The harbours of Carthage

The places

The harbours of Carthage

A rectangular merchant harbour, about 400 × 150 m, led into a circular war harbour 325 m across, with an island about 106 m across (about 125 m with its quays) at its centre. Appian says a double wall hid the docks even from merchants entering the outer harbour.

The admiral’s island

From a raised pavilion on the island the admiral watched the open sea; a trumpeter and a herald relayed his orders. Ships coming in from the sea could not see inside the war harbour.

Across to the island

A causeway probably joined the island to the north shore. From it the whole ring of ship-sheds opens out, each with its two columns, the island’s sheds facing them across the water.

On the slipway

Each slipway was about 5.9 m wide, its ramp rising at 10 % from under the water, so a warship could be hauled up stern first to dry out; a timber storey above held the tackle. This one is about 34 m long and under 5 m wide, like the Punic wreck found off Marsala in Sicily. Its oar-boxes and bronze ram are reconstructions: no bronze ram was found with the Marsala wrecks.

A ring of ship-sheds

Appian counts berths for 220 warships, each fronted by two Ionic columns so that the harbour and the island looked like one colonnade, with stores for tackle above. Excavators found slipways about 5.9 m wide (two of 7.9 m) on ramps rising at 10 %, and estimate 160–170 in all.

The merchant harbour

Merchant ships unloaded at quays of large sandstone blocks. The single mouth to the sea, 70 feet wide, could be closed with iron chains, and warships passed through this harbour to reach the round one.

On the merchant quay

Merchantmen tied up along stone quays, their cargo set out before the warehouses’ porticoes: grain in sacks, wine and oil in amphorae, goods in crates, with wooden cranes to swing loads ashore. One warehouse 20 m long has been excavated; the rest is illustrative.

How it was made

Modelled and lit in Blender: the light (sun, sky and every bounce) is path-traced once and stored with the model, so it stays true as you walk. After Appian (Punica 96) and the British and American excavations as summarised by N. Carayon (2008): the circular harbour 325 m across, the island about 106 m across (125 m with its quays), slipways about 5.9 m wide (two of 7.9 m) on ramps rising at 10 %. The shed roofs and upper storeys, the columns’ form, the ships’ fittings and colours, the admiral’s pavilion, the double wall, the channels, the sea mouth, the warehouses and the town are reconstructions or illustrative. Textures: Poly Haven (CC0).

Sources: Appian, Punica 96 · Carayon, Les ports phéniciens et puniques (2008) · Ports puniques de Carthage (fr.wikipedia) · Ancient Ports Antiques: Carthage

The era

Carthage, the Phoenicians & the Numidians, 814–146 BCE: A Phoenician colony grew into the naval superpower of the western Mediterranean, beside the Berber kingdom of Numidia.

Other reconstructions

• Punic Carthage, Byrsa hill
• The Antonine Baths of Carthage
• El Djem amphitheatre