The Exploration of Carthage

Carthage should be a name to conjure with.Yet 'delenda est Carthago' has received more than literal fulfilment. Even the Punic wars of which we heard so much as schoolboys have faded from men's memories, and perhaps few of us would care to have to date them from memory.Some few weeks ago there appeared in the papers a notice to the effect that a F ranco-American archaeological expedition was being fitted out for the fuller, excavation of the great city of Hannibal and Scipio, of Tertullian, Cyprian and Augustine, 'celsa Carthago,' 'civitas ampla et illustris.' One newspaper report before us speaks of the 'ruins of Carthage which have for so long been at the mercy of casual souvenir-hunters, speculative builders and Arab tribesmen.' It might be gathered from this that little or no systematic excavation of the site had been carried out of late. Archaeologists, of course, know better. They are well aware of the wonderful work done by Père Delattre who for many years has toiled among the ruins, and who, despite scanty funds and little support, has enriched our knowledge as well as the museums of Carthage. It would be idle to summarise his work here. Suffice it to say that he has laid bare various Punic cemeteries, which have afforded us a glimpse of early Phoenician civilization such as would never else have been suspected. He has also done much to extend our knowledge of Christian Carthage. Now, it is of Christian Carthage that we want to learn more. An archaeologist, perhaps inevitably, wants to get back as far as he can; it is a human instinct. But we should like to urge the present expedition to concentrate its efforts on Christian rather than Punic Carthage

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