\paperw3000 \margr0\margl0 \plain \fs20 \qr \f1 \fs22 At the moment of its foundation Carthage was just one of many \b \cf4 \ATXht147 Phoenician colonies\b0 \cf0 \ATXht0 in the Mediterranean. The Phoenicians had established settlements at other localities on the coasts of North Africa, such as Leptis Magna and Utica. The creation of the Carthaginian empire was based initially on control of the African territories, and i
t was not until later that it also pushed into the Mediterranean, reaching Sicily, Sardinia, and Spain. \par
At the end of the fourth century BC Carthage controlled an area of North Africa equivalent to little more than half of present-day Tunisia, and
then set out to expand its possessions in this region. This was done by means of a fanwise maneuver, directed both to the southeast, toward what is now Libya, and to the northwest, along the coast of present-day Algeria and Morocco. These lands, which pa
ssed into the hands of Carthaginian nobles, were intensively cultivated and produced the food required to sustain the city.\par
In spite of the total destruction wreaked by the Roman armies in 146 BC, it is still possible to reconstruct some elements of
the urban layout of Carthage. The city stood on the promontory between the lagoons of Sebkha er-Riana and Tunis. By the third century BC at least, Carthage was completely ringed by walls: on the inland side the system of defenses consisted of three succ
essive walls, up to 17 meters in height and with projecting towers. The coastal plain was bounded by a wall that was over 5 meters thick and studded with towers and gates. The exterior was covered with white plaster.\par
