ancient greece mediterranean ruler

Chapter 520 Oh, Carthage!
"Your Majesty, you don't know that Hilos has been urging us to hurry up in the past two days in order to buy time. We didn't get much rest. Unexpectedly, he actually caught up." Henipolis interjected from the side. .

"Opportunities are for those who are prepared." Davos whispered thoughtfully, looking back at Henipolis: "Let's go to the big tent with me and have a good talk about what you said... …”

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Early the next morning, when Davos led the armies gathered from the original Syracuse camp and the city of Asprostum to march towards Silitium, the passenger ship Ansitanos was on had already arrived. After rounding the southwest corner of Sicily, the strong southerly wind blew up the sails, causing the passenger ship to sail quickly towards the African continent south of Sicily.

Ansitanos had set out with Cyklian's fleet a few days ago, and separated from the fleet after crossing the Strait of Messina.

There were no Siracusa warships patrolling the north coast of Sicily, and the passenger ships moved forward smoothly.There are countless merchant ships on this route, which makes the helmsman of the passenger ship have to be highly nervous and carefully control the rudder to avoid collision.

Towards noon, the outline of land appeared ahead, and where thousands of ships gathered was Carthage, a powerful city-state established by the Phoenicians on the continent of Africa.

The city of Carthage is located on a peninsula framed by a series of sandstone hills.

At the northeastern and southeastern borders of the city, two narrow, wing-like pieces of land extend outward. The latter piece of land almost bisects the sea, thus enclosing a huge lagoon (today's Lake Tunisia), a row of Continuous and steep sandstone cliffs flank the northern part of the peninsula, while the vast coastal plain to the south is protected by a series of strong walls, ditches and ramparts.

In the northeast corner of the city, on the seaside side of the lagoon, there are two magnificent harbors.The harbor is surrounded on the outside by a long and high wall, which also serves as a breakwater.The two harbors are connected to each other, with a shared sea entrance that is 21 meters wide and can be closed with a chain.

The first seaport was used for merchant ships to dock. The dock areas were built with huge sandstone stones, which were strong and durable.Behind the dock is a row of tall and wide warehouses. Countless workers push pulleys to and from the docks and warehouses to transport various goods in an endless flow.

After the merchant ships entered the commercial port, they docked at the dock one after another. The middle channel was not allowed to be occupied for a long time because it was reserved for Carthaginian warships to enter and exit. The military port was just inside the commercial port and consisted of a very high double-layer wall. The wall separates it, with only one water gate connecting it, and its width is only wide enough for two triremes to enter side by side...

Ansitanos kept observing from the bow of the passenger ship as it docked. Even after landing, he still looked inward, but the tall and thick double-layer wall blocked his sight and prevented him from seeing clearly what was going on inside the military port.

But when he came last time, Ansitanos had already learned some information about the military port from the locals: it is said that it is a circular military port, a genius design made by Carthage's master architect based on the specific topography of the port. , he made the most flexible use of the available space. The military port surrounded a small island, and huge piers were located between the harbor and the island. There were dry docks everywhere on the embankment. It is said that it can be easily It can accommodate more than 300 triremes...

Ancitanus went ashore, led his followers, and walked into the city with the bustling crowd.

In the noisy flow of people in the port area, various ethnic groups from the Mediterranean gather together, and even some ethnic groups from outside the Mediterranean can be seen here, such as extremely tall, fair-skinned Germans, and British people with indigo patterns painted on their bodies. People, as well as tribes with skin as black as night who are said to come from south of the African desert and near the precipitous mountain peaks that Carthaginian adventurers called "the chariots of the gods" (today's Mount Cameron) )...These are the "outside world" that Ansitanos, as a historian, cannot imagine, but is full of yearning for.

In the Mediterranean, only the Carthaginians have the ability to do this!While Ansitanos was sighing, he also turned a blind eye to the strange looks cast by passers-by from time to time.

Many Greeks did business in Carthage, and some even settled here. However, several wars between Carthage and Syracuse caused heavy casualties to Carthage citizens.Therefore, the attitude of the Carthaginians towards the Greeks has changed. It is said that the Greeks who settled in Carthage were expelled, their property was confiscated, and some were beaten to death on the spot. Only recently has the situation improved.

The main city of Carthage was built on a hill, Mount Bielsa, and the top of the mountain was the Acropolis of Carthage.

Within the Acropolis is the Temple of Esmon, which is famous throughout Africa. What is enshrined in the temple is not Melkat, the supreme god among the Phoenician city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean, but another high-level god, Baal Hamon.In the minds of the Carthaginians, Baal Hamon is the King of the Forge, the Lord of the Crescent, and the Guardian of Carthage. He wears a long robe, a conical headdress, a long beard, and holds a long sword in one hand. A huge bronze statue with a spear and a palm facing upward in a blessing gesture stands in the center of the acropolis, overlooking the city of Carthage.Baal Hamon's wife, the secondary god Tanit, was not inferior to her husband in the hearts of the Carthaginians. She was the female protector and guardian of the city and was also enshrined in the Esmon Temple. among.

With the Temple of Esmond as the center, the city of Carthage was arranged radially down the mountain.

When Ansitanos walked towards the center of the city, it was like climbing a mountain.The narrow streets, steep slopes, and the heavy flow of people forced him to be careful not to fall.

Compared with the poor roads, the houses of Carthage citizens are almost all six-story high-rise buildings. They stand in rows on both sides of the street. Most of them are made of huge sandstone strips and painted with white plaster. , not only can it be protected from the erosion of the natural environment, but also its appearance shines like marble under the sunlight.The exterior walls of a few houses are directly made of marble, with gorgeous colors and strange patterns that are amazing.The further you go into the city, the more obvious this situation becomes, which shows how wealthy the Carthaginians are.

After passing through the narrow streets, the front suddenly opens up, and the Carthage City Square is in front of you: This square is actually behind the military port, not far from where Ansitanos disembarked, but because you have to bypass the military port, you have to walk a little longer. A short distance away, the square is surrounded by the Carthage Senate and the Temple of Melkat.

Ansitanos did not go to the Senate, but went straight across the square to another neighborhood. This place was different from other neighborhoods. Not only were the roads wide, there were no high-rise buildings, but they were all courtyards, and each courtyard covered a large area. .

According to his memory, Ansitanos came to the door of a luxurious mansion, where lived one of the two Sufits of Carthage (the supreme consul) and the real ruler of Carthage now - "the great "Hanno.

The last time Ansitanos visited Carthage, he also came to visit Hanno first. Unfortunately, Hanno was at the manor outside the city and could not meet him, so Ansitanos hoped that he would have good luck this time.

In fact, Hanno had been staying in the city for this period of time, because the constant news of the victory of the Syracuse army in Magna Graecia made the senators of Carthage uneasy, and they were always paying attention to the progress of the war in Magna Graecia.When the servant came in to report, Hanno was on the roof platform, lying naked on a comfortable sofa and basking in the warm sunshine. There was a young maid next to him oiling and massaging him.

The envoy of Dionia asks to see you!Hearing the servant's words, Hanno fell into deep thought.Today is different from the past. Dionia is the only force in Magna Graecia that is still fighting against Syracuse. The news that just came that "The Dionia fleet defeated the Syracuse Navy in the sea of ​​​​Turii" is also Confirming their strength, the Carthaginians had to abandon their previous contempt and face up to this emerging alliance of Greek city-states that they did not know much about.

"Take him to the living room to wait for me." Hanno said.

When he put on his gorgeous robe and walked into the living room, he saw Ansitanos standing in front of the statue of Baal Harmon, staring at the god intently.

"Do the Greeks also have respect for our Carthaginian gods?" Hanno said as he walked towards his seat.

"Dear Lord Hanno!" Ansitanos saluted him hurriedly and solemnly, then returned to his seat and said in a neither humble nor condescending manner: "I am a little curious about your country's god Baal Harmon, because of Sophocles It was mentioned that 'your god Baal Hamon bears a great resemblance to Kranos' (Sophocles was a famous Athenian playwright who has died)."

Hanno snorted, with a layer of anger on his face: "Stupid Greeks, when the Phoenicians created trade prosperity in the Mediterranean hundreds of years ago, you Greeks were still huddled on the poor and barren land. Come on. When we Carthaginians sent our fleet across the Pillars of Heracles and sailed across the ocean, you Greeks had just established city-states in the Western Mediterranean. If you had a little bit of brains, you would be able to tell that it was your gods. Like our God…”

"What you said may be right. It would be better if there was more evidence to prove it! Can you show me some information in this regard?" Ansitanos did not refute, but asked seriously.

Hanno was a little stunned. He originally thought that the Dionia envoy would argue with him angrily because of this. The serious and realistic attitude shown by the other party made him feel good and curious.

　Thank you very much, Zhan Billy, for your reward!Your support is my biggest motivation for writing! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)