurant meals averaging around £10. This low cost of living extends to public transport and accommodation, making Cartagena an excellent choice for holidaymakers looking to make their money go further. Getting to the city is cheaper and easier than ever, with a host of budget airlines flying to nearby airports, including Murcia, which is less than half an hour away from Cartagena. The quickest routes from London take around two and a half hours, and flights from the UK can be found for as little as £34 with Ryanair. Beyond its sunshine and value, Cartagena is rich in history, art and culture. Founded over two millennia ago, its streets are lined with remnants of Roman, Carthaginian and Moorish civilizations. The city is home to the first-century BC Roman Amphitheater, one of Spain's most impressive ancient monuments, and the charming old town is filled with lively squares, tapas bars and boutiques. Concepción Castle offers panoramic views of the city and harbour, while the ancient city walls and abundant archaeological sites tell the story of Cartagena's strategic maritime importance. The city's coastal location means beautiful beaches are always close at hand. The nearby shores of La Manga and Calblanque are renowned for their pristine sands and clear waters, ideal for swimming, sunbathing and water sports during the long, hot summers. Despite its many attractions, Cartagena remains less crowded than Spain's more famous tourist hotspots, giving visitors a chance to experience authentic Spanish hospitality and vibrant local life without the overwhelming crowds. Seasonal festivals, such as the Mar de Músicas, bring international artists and a lively atmosphere to the city each summer. With its rich history, stunning coastline and unbeatable value, Cartagena is a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by anyone in search of sunshine, history and adventure.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Science
- New York Times
Who's a Carthaginian? Genetic Study Revises Ancestry of Rome's Ancient Nemesis
The Phoenicians were a confederation of maritime traders who emerged from the chaos of the Levant about 3,100 years ago and developed the most extensive commercial network in antiquity. Despite their contributions — which included boatbuilding, navigation, town planning and, perhaps most significantly, an alphabet — no literature and few written records survived, beyond funerary inscriptions. The most powerful and prosperous of the Phoenicians' independent city-states was Carthage, founded around the ninth century B.C. in what is now Tunisia. The Carthaginians, also known as the Punic people, established an empire that eventually extended across northeastern Africa and into the south of modern-day Spain. Then came the rivalry with Rome and the three Punic Wars, which ended in 146 B.C. after a brutal siege as the Romans razed Carthage, destroyed its libraries and, tradition says, sowed its ground with salt. For more than 2,000 years, the general assumption was that the Carthaginians derived from the Levant, specifically Canaan, the source of their language and religion. But an eight-year study published on Wednesday in Nature suggests that, from the sixth to the second centuries B.C., Levantine Phoenicians made only a negligible genetic contribution to Punic colonies. 'They preserved Phoenician culture, language, religion and their commercial lifestyle,' said David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard whose lab generated the data, 'but passed it to people of biologically different ancestry with whom they mixed after they arrived in these regions.' An international research team analyzed the degraded DNA from the remains of 210 individuals, including 196 from 14 sites traditionally identified as Phoenician and Punic in the Levant, North Africa, Iberia, Sicily, Sardinia and Ibiza. The study concluded that the Phoenicians did not intermingle equally with all of the people they met. 'They had little DNA from Sardinians, Iberians or even North Africans,' Dr. Reich said. Only three of the 103 people whose bones were carbon-dated had substantial Levantine heritage, and those three — one from Sardinia, two from Sicily — may have been immigrants who arrived during the Roman period that followed the Third Punic War. Overwhelmingly, the main ancestry of the Phoenicians studied was Greek; these were most likely people whom the Phoenicians encountered and mixed with in Sicily, where Greek and Phoenician colonies existed side by side. Dalit Regev, an archaeologist at the Israel Antiquities Authority who collaborated on the paper, said the research showed that the restless mobility of seafaring Aegean men and women and their descendants powered the expansion not only of the Greeks but of the Phoenicians, too. Before 400 B.C., Phoenicians from the western Mediterranean who lived in North Africa had fairly simple genetic profiles: only individuals who died in North Africa had North African ancestry. After 400 B.C., traces of North African ancestry turn up in limited measure in the bones of Phoenicians unearthed in Sicily, Sardinia and Iberia. According to the authors, that may reflect the growing influence of Carthage. On the other hand, Dr. Reich said, contemporaneous Greek colonists did not integrate with the local peoples; DNA from Empuries in Spain or Himera in Sicily suggests that they kept to themselves. 'Staying culturally Greek in these places meant sticking to yourself, and not incorporating outsiders into your growing communities,' he said. In the foundational myth of Carthage that appears in Virgil's 'Aeneid,' the settlement was founded by the fugitive princess Dido, who acquired land from a local Berber ruler. Dexter Hoyos, the author of several books on Carthage and on its greatest general, Hannibal, said that nothing in the accounts of Greek and Roman historians indicated a steady post-settlement flow of migrants from the city-state's eastern Mediterranean homeland. Phoenicians no doubt traveled to and from Carthage, he said, and over the six or seven centuries of its Punic life many probably relocated there and had families, but they could not have amounted to more than a tiny fraction of the population. 'Certainly there's no evidence of a regular supply of Phoenician women to become male colonists' wives,' Dr. Hoyos said. From the start, he proposed, both male and female settlers found partners in the surrounding regions. 'We know of a few marriages between Carthaginian nobles — two of whom were Hannibal's sisters — with princes of the Numidian peoples to the west of Carthaginian-controlled territory,' he said. Besides aligning with existing theories, the new findings point to a demographic shift around the sixth century B.C., when Carthaginians adopted a new dialect (Punic) and the dominant form of burial changed from cremation to interment. 'The genetic data make it clear that these cultural changes accompanied a profound change in the population,' Dr. Reich said. A goal for future research, he added, should be to better understand the nature of that change, integrating the genetic, archaeological and historical evidence. The relatively small sample size of the new study makes generalization difficult, said Eve MacDonald, a historian at Cardiff University and author of the forthcoming 'Carthage: A New History of an Ancient Empire,' who was not involved with the project. 'But the paper shows us how we need to broaden our understanding of the ancient worlds beyond simplistic narratives of us and them, or Roman and Carthaginian,' she said. For Dr. MacDonald, the results prove that being Carthaginian was not a specific genetic marker and underscore the complexity of the city-state and its people. 'Today, we are so much more than just our genes, and identity cannot be reduced to a singularity,' she said. 'What made someone Carthaginian would have been many things, including a link to Carthage itself, its myths, stories, cultures and families.'
