Relocated Carthaginians

In the book "THe seven Hills" J. M. Roberts has a victouroius Hannibal giving rome the choice between relocating all citicens outside italia within 72 hours or annihilation. (the book goes on...)

Just recently I read that exactly that was more or less the ultimatum the romans made to carthage in 146 b.c., before they annihilated it.

So, what if the carthagininas would choose to leave their city? Where would they go?
I guess, they would tend to go somewhere on the eastern coast of the black-sea. They would have their sea, the romans wouldn´t mind for the chathaginaians could be a future thread for the eastern realms.

More exiting, what if they choose to go to england? The sunny shores of cornwall and Kent would suit them fine, I think. Until Ceasar reaches England, the carthaginians might have build a fine navy out of the strong english oak...

Of course they would explore the seas earlier than the inhabitants of albion int OTL.....

Would that be a topic for a longer story?
 
I don't think its possible to relocate an entire city within 72 hours...

Well, they would not relocate the material city!
But the inhabitants would leave with everything they could carry, and would be allowed to leave unharmed.
Lets suggest that this way a lot of gold and jewels could have been taken with, enough to impress the kentish tribes man to give a small area to the carthaginians - think how their city is said to be founded anyway!
this area could be teh starting point for trading.
 
I don't see them having the ships to carry even 1/100th of the population. And the inhabitants could hardly carry enough food to get anywhere.

I'd think what you could get is a group of the elite which decides to bugger out. With their own ships, a small fleet including family groups. Perhaps to the colonies down the coast of west africa?
 
IIRC the Carthaginians could go anywhere as long as it was miles away from any coast, and preferably in a bleak stretch of land.
 

ninebucks

Banned
Well, they would not relocate the material city!
But the inhabitants would leave with everything they could carry, and would be allowed to leave unharmed.
Lets suggest that this way a lot of gold and jewels could have been taken with, enough to impress the kentish tribes man to give a small area to the carthaginians - think how their city is said to be founded anyway!
this area could be teh starting point for trading.

I'm not talking about the material city, either.

Coming to a decision about where to head, readying the ships and gathering enough stuff, (we're not just talking gold and jewels, but foodstuffs, religious icons, and thousands of legal documents - even after the big decisions of what to take and what to leave are made, it would take days to evacuate everything).

The whole point of an ultimatum so short is to appear reasonable and merciful, while still actually removing any chance of an orderly, organised evacuation.

Anyway, disbelief suspended... It would be interesting if they headed South, and settled somewhere in coastal West Africa.
 
I've wondered about a small group escaping to the Crimea/Sea of Azoz
200 years later their tales are of the Evil Romans, and how they have to be prepared to resist them.
 
Carthage itself was a refuge for displaced Phoenicians who were expelled from the Levant by Nebucadnezzer. So it would not be far-fetched to imagine a second Phoenician exodus when their capital city is faced with total destuction.
For a sea-faring race like the Phoenicians, Cornwall would be ideal. It is naturally wealthy in tin and silver and in close proximity to gold-rich Wales. The Carthaginians would certainly have been aware of Cornwall's mineral wealth at the time. Also, the peninsula is a natural fortress. Most of the coastline consists of rugged cliffs, with very few beaches suitable for a large-scale invasion. Also, this region has many natural deep-water habours. This is why the West Country was the home of the Royal Navy. It would be quite tempting to imagine a New Carthage constructed on the site of modern Plymouth. I think the Carthaginians would thrive here and would be able to build up their strength to sufficient levels by the time Caesar arrived in Britain.
Another option for the refugees might have been the Hesperides (modern Canary Islands) or even West Africa itself. Ever since the voyages of Hanno centuries before, the Carthaginians pocessed a unique knowledge of this part of the world. If they could make these settlements work, then they would be safe from the Romans, who appear to be ignorant of this region.
 
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