WI Phoenician/Carthaginian West Africa

Around 450 B.C. Hanno the Navigator sets out from Carthage to explore and colonize West Africa. OTL, he never gets further south than Gabon, if even that far. 200 years earlier, though, a Phoenician expedition commissioned by Egypt circumnavigated Africa starting from the Red Sea, so they know that there's more to find further south and that the waters are navigable. Suppose that sometime after 400 B.C., ATL Carthage starts much more extensive exploration and exploitation of the west coast of Africa, looking for gold, ivory, timber, and perhaps slaves. The eastern empire is likely still doomed with the coming of Alexander the Great (unless he gets butterflied away somehow...), but the western empire plausibly now has more resources to put into defense and conquest against Rome and further conquest in North Africa.

So, circa 400 B.C., Carthage starts putting more effort into trade and exploration in West Africa, with major settlements at the mouths of the Senegal and Niger rivers. Disease limits the growth of mainland colonies, but they're able to isolate themselves (a bit) by settling the islands of the Gulf of Guinea, and the larger amount of gold available from the Niger more than makes up for its greater distance from the Mediterranean so that it grows more rapidly than the Senegal colony. The Cape Verde islands are
sparsely colonized as a way-station, and by 300 BC they're at least aware of the Canaries and Azores, but mostly ignore them.
Aside from butterflying away the births of some Carthaginian historical figures, it seems to me that the first opportunity for major divergence in the Mediterranean is during the First Punic War. By 265 B.C., colonization has been underway for 135 years, settlements are scattered all along the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal and the Bissagos Islands and a trade mainly in ivory, timber, and gold (and maybe the occasional exotic animal) is well established. The island colonies are almost purely ethnic Punic, while on the mainland more extensive intermarriage with the more disease-resistant natives has produced a significant mixed-race population. Back in the Mediterranean, the increased wealth and ship building capacity from West African trade allows Carthage to significantly increase its navy over OTL, allowing them to maintain control of Sicily (details? am I right in assuming that a stronger navy, and potentially access to a larger mercenary force, could hold off the Roman attack and prevent Hiero from switching sides?). Without a Roman victory and with the West African trade and Sicily remaining under Carthaginian control, Carthage isn't struggling to pay off war debts, and the Mercenary War doesn't happen. With Hannibal Barca butterflied away, the attack on Saguntum never takes place, so the Second Punic War is gone, and Roman/Carthaginian relations improve. While Carthage secures its position as the major sea power in the Mediterranean, Rome continues building its empire in the north.
(Hm. I wonder about war with the Greeks, particularly over Crete. Also, I've mostly ignored the possible effects of disease, except for putting a limit on the rapid growth of West African colonies. Which might not be a good thing to do, as new plagues could have a major effect on history.)
By 200 B.C. Carthage is into a new wave of expansion. Several expeditions have been sent over the Sahara and northwards along the western coast of Europe, while new expeditions launched from the Niger colony have begun to found settlements in South Africa and rounded the Cape of Good Hope to explore the eastern coast.

Comments/criticisms/expansions?
 
OK, here's my timeline so far. Outside of the First Punic War / Sicilian War, it's somewhat lacking in detail. Comments/criticisms/improvements?

450 B.C.: Hanno the Navigator explores the West African coast as far south as Gabon, setting up or replenishing a few small colonies along the way.

440: Hanno sets out again, intending to make detailed maps and explore a little further. Small colonies are planted on the Canary islands, the coast of Mauritania, and at the mouth of the Senegal River at Cap-Vert.

439: Another colony is established on the Bissagos islands and on the mainland at the mouth of the Niger River.

435: Most of the colonies are doing fine, but the Niger colony has been decimated by Yellow Fever. A few of the the survivors have taken native wives. A third expedition by Hanno bolsters the populations of the colonies and begins bringing back new loot in the form of timber and ivory in addition to Senegalese gold. New colonists at the Niger stay off the mainland, in the hope that that will help isolate them from the fever.

430: Yellow fever has hit the Senegal colony, but the discovery of gold at the Niger colony spurs further colonization, the vast majority of which is, of course, still male. An expedition is launched up the Niger River in search of more gold.

425: Small outposts have been established every days sail along the West African coast to facilitate increased trade. Many of the Senegalese colonists and yet more of the Nigerian colonists have taken native wives. Their mixed-race descendants will eventually come to dominate the mainland colonies due partially to low immigration rates and partially to higher disease resistance. Several cities have been established in the Cape Verde islands.

400: Most of the coastal settlements are still just small outposts, but a few have developed into proper walled cities. There are major cities at Cap-Vert and the mouth of the Niger, and settlements have been constructed for short distances up the length of each river.

399-289: Cities get built up, a bit more colonization happens, mixed-race Carthaginian-Africans come to dominate the West African coast. Carthage does a bit of conquering along the Mediterranean coast of Hispania.
Carthaginian ship designs improve over this period as they have to deal with Atlantic waters and weather. Additionally, it's noted that neither sundials nor water clocks work well on ships, and lots of people decide that something ought to be done about that.

288: The Mamertines take Messana.

265: Hiero II attempts to re-take Messana. Mamertines call for help from Carthage, then Rome when Carthage stations a garrison in the city.

264: The Sicilian War begins. The Carthaginian's have a stronger navy in this TL, as well as more money to hire more mercenaries to beef up their army, thus Claudius is not as able to break the Carthaginian siege of Messana as easily, and the siege drags on. Hiero does not withdraw to Syracuse.

263: Rome dispatches two more legions to Sicily in an attempt to capture Syracuse. They march south to lay siege to Catania and storm Hadranon. Hiero II retreats back to his capital while Carthaginian forces continue to siege Messana. Roman forces begin the futile siege of Syracuse.

262: Roman forces operating from Hadranon raid the surrounding country. Enna makes peace with Rome, opening the road to Agrigentum. Rome abandons the siege of Catania to devote more forces to laying siege to Agrigentum. Messana falls to Carthage. A garrison is stationed there to hold the city, while remaining forces march to retake Hadranon and Enna.

261: The Romans build a line of contravallation around Agrigentum, and are themselves besieged by the Carthaginian army. As supplies in Agrigentum ran down, the relieving army is forced to give battle and breaks the siege, but with one full legion of the Roman army escaping. The siege of Syracuse is broken. The remaining Roman army marches to relieve Segeste and Makella.

260: Rome breaks the siege at Makella, and the army marches on Thermae. The Roman navy enjoys its first victory at the Battle of Thermae when they deploy the newly-invented corvus. The army then marches east to take Halaisa and Tyndaris. Syracusan troops march north to reinforce Messana and Mylae.

259: Segeste falls to the Carthaginians, and a new siege begins at Makella. Romans re-take Enna, but are repelled from Mytistraton. The Roman fleet is defeated in the Lipari Islands.

258: Rome attempts to end the war by assembling a fleet to assault Carthage in Africa. The Roman fleet, however, is met by over 400 Carthaginian ships near Apsis. Nearly half of the Roman fleet is destroyed or captured in the largest naval battle in history, with the rest retreating back to northern Sicily. Makella falls to the Carthaginians.

257: Rome storms Panormus, and makes plans to besiege Lilybaeum. Syracusan forces retake Enna. The Roman fleet moves on Lilybaeum, but is quickly defeated by the Carthaginian fleet. The Syracusan army attacks Tyndaris while the Carthaginian army re-takes Panormus, pressing on the Romans from all sides.

256: With the capture of Tyndaris and Halaisa by Syracuse, Rome sues for peace. The Treaty of Hamilcar states that:
# Rome completely evacuates Sicily.
# Rome returns all prisoners of war without ransom.
# Rome refrains from attacking Syracuse and her allies
# Rome evacuates the Lipari and Aegate Islands.
# Rome pays a 1,000 talent indemnity in ten annual installments.

240: Carthage has no trouble paying off its war debts, and the Mercenary War fails to occur. Rome has continued its empire building in Italy, and now controls most of the southern half of the peninsula.

230: While not quite as powerful as OTL, Rome has long payed off its debt to Carthage and relations between the two empires are good. Illyrian pirates in the Adriatic sea prompt Rome to go conquering.

220: The Second Punic War fails to occur. Rome is starting its campaign to secure northern Italy and fighting the cisalpine Gauls, and Hannibal Barca has undertaken to conquer more of the interior of Hispania. Unable to rally the native tribes north of the Ebro against Rome, since Carthage isn't at war with Rome, this is more difficult than OTL. Fortunately, Carthage is richer to make up for that. Taking advantage of Rome's temporary distraction with the Cisalpine Gauls, Illyrian pirates start operating in the Adriatic again. Rome clears out the pirates, and, undistracted by Carthage, begins organizing the region as the first Roman province outside of Italy.

210: Hannibal finishes securing the regions of Hispania between the Ebro and the Pyrenees; through a half-and-half mixture of outright conquering and mercenary payoffs to those who helped with the conquering, the region is made firmly loyal to Carthage.

209: Hannibal begins a campaign to conquer the northern coast, while Mago commands an army to take the southern coast of Hispania west of Gibraltar.

200: Several ports are established on the North coast of Hispania, which take over the tin trade from Northern Europe. Down south, an expedition is launched from the Niger to explore the African coast down to the Cape of Good Hope.
 
Great Start to the TL, I am wondering though, will this ATL Hannibal attempt to reform the Carthaginian Ogliarchy and try set up an virtual empire, with him as its head as Dictator for Life?
 
Great Start to the TL, I am wondering though, will this ATL Hannibal attempt to reform the Carthaginian Ogliarchy and try set up an virtual empire, with him as its head as Dictator for Life?
Wasn't planning on it. Why would he?
Do you think more mercenaries would be enough to hold Messana.

Also the 1st Punic war was more a naval war.
More mercenaries and a stronger Navy. The better Carthaginian navy is the intended Minimum Necessary Change that alters the outcome of the war, but I did kinda leave out a bunch of details. Mostly because I don't really know enough about ancient naval warfare (either the theory or the precise history of actual battles) to do a good job with that. Any suggestions? Or pointers to good sources I could use?
Good start. I'd like to see more. Maps?
I definitely want to do maps at some point, but I don't have them yet. Haven't worked on this for a while 'cuz I got a bit hung-up on the starting-out. Just exactly how much wealth would it be plausible to obtain from West Africa? And what are the natives like in that period? Very difficult to find useful information. I'm thinking of getting rid of the Niger colony, and just restricting it to Senegal for another century or so; don't want to bother with making a map 'till I've got that resolved.
 
I do agree, focusing on the Sengal Colony at first for a slow but steady expansion into West Africa. I do believe that the Carthaginians would be dealing with the Nok...Im really not sure if they were a violent tribe but most likely they would encourage the gold trade with the tribes that arent as advanced.

On the Hannibal subject, In OTL after the failure of the 2nd Punic War, he came back to the Council and actaully played the political forms with some of the reforms he made to try get Carthage back on his feet. Rival Aristocrats are what caused him to fleee in to exile and I was just wondering after he consolidated his gains in Hispania...What type of role will he play in the Carthaginian Govt?
 
The ecology of the African mainland isn't that compatible with the Carthiginian food package.
The Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira, maybe the Azores, in West Africa.
Now South Africa is different. They know that wheat grows there because they landed and put in a crop. Olives and legumes look like a good bet. Dates, pistachios, sesame, etc. Good pasture country not currently being used by a horse culture. From their point of view, what's not to like?
 
I do agree, focusing on the Sengal Colony at first for a slow but steady expansion into West Africa. I do believe that the Carthaginians would be dealing with the Nok...Im really not sure if they were a violent tribe but most likely they would encourage the gold trade with the tribes that arent as advanced.
They would be dealing with the Nok in Nigeria, but I don't know about Senegal. The farthest back I can get for that general region are the Soninke who founded ancient Ghana, but that's still 1,000 years too late to really be relevant.
On the Hannibal subject, In OTL after the failure of the 2nd Punic War, he came back to the Council and actaully played the political forms with some of the reforms he made to try get Carthage back on his feet. Rival Aristocrats are what caused him to flee in to exile and I was just wondering after he consolidated his gains in Hispania...What type of role will he play in the Carthaginian Govt?
Originally, I had Hannibal butterflied away, in which case he would have no role, and I've been wavering about whether or not to keep him in. I really like the Barca's, though, and I left in Hamilcar not-Barca, so I think I'm committed to keeping Hannibal in this TL. The open question then is whether and how much West Africa might interest him. Leaving that aside for a moment, if he doesn't get pre-occupied in West Africa, I'm thinking he's elected to the position of Suffet, as in OTL, and enacts essentially the same reforms. Without the oligarchy being able to complain about things in Italy that will never have happened in this TL, he stays there and the good financial management that allowed him to pay off Carthage's war debts to Rome in OTL should make Carthage even stronger. But, I don't see him setting himself up as dictator, particularly seeing as how he was so anti-corruption and put in term limits for the Hundred and Four.
The ecology of the African mainland isn't that compatible with the Carthiginian food package.
True. Which could be a bit of a damper. Certainly a damper in Nigeria. Up in Senegal, while wheat isn't a major crop, I expect it could be made to grow with sufficient effort. Not really taking that too seriously, though. I'm thinking that the Senegal colonies would rely more on pasture for animals, sort of like ancient Nubia (and they can definitely import and raise domestic cows and sheep and goats, since ancient Ghana had them). And that should be enough of a starter to get them into using native crops. Tubers, baobab fruit, possibly sorghum and pearl millet; probably not African rice, though that may be an option in Nigeria.
The Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira, maybe the Azores, in West Africa.
Umm... incomplete sentence. What do you mean to say about these places?
Now South Africa is different. They know that wheat grows there because they landed and put in a crop. Olives and legumes look like a good bet. Dates, pistachios, sesame, etc. Good pasture country not currently being used by a horse culture. From their point of view, what's not to like?
It's really far away. I intend for them to get there eventually, but not for quite some time. And the empire won't remain intact over those distances.
 
<Pro-Carthaginian Supportest...


For some reason I think things wouldv'e happened faster, if they'd stayed around longer. JMTC
 
My Current Revision. Not sure if I should have Hannibal conquer the northern coast of Hispania so early....

450 B.C.: Hanno the Navigator explores the West African coast as far south as Gabon, setting up or replenishing a few small colonies along the way.

440: Hanno sets out again, intending to make detailed maps and explore a little further. Small colonies are planted on the Canary islands, the coast of Mauritania, and at the mouth of the Senegal River at Cap-Vert.

439: Hanno's expedition meets the iron-age Nok people of Nigeria. Another small colony is established at the mouth of the Niger River. Upon returning to Carthage, Nok artifacts (mostly terra-cotta sculptures) rouse sufficient interest to continue the expeditions.

435: Most of the colonies are doing fine, but the Niger colony has been decimated by Yellow Fever. A few of the the survivors have taken native wives. A third expedition by Hanno bolsters the populations of the colonies and begins bringing back new loot in the form of timber and ivory in addition to Senegalese gold. New colonists at the Niger stay off the mainland, in the hope that that will help isolate them from the fever, and a trading colony is established on the Bissagos Islands.

430: Growth of the Niger colony is limited by disease and the inhospitability of the tropical climate to Carthaginian agriculture. Due to their reliance on native food, however, the Niger colony has discovered sorghum, which increases productivity at the Cap-Vert colony.

425: Small outposts have been established every day's sail along the West African coast to facilitate increased trade. Many of the Senegalese colonists and Nigerian colonists have taken native wives. Their mixed-race descendants will eventually come to dominate the mainland colonies due partially to low immigration rates and partially to higher disease resistance. Several cities have been established in the Cape Verde islands.

410 BC--Phoenicians in Hispania join with Celtiberians to secede from Carthage, denying the state important silver and copper revenues and making the West African gold trade suddenly seem much more important. Overland tin trade is also cut off. Himilco commands an expedition into the Atlantic and reaches northwestern France in search of tin.

400: Most of the coastal settlements are still just small outposts, but a few have developed into proper walled cities. With it's excellent natural harbor, Cap-Vert is now a major Carthaginian city, and settlements have been constructed for a short distances up the length of the Senegal River.

399-289: Cities get built up, a bit more colonization happens, mixed-race Carthaginian-Africans come to dominate the West African coast. Carthage does a bit of re-conquering along the Mediterranean coast of Hispania.
Carthaginian ship designs improve over this period as they have to deal with Atlantic waters and weather. Additionally, it's noted that neither sundials nor water clocks work well on ships, and lots of people decide that something ought to be done about that.

288: The Mamertines take Messana.

287: Archimedes is born in Syracuse.

265: Hiero II attempts to re-take Messana. Mamertines call for help from Carthage, then Rome when Carthage stations a garrison in the city.

264: The Sicilian War begins. Carthage has the worlds strongest navy and is well supplied with mercenaries, and thus Claudius is unable to break the seige of Messana.

263: Rome dispatches two more legions to Sicily in an attempt to capture Syracuse. They march south to lay siege to Catania and storm Hadranon. Hiero II retreats back to his capital while Carthaginian forces continue to siege Messana. Roman forces begin the futile siege of Syracuse.

262: Roman forces operating from Hadranon raid the surrounding country. Enna makes peace with Rome, opening the road to Agrigentum. Rome abandons the siege of Catania to devote more forces to laying siege to Agrigentum. Messana falls to Carthage. A garrison is stationed there to hold the city, while remaining forces march to retake Hadranon and Enna.

261: The Romans build a line of contravallation around Agrigentum, and are themselves besieged by the Carthaginian army. As supplies in Agrigentum run down, the relieving army is forced to give battle and breaks the siege, but with one full legion of the Roman army escaping. The siege of Syracuse is broken. The remaining Roman army marches to relieve Segeste and Makella.

260: Rome breaks the siege at Makella, and the army marches on Thermae. The Roman navy enjoys its first victory at the Battle of Thermae when they deploy the newly-invented corvus. The army then marches east to take Halaisa and Tyndaris. Syracusan troops march north to reinforce Messana and Mylae.

259: Segeste falls to the Carthaginians, and a new siege begins at Makella. Romans re-take Enna, but are repelled from Mytistraton. The Roman fleet is defeated in the Lipari Islands.

258: Rome attempts to end the war by assembling a fleet to assault Carthage in Africa. The Roman fleet, however, is met by over 400 Carthaginian ships near Apsis. Nearly half of the Roman fleet is destroyed or captured in the largest naval battle in history, with the rest retreating back to northern Sicily.
Makella falls to the Carthaginians.

257: Rome storms Panormus, and makes plans to besiege Lilybaeum. Syracusan forces retake Enna. The remaining Roman fleet moves on Lilybaeum, but is quickly defeated. The Syracusan army attacks Tyndaris while the Carthaginian army re-takes Panormus, pressing on the Romans from all sides.

256: With the capture of Tyndaris and Halaisa by Syracuse, Rome sues for peace. The Treaty of Hamilcar states that:
# Rome completely evacuates Sicily.
# Rome returns all prisoners of war without ransom.
# Rome refrains from attacking Syracuse and her allies
# Rome evacuates the Lipari and Aegate Islands.
# Rome pays a 1,000 talent indemnity in ten annual installments.

247: Hannibal Barca is born.

240: Since the end of the war, Rome has continued its empire building in Italy, and now controls most of the southern half of the peninsula.

230: While not quite as powerful as in OTL, Rome has long payed off its debt to Carthage and relations between the two empires are good. Illyrian pirates in the Adriatic sea prompt Rome to go conquering.

220: Rome starts its campaign to secure northern Italy and fight the cisalpine Gauls. Hannibal Barca has undertaken to conquer more of the interior of Hispania, in order to re-open the tin and copper trade. Unable to rally the native tribes north of the Ebro against Rome, since Carthage isn't at war with Rome, this is more difficult than OTL. Fortunately, Carthage is richer to make up for that. Trying to take advantage of Rome's temporary distraction with the Cisalpine Gauls, Illyrian pirates start operating in the Adriatic again. Rome clears out the pirates and begins organizing the region as the first Roman province outside of Italy.

212: Archimedes fails to be killed by a soldier during a siege which never happens.

210: Hannibal finishes securing the regions of Hispania between the Ebro and the Pyrenees; through a half-and-half mixture of outright conquering and mercenary payoffs to those who helped with the conquering, the region is made firmly loyal to Carthage.

209: Hannibal begins a campaign to conquer the northern coast, while Mago commands an army to take the southern coast of Hispania west of Gibraltar.

200: Several ports are established on the North coast of Hispania, which take over the tin trade from Northern Europe. Down south, an expedition is launched from the Niger to explore the African coast down to the Cape of Good Hope.

199: Hannibal returns from Hispania to discover extensive corruption in the Carthaginian government. Capitalizing on his good image as the re-conqueror of Hispania, Hannibal gets himself elected Suffet, and restores the position's lost power.

198: With citizen support, Hannibal reforms the Hundred and Four to impose direct election, one-year terms, and a two-term limit. His work to reduce government corruption frees up large amounts of wealth which in OTL would be used to pay off Roman tributes; with no debt to Rome, Hannibals' reforms instead allow for the reduction of taxes, which of course makes him ever dearer to the general citzenry, even while the oligarchy becomes progressivley more jealous of him.

196: Archimedes dies in Syracuse at the age of 91. The latest African exploratory expedition returns to report that the climate improves further south, and gives rave reviews to the southern tip of Africa as excellent country for cultivation. Hadrubal Barca begins an expedition to secure territory up the Senegal River, in the African interior.
 
The ecology of the African mainland isn't that compatible with the Carthiginian food package.
The Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, Madeira, maybe the Azores, in West Africa.
Now South Africa is different. They know that wheat grows there because they landed and put in a crop. Olives and legumes look like a good bet. Dates, pistachios, sesame, etc. Good pasture country not currently being used by a horse culture. From their point of view, what's not to like?

I would just wonder if Carthage's agriculture was the same as Tyre's, if not, perhaps they're adaptable?

As a trading power, I don't think a simple little thing like food is going to frustrate them, they may have had foods they liked, but they could surely find almost anything they wanted with thier fat pocketbooks.

As for horses, I'm not sure if the Tse Tse fly won't figure that out for them.

Carthaginian life in Central Africa will require a bit of change, but I do think that earlier exposure to Europeans and technology, and perhaps legitimate trade might be a bit of a boost to African development.
 
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Great Installment, I just don't understand what you meant about Central Africa...The Sahara Maybe? Will there be a true Third Punnic War in this ATL? and Do you plan on Destroying Rome...Maybe Hannibal looks more closely on how the Celtic tribal leader Brennus was able to sack rome in the 4th Century BCE and base a new strategy on that?
 
As for horses, I'm not sure if the Tse Tse fly won't figure that out for them.
They're not going to be keeping horses in Nigeria, for sure. Senegal and South Africa won't be a problem, though. Except for the fact that they have little motivation to exploit South Africa yet, since AFAIK there's nobody there for them to trade with.
Great Installment, I just don't understand what you meant about Central Africa...The Sahara Maybe?
I suspect that's in reference to Nigeria?
Will there be a true Third Punnic War in this ATL? and Do you plan on Destroying Rome...
Well, there's no Second Punic War, so there can't be a Third. Not yet, anyway. I don't plan on destroying Rome, since I can't find a good reason for Carthage to want to destroy Rome. At the moment, I'm thinking of a three-way divided Mediterranean, with Rome conquering the Northeast, Ptolemaic Egypt controlling the Southeast, and Carthage controlling the West.
Really looking out for potential conflicts. I've been trying to fill in details in the 4th century, and wondering how much impact Carthage's western expansion would already have in that period. It depends on how much wealth they can extract quickly, and how much difference that increased wealth could actually make to their military power. If the Sicilian Wars with Syracuse get too messed up, then there won't even be a *first* Punic War, which means more revisions.
 
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