Astronomy magazine’s tour group of 22, accompanied by Chris McKay of NASA Ames, Melita Thorpe of MWT Associates, and your editor, enjoyed its last day of touring Tunisia on Monday, March 28. Intermittent Wi-Fi availability at our final hotel delayed my posting of this last day’s blog until today. But Monday was an exciting day: We traveled from our hotel to explore the ruins of Carthage, the ancient city that sprang up nearly 3,000 years ago on the Mediterranean Sea.
Few remains exist from the original city of Carthage as built by the Carthaginians, but these foundations and rooms of houses on the Byrsa Hill are among them, ruined by the Romans in 146 B.C., March 28, 2011. David J. Eicher photo
This was a big day for archaeology fans in the group, as we headed out early to tour Carthage, the ruins of the Phoenician civilization port center. Carthaginians prospered here for many years until the three Punic wars ended in Rome destroying the city in 146 B.C. As it normally did, however, Rome took over the city, rebuilt it in a much grander state, and carried on as if it were theirs for several more centuries.
Carthaginian ruins are therefore scarce, but those on the Byrsa Hill showed us the remains of original houses, including excavated rooms and even bathrooms among the stone. We then traveled to see the Tophet, a cemetery containing the graves of infant children. So many young children who had been buried or cremated led to speculation among historians of a child-sacrifice cult in Carthage, but scholars now believe the children buried there simply died in childbirth or of disease.
The vast ruins of the Baths of Antoninus Pius once served as the cultural center of Roman Carthage, March 28, 2011. David J. Eicher photo
We also explored the Roman Theater, where plays were staged in the Greek style, and the most spectacular Roman ruins of the city, the Baths of Antoninus Pius. The latter were finished in A.D. 162 and served as the major social center of the city.
From our location, up on the hill, we saw the presidential palace and the famous white wall surrounding it. Before the revolution of January 2011, simply photographing the wall would land you in prison. Our guide told us that more than $45 million in cash was found in the palace, as many of the ordinary Tunisians struggled for a living. The “ex-Mafia” — as many now call the president — fled the country. In downtown Tunis, where the protests happened, we saw among tanks and armored vehicles many smiling army troops laughing with the people, and in English, painted on a white wall, “Facebook: Thank you!”
We finished the day with a visit to the North Africa American Cemetery and Memorial, where 2,841 soldiers are interred, most of whom died in and immediately after the North African campaign of 1942–3, many at Kasserine Pass.
It was a fantastic trip, and one that opened our eyes to the fact that meteorites lie about on hillsides around the world, waiting to be found, and that spectacular, enchanting cultures exist with their arms open for explorers who wish to see them.
You can check out photos from my entire trip at Astronomy.com's Trips and Tours page.
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