| 814 | Carthage founded by Elissa (Dido), sister of the King of Tyre. |
| 800? | First Phoenician presence on Sardinia. |
| 770 | Founding of Gadir, gateway to Spanish silver. |
| 700-500 | Heavy Greek colonization of Sicily, Southern Italy, Southern
Provence, Andalusia and Cyrenaica, encircling Carthaginian territory. |
| 654 | Carthage founds colony in the Balearic Islands at Ibiza. |
| 600 | Carthage fails to prevent Phocaean Greek colony at Massilia (Marseilles). |
| 580 | First attempt by Greeks to drive Phoenicians out of Sicily. |
| 574 | Tyre falls to Nebuchadnezzar. Carthage on its own more than ever. |
| 550 | Carthage allies with the Etruscans against the Greeks. |
| 550 | Carthaginian force led by Malchus defeats Greeks in Sicily,
but is vanquished in Sardinia. Malchus banished, marches
on Carthage, is caught and executed. |
| 550? | Carthaginian colonies formed along coast of Africa, Algeria,
Hadrumetum, Leptis. |
| 539 | Asian Phoenicia falls to Cyrus the Great of Persia. |
| 535 | Carthage, with Etruscans, destroys Phocaean colony
in Corsica and closes Sardinia-Corsica off to the Greeks. |
| 510 | Dorieus, a Spartan prince, is expelled from Tripolitania. |
| 510 | Rome throws off Etruscan rulers and establishes independent
republic. |
| 507 | First treaty with Rome |
| 498 | Hippocrates and Theron seize control in Syracuse and
attempt to throw Phoenicians off western part of the island. |
| 480 | Alliance with Persia fails to destroy Greeks, military defeat
in Sicily as fleet is cut off by superior Athenian forces
(Himera).
Revolution overthrows Mago dynasty and establishes Court of
104 Magistrates. |
| 480 | Carthaginian force under Hamilcar the Magonid defeated by
Sicilian Greeks at Himera cutting off access to the East.
Hamilcar commits suicide on the battlefield. |
| 479-450 | Re-buffed in Sicily, Carthage focuses on Africa,
conquering most of what is now Tunisia.
Colonies in North Africa founded or strengthened.
Mago's expedition crosses the Sahara. |
| 410 | Phoenicians in Hispania join with Celtiberians to secede
from Carthage, denying the state important silver and
copper revenues. Overland tin trade cut off. |
| 410 | Himilco's expeditions in the Atlantic.
Hanno's expeditions to Morocco and Senegal. |
| 409 | Carthage initiates attempts to conquer Sicily. Hannibal,
grandson of Hamilcar, takes the fortified towns of Selinus
and Himera by use of siege towers. |
| 405 | Hannibal Mago and hundreds of troops die in epidemic
outside fortified town of Acragas. Himilco, his relative,
takes over command, is defeated by force out of Syracuse,
and has supply disrupted in naval action. Syracusan forces
strengthen garrison. |
| 405 | Carthaginian squadron breaks through Greek blockade — the
besieged escape under cover of night, Punic forces collect
spoils. |
| 405 | Himilco takes town of Gela, defeating Syracusan force, then
takes town of Camarina. |
| 405 | Himilco marches on Syracuse. Army is laid low by epidemic.
Himilco seeks peace. Syracuse grants control of most of
Sicily and must pay tribute to Carthage. Treaty confirms
Dionysius I as dictator (tyrannos) of Syracuse. First
Sicilian War concluded. |
| 398 | Dionysius sacks Motya — Carthaginians permanently relocate
main Sicilian base to fortified town of Lilybaeum. |
| 397 | Himilco drives Dionysius back to Syracuse and resumes siege.
In naval action, sinks or boards 100 Syracusan naval vessels
and takes 20,000 prisoners. |
| 396 | Epidemic lays Punic forces low for a third time in Sicily.
Dionysius capitalizes and defeats Himilco in pitched battle.
He survives, but upon return to Carthage, starves himself
to death. Fighting continues. |
| 393 | Carthaginian force under Mago, nephew of Himilco, defeated
trying to re-take Messana. |
| 392 | Mago defeated a second time. Truce signed. |
| 384 | Carthage renews war, initiating minor skirmishes. |
| 375 | Carthage defeated at Cabala — Mago and 10,000 soldiers
killed. Mago's son Himilco defeats Dionysius near Himera —
truce favorable to Carthage concluded. |
| 367 | Dionysius attacks Carthaginian base at Lilybaeum — stopped
when fleet defeated by warships under Hanno the Great. |
| 366 | Dionysius I dies, still at war with Carthage. |
| 360 | Hanno the Great crucified following unsuccessful attempt to
usurp power. |
| 350 | Carthage leading Western power. |
| 348 | Second treaty with Rome. |
| 343 | Mago sails to Syracuse to drive out the usurper. Fails and
commits suicide in order to avoid court martial upon his
return. Hasdrubal and Hamilcar make a second attempt, losing
a battle at Segesta. Hasdrubal executed. Gisco, son of
Hanno the Great, authorized to make peace — Sicily divided
along Halycus River. 2nd Sicilian War ends. |
| 340 | Power struggle in Syracuse ends with Timoleon of Corinth
victorious. |
| 338 | Uneasy, yet prosperous peace in Sicily. |
| 334 | Alexander the Great conquers the Eastern World. Carthage
makes peace with the Greek empire.
|
| 323 | Alexander dies. |
| 315 | Agathocles of Syracuse takes Messana. |
| 311 | Agathocles lays siege to Acragas and crosses the Halcyus,
violating the peace treaty. |
| 310 | Carthaginian force under Hamilcar, grandson of Hanno the
Great defeats Greek force at Himera. Siege of Syracuse
begins. |
| 309 | Agathocles sails force of 14,000 to Africa. Carthage meets
with 40,000 foot, 1000 cavalry and 2000 chariots under
Bomilcar and Hanno. Greeks are victorious, Carthage losing
3000 on the battlefield, but city is impregnable. Siege of
Syracuse continues. |
| 308 | Greeks form local allies — Egypt contributes 10,000. Greeks
control Tunisian province and fighting continues. |
| 308 | Bomilcar tries to make himself dictator in Carthage. Is
defeated and tortured to death. |
| 307 | Greek victory outside Syracuse. Hamilcar captured and
killed. |
| 307 | While Agathocles oversees events in Syracuse, Carthage
defeats the Greek and allied forces. Despite Syracusan
reinforcement, Greek cause in Africa is doomed. Greeks
desert to Carthaginian commanders Hanno and Himilco in vast
numbers. Treaty favorable to Carthage concluded. |
| 306 | Third treaty with Rome. |
| 300 | Pytheas explores the Atlantic, Euthymenes the coasts of
Africa. |
| 289 | Agathocles dies. Pre-war division of Sicily resumes. 3rd
Sicilian War ends. |
| 279 | Pyrrhus of Epirus, relative of Alexander the Great,
invades southern Italy and Sicily. Defeats Phoenicians
and forces them off the island, leaving Lilybaeum as
the only remaining stronghold. |
| 279 | Agreement with Rome against Pyrrhus. |
| 277? | Carthage sinks 70 of Pyrrhus' 110 ships and Pyrrhus gives
up the war. (In 272 a woman will hurl a tile from a rooftop as Pyrrhus invests
Argos, killing him before he can begin his planned second invasion of Sicily.) |
| 276? | Carthage establishes good relations
with the Lagos monarchy in Egypt. Trade between the two empires
thrives.
|
| >265 | Carthage and Rome support opposing warring sides in Sicily. |
| 263 | First War with Rome begins over Sicily. |
| 262 | Rome victorious at Messana. Syracuse goes over to Romans.
Acragas falls to Romans. |
| 261 | Carthage raids Italian coast. Rome builds its first fleet.
Carthaginian defeat at sea off Mylae. Commander Hannibal
crucified. Victory at Thermae. |
| 257 | Another sea defeat and Romans land in Africa, take Tunis.
Carthage, under forces led by Hasdrubal and Bostzer, defeats
Rome before the gates, largely with Numidian cavalry, led by
Greek mercenary leader Xanthippus. |
| 256 | Hanno the Great II expands territory in North Africa. |
| 253 | Rome wins a brilliant naval victory off the Aegates Islands,
west of Sicily, cutting off African supply bases. Hasdrubal
defeated outside Panormus and is executed by his own forces.
Truce called. |
| 247 | Hamilcar Barca re-organizes forces on Sicily, but receives
no reinforcement. |
| 241 | War ends in defeat. Sicily is lost, fleet destroyed and
finances ruined due to crippling indemnity. |
| 241-237 | Mercenaries revolt and stir up poverty-stricken peasants in
Libya and Utica. Eventually defeated by Hamilcar. Rome
obtains Sardinia-Corsica as price of staying neutral. |
| 237 | Hamilcar Barca reconquers Hispania. |
| 229 | Hamilcar dies, succeeded by son-in-law Hasdrubal. |
| 228 | Carthago Nova (i.e. New Carthage, later Cartagena) founded by Hasdrubal. |
| 226 | Treaty with Rome defines Ebro River as boundary between
spheres. |
| 221 | Hasdrubal assassinated by an Iberian — succeeded by
Hannibal. |
| 219 | Hannibal and brother Hasdrubal conquer the entire Peninsula
up to the Ebro. |
| 218 | Hannibal takes Roman-supported town of Saguntum. Then,
Hannibal marches over the Ebro, into the Alps and invades the
Italian peninsula with the help of Gallic allies. Victory over Cornelius
Scipio at Ticinus. Victory at Trebia over Sempronius Longus.
Rome defeats Hanno in Hispania and Rome is victorious at sea
near Lilybaeum — Malta lost to Carthage. |
| 217 | Victory at Lake Trasimene over Flaminius. |
| 216 | Victory at Cannae over Terentius Varro. Greek sovereigns
Philip V of Macedonia and Hiero of Syracuse join Carthage's
cause, though without committing deeply. |
| 214 | Syracuse falls to Roman forces commanded by Marcellus. |
| 210-205 | Scipio with aid of Numidian Prince Massinissa conquers
Hispania for Rome.
Scipio invades Africa, takes Tunis. |
| 204 | Scipio allies with Libyans, Moors and Numidians and Numidian
Prince Massinissa to take the war to Africa. Carthage backs
rival Numidian Syphax who along with Hasdrubal Gisco is
defeated by Scipio in two successive battles. Mago is
defeated in northern Italy attempting to reinforce Hannibal.
A peace treaty is declared and Hannibal returns to Africa. |
| 202 | Carthaginan attack on Roman convoy which has run aground
re-opens the war. Hannibal defeated at Zama to end Second
War with Rome. Fleet reduced to ten triremes, domain limited
to eastern Tunisia, Massinissa installed as king of the
Numidians at Cirta (Constantine), high indemnities and
Carthage denied permission to wage war. |
| 202-150 | Trade with North Africa and Greece continues. Agriculture
improved to bring in new revenues. |
| 195 | Hannibal becomes Suffete and proves a successful political leader.
Forces state reform, reducing corruption and introducing new methods of election. |
| 194 | Hannibal flees to court of Antiochus to escape his Roman
enemies. |
| 183 | Hannibal dies by his own hand to escape Romans in Bithynia. |
| 150 | Carthage attacks Numidians in response to Massinissa's land
grabs. Numidia victorious and further indemnities exacted. |
| 149 | Rome declares war in retaliation for treaty violation. |
| 146 | Carthage falls to Scipio Aemilianus. City burnt to the ground.
Carthago delenda |