Cartēna, a town of Mauritania, now Tenez, on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Carthæa, a town in the island of Cea, whence the epithet of Cartheius. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, li. 368.
Carthāgĭnienses, the inhabitants of Carthage, a rich and commercial nation. See: [Carthago].
Carthāgo, a celebrated city of Africa, the rival of Rome, and long the capital of the country, and mistress of Spain, Sicily, and Sardinia. The precise time of its foundation is unknown, yet most writers seem to agree that it was first built by Dido, about 869 years before the christian era, or, according to others, 72 or 93 years before the foundation of Rome. This city and republic flourished for 737 years, and the time of its greatest glory was under Annibal and Amilcar. During the first Punic war, it contained no less than 700,000 inhabitants. It maintained three famous wars against Rome, called the Punic wars [See: [Punicum bellum]], in the third of which Carthage was totally destroyed by Scipio the second Africanus, B.C. 147, and only 5000 persons were found within the walls. It was 23 miles in circumference, and when it was set on fire by the Romans, it burned incessantly during 17 days. After the destruction of Carthage, Utica became powerful, and the Romans thought themselves secure; and as they had no rival to dispute with them in the field, they fell into indolence and inactivity. Cæsar planted a small colony on the ruins of Carthage. Augustus sent there 3000 men; and Adrian, after the example of his imperial predecessors, rebuilt part of it, which he called Adrianopolis. Carthage was conquered from the Romans by the arms of Genseric, A.D. 439; and it was for more than a century the seat of the Vandal empire in Africa, and fell into the hands of the Saracens in the seventh century. The Carthaginians were governed as a republic, and had two persons yearly chosen among them with regal authority. They were very superstitious, and generally offered human victims to their gods; an unnatural custom, which their allies wished them to abolish, but in vain. They bore the character of a faithless and treacherous people, and the proverb Punica fides is well known. Strabo, bk. 17.—Virgil, Æneid bk. 1, &c.—Mela, bk. 1, &c.—Ptolemy bk. 4.—Justin.—Livy, bk. 4, &c.—Paterculus, bks. 1 & 2.—Plutarch, Life of Hannibal, &c.—Cicero.——Nŏva, a town built in Spain, on the coasts of the Mediterranean, by Asdrubal the Carthaginian general. It was taken by Scipio when Hanno surrendered himself after a heavy loss. It now bears the name of Carthagena. Polybius, bk. 10.—Livy, bk. 26, ch. 43, &c.—Silius Italicus, bk. 15, li. 220, &c.——A daughter of Hercules.
Carthasis, a Scythian, &c. Curtius, bk. 7, ch. 7.
Carthea, a town of Cos. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bk. 7, fable 9.
Carvilius, a king of Britain, who attacked Cæsar’s naval station by order of Cassivelaunus, &c. Cæsar, Gallic War, bk. 5, ch. 22.——Spurius, a Roman, who made a large image of the breastplates taken from the Samnites, and placed it in the capitol. Pliny, bk. 34, ch. 7.——The first Roman who divorced his wife during the space of about 600 years. This was for barrenness, B.C. 231. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, bk. 2.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 2, ch. 1.
Carus, a Roman emperor who succeeded Probus. He was a prudent and active general; he conquered the Sarmatians, and continued the Persian war which his predecessor had commenced. He reigned two years, and died on the banks of the Tigris as he was going in an expedition against Persia, A.D. 283. He made his two sons, Carinus and Numerianus, Cæsars; and as his many virtues had promised the Romans happiness, he was made a god after death. Eutropius.——One of those who attempted to scale the rock Aornus, by order of Alexander. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 11.
Carya, a town of Arcadia.——A city of Laconia. Pausanias, bk. 3, ch. 10. Here a festival was observed in honour of Diana Caryatis. It was then usual for virgins to meet at the celebration and join in a certain dance, said to have been first instituted by Castor and Pollux. When Greece was invaded by Xerxes, the Laconians did not appear before the enemy, for fear of displeasing the goddess by not celebrating her festival. At that time the peasants assembled at the usual place, and sang pastorals called Βουκολισμοι, from Βουκολος, a neatherd. From this circumstance some suppose that Bucolics originated. Statius, bk. 4, Thebiad, li. 225.
Caryanda, a town and island on the coast of Caria, now Karacoion.