Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 187: Oh, Carthage!

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"Your Majesty, don't you know that Hiros has been urging us to hurry for the past two days in order to buy time. We didn't have much rest. I didn't expect him to catch up." Hernipolis Interjected on the sidelines.

"Opportunities are for those who are prepared." Daves whispered thoughtfully, and looked back at Hernepolis: "Let's go, go to the big tent with me, have a good talk about you. Thing..."

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In the early morning of the next day, when Daves led the army that gathered from the former Syracuse camp and Asprostum respectively, and marched towards Siritin, Ansitanos rode The passenger ship has already bypassed the southwest corner of Sicily, and the strong south wind blows up its sails, causing the passenger ship to sail quickly to the African continent in the south of Sicily.

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

The northern coast of Sicily is not patrolled by Syracuse’s warships, and the passenger ships move 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.

As soon as noon, the outline of the land appeared ahead. The place where thousands of ships gathered was Carthage, a powerful city-state established by the Phoenicians on the African continent.

The city of Carthage sits on a peninsula formed by a series of sandstone hills.

On the northeastern and southeastern borders of the city, two narrow, wing-like lands stretched outward, and the latter land almost divided the sea in two, thus enclosing a huge lagoon (now Lake Tunis) , A series of rugged sandstone cliff wings protect the northern part of the peninsula, while the vast coastal plain to the south is protected by a series of strong walls, trenches and barriers.

There are two magnificent harbours on the northeast corner of the city, on the sea side of the lagoon. The outside of the harbour is surrounded by a long and high city wall, which also acts as a breakwater. The two seaports are connected to each other, and the shared sea entrance is 21 meters wide and can be closed with iron chains.

The first harbour for merchant ships to berth, and the dock area is built with huge sandstone, which is strong and durable. Behind the dock is a row of tall and wide warehouses. Countless laborers are pushing pulleys and transporting various goods between the dock and the warehouse.

After the merchant ships entered the commercial port, they stopped at the pier one after another. The middle channel was not allowed to be occupied for a long time, because it was reserved for the Carthage warships to enter and exit. It is separated by a double wall, only one water gate is connected, and its width is only for two three-layer paddle warships to enter side by side...

The passenger ship Ansitanos took was observing from the bow of the ship during the docking process. Even when it came ashore, he still looked inward, but the tall and thick double wall blocked his view and couldn't see the inside of the military port. Case.

But when he came last time, Ansitanos had already learned some information about the military port from the locals: it is said to be a round military port, and it was the genius of Carthage’s architects based on the specific terrain of the port. He has made the most flexible use of the available space. The naval port is surrounded by a small island. The huge piers are located in the interval between the harbour and the island. There are dry docks on the embankment, which is said to be very relaxing. Can accommodate more than 300 three-layer paddle warships......

Ansitanos went ashore, took his entourage, and walked into the city with the hustle and bustle of people.

In the noisy flow of people in the port area, the various ethnic groups of the Mediterranean are gathered, and even some ethnicities from outside the Mediterranean can be seen here, such as: extremely tall, fair-skinned Germans with indigo patterns painted on their bodies Yes, the British, and the tribes near the steep mountain peaks (now Kath Mount Mellon)...These are the "outside world" that Ansitanos, as a historian, cannot imagine, but is full of yearning.

In the Mediterranean, only Carthage has the ability to do this! While sighing, Ancitanos also looked at the strange glances cast by pedestrians from time to time.

Many Greeks did business in Carthage, and some even settled here, but Carthage’s several wars with Syracuse caused heavy casualties to the citizens of Carthage. As a result, the attitude of the Carthaginians toward the Greeks has changed. It is said that the Greeks who settled in the city of Carthage were expelled, their property was confiscated, and others were killed on the spot. Only recently has the situation improved.

The main city of Carthage is built on a hill, namely Mount Bilsa, the top of which is the Acropolis of Carthage.

In the Acropolis, there is the Esmon Temple, which is famous throughout Africa. The temple is not dedicated to the supreme deity of the Phoenician city-states in the Eastern Mediterranean, Merekat, but another high-level deity, Bal Harmon. . In the eyes of the Carthaginians, Baal Harmon is the king of the furnace, the lord of the new moon, and the guardian of Carthage. He wears a robe, a conical headdress, a long beard, and a long A huge bronze statue with a spear and a palm up and a gesture of blessing stands in the center of the acropolis, overlooking the city of Carthage. Bar Harmon’s wife, Tanit, the secondary god, does not have a position in the hearts of the Carthaginians under her husband. She is the female protector and guardian of the city and is also enshrined in the Temple of Esmon Among.

With the Temple of Esmon as the center, the urban area of ​​Carthage is arranged radially down the mountain.

Ansitanos walked towards the center of the city, it was like climbing a mountain. The narrow streets, steep slopes, and crowded people forced him to be cautious to avoid falling.

Compared with the bad 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 slabs with whitewashed surfaces. The white plaster not only guarantees protection from the erosion of the natural environment, but also shines like marble on the outside under the sun's rays. The exterior walls of a few houses are directly made of marble, with gorgeous colors and strange patterns, which are amazing. This situation becomes more obvious as you go into the city, and the wealth of the Carthaginians is evident.

Crossing through the narrow streets, the front is abruptly open, and the Carthage City Square is right in front of you: this square is actually behind the military port, not far from where Ansitanos landed, but because it has to bypass the military port, After a long walk, there are Carthage Senate and Melakat Temple around the square.

Ansitanos did not go to the Senate, but went straight through the square and reached another block, which is different from other blocks. Not only is the road wide and there are no high-rise buildings, but all of them are courtyards. Each courtyard covers an area Not small.

According to memory, Ansitanos came to the door of a luxurious mansion, where one of the two Sofites of Carthage (the supreme consul) lived in Carthage, and now the true power of Carthage— -"Great" Hanno.

The last time Ansitanos visited Carthage, he also visited Hanno first, but it was a pity that Hanno was in the manor outside the city and could not meet, so this time Ansitanos hoped that he would have good luck.

In fact, Hanno has been staying in the city for a while, because the news of the victory of the Syracuse army in Greater Greece has made the elders of the Carthage Senate feel uneasy. They are always watching the battle in Greece. Progress. When the servant came in to report, Hanno was lying naked on the roof terrace, basking in the warm sunshine on a comfortable sofa, and a young maid next to him was giving him an oil massage.

The messenger of Dionia, see you! Hearing the servant's words, Hanno fell into deep thought. Today is different. As the only force in Great Greece that is still fighting Syracuse, the news that the "Dionia Fleet defeated the Syracuse Navy in Turri Sea" has just arrived. Confirmed their strength, which made the Carthaginians have to abandon their previous contempt and face up to this new Greek city-state alliance that they don't know much about.

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

When he put on his gorgeous robe and walked into the living room, he saw Ancitanos standing in front of the idol of Bal Harmon, gazing intently at the god.

"Do the Greeks also have respect for our gods in Carthage?" Hanno said as he walked to his seat.

"Respected Master Hanno!" Ansitanos saluted him solemnly, then returned to his seat, and said without humility: "I am a little curious about the **** of the nobility, Bal Harmon, because of Sophie. Keles once mentioned that "your **** Bar Harmon is very similar to Kranos" (Sophocles is a famous playwright in Athens and has passed away)."

Hanno hummed, his face covered with anger: "Stupid Greeks, when the Phoenicians created a trade boom in the Mediterranean hundreds of years ago, you Greeks were still in a pitiful way. On the barren land. And when we Carthage sent a fleet across the Pillars of Hercules and sailed across the ocean, you Greeks just established a city-state in the Western Mediterranean. If you have a little bit of mind, you can tell it’s you. The gods are like our gods..."

"What you said may be correct. It would be better if there is more evidence to prove it! Can you show me some information on this?" Ansitanos did not refute, but instead asked seriously. road.

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