Circa 400-350 BCE
AE 15mm, 2,4g
Head of Tanit to left, wearing wreath of grain ears.
Rev. Horse standing right; palm tree in background.
MAA 18. SNG Copenhagen 109
Admittedly, Carthage played mostly an indirect role during the time of Alexander the Great. During the Siege of Tyre, many of the inhabitants were evacuated to Carthage, which like Tyre was a Phoenician city. Unlike the Phoenician cities of the Levant, however, it played a more active role in world affairs, contending in Sicily and eventually against the Romans.
I’ve often wondered if some of my ancestors lived in Carthage. In a 23AndMe study, I found that many of my ancestors had African and Levantine blood. Since my family are Sephards who once lived in Spain, I’ve often wondered how they got there. My suspicion is some likely traded with Phoenicians and may have even been Phoenicians. Since Carthage had a large Jewish population, perhaps they may have lived there.
The other connection with Alexander the Great was the premise that Alexander’s next intention was to build a huge fleet and conquer the Mediterranean. Clearly Carthage would have been the most affected by this and was likely Alexander’s chief objective, if this truly was his plan.