Carthage: Uncovering the Mysteries and Splendors of Ancient Tunisia

The Phoenician merchants who built Carthage are still caricatured in texts as a band of money-grubbing, artless, parasitic aggressors. Refuting that stereotype with the aid of archeological evidence unearthed over the last 15 years, this lively, interesting history of ancient Tunisia portrays Carthage as a civilized, cosmopolitan, physically attractive city. Punic artists excelled in mosaics, stone sculpture, jewelry, sacred objects and architecture, and by synthesizing Libyan, Berber Greek and Roman influences, they created something uniquely Tunisian. The authors discuss the wretched plight of slaves, the practice of child sacrifice, the chaos of Vandal and Byzantine rule. They also explore elegant villas and temples, a popular culture of theater, literature and mime, and the early Tunisians' hybrid religion. Soren is a classics scholar at the Univeristy of Arizona, Ben Khader, curator of Tunisia's Bardo Museum, and Slim a Tunisian archeologist. Photos. (Apr.)