The Phoenicians set a long the african cost every 30 miles (about 45 block in 11500 BC) anchorage. With the strenghen conflict between the Phoenician and Greece City states a intermedian power was needed to protect the interest in west.
The emergence of Carthage as an independent city, followed by her leadership of the rest of the Phoenicians in the west and the creation of an empire based in North Africa, with profound historical consequences for the whole of the western Mediterranean area, began in the sixth century before our era. One reason was the weakening of the power of Tyre and the Phoenician homeland and their subjection to the Babylonian empire. More significant appears to have been growing pressure from the Greek settlements in Sicily.

The city walls were of exceptional dimensions and held out against every attack till the final Roman assault. The total length (including that along the sea) was about 22 miles, the crucial sector of the two-and-a-half miles across the isthmus of Carthage being 40 feet high and 30 feet thick. An inner citadel with an enceinte of about two miles enclosed the hill known as Byrsa, no doubt the oldest part of the city. Between the harbour and the Byrsa was an open public space equivalent to a Greek agora, but it does not seem that it ever had the regular planned or monumental aspect which came to characterize Greek cities. The city seems to have developed unplanned, with narrow winding streets, and we hear of buildings up to six storeys in height, as at Tyre itself and at Motya in Sicily. As for temples, although these are said to have been numerous, they are unlikely to have been substantial till the later stages of Carthaginian history when Greek cultural influence became pronounced, since most of the evidence goes to show that the Carthaginians were essentially conservative
in religious matters and long remained faithful to the concept of simple enclosures without monumental buildings. The population at its height can only be the subject of an educated guess; a figure of 700 000 given by Strabo is an impossible density but may refer to the city and the whole of the Cap Bon area. A more likely figure of 400 000, including slaves, would put Carthage on a par with Athens of the fifth century.

While their political institutions were praised, Carthaginian religious life was severely criticized by classical authors above all because of the persistence of human sacrifice. The intensity of religious beliefs was likewise commented on. Naturally the cults at Carthage have similarities with those of Phoenicia from which they derived. The
supreme male deity of the Phoenician world was known in Africa as Baal Hammon, the meaning of the epithet Hammon apparently being fiery and expressive of his solar aspect. He was identified in Roman times with Saturn. In the fifth century he was outstripped, at any rate in popular worship, by a goddess named Tanit. The name is apparently Libyan and the growth of her cult is associated with the acquisition of territory in Africa, because it had pronounced fertility aspects, owing much to the Greek goddesses Hera and Demeter. Crude representations of a female figure with arms raised occur on hundreds of stelae from Carthage and elsewhere. These two deities overshadowed the rest, though we know also of Astarte, Eshmoun (identified with Aesculapius the divine healer) and Melkart, the particular protector of the mother city Tyre. The institution of human sacrifice is proved archaeologically by discoveries not only at Carthage and Hadrumetum but also at Cirta, in Libyan territory but much influenced by Carthaginian culture, and at a number of settlements outside Africa. The discoveries are of sacred enclosures containing urns with the calcined bones of children, often marked by stelae referring to a sacrificial offering generally to Baal Hammon but often to Tanit as well. According to our sources (which have doubtful features) the sacrifices were always of males, were annual, and an obligation on the leading families. The practice certainly declined but an incident in —310 shows that it could be revived in moments of crisis when its neglect was held responsible for divine displeasure. There is no doubt that the emphasis of Carthaginian religious ideas was on the necessity of appeasing the capricious power of the gods. The great majority of Carthaginian names were theophoric, no doubt with the same intention; for example, Hamilcar means favoured by Melkart and Hannibal favoured by Baal. Besides human sacrifice, there was an elaborate sacrificial system involving other victims, and a priesthood including both full
-time priests and others who were not members of a separate caste. In spite of their contacts with Egypt the Carthaginians appear to have attached little importance to the idea of life after death, in this respect being like the early Hebrews. Inhumation was the general rule and the grave-goods moderate; many tombs contained small grotesque masks of terracotta which are assumed to have an apotropaic significance. The Carthaginians were far less influenced even at a late date by Greek civilization than the Etruscans and Romans though they were by no means altogether untouched by it. The cult of Demeter and Kore was officially installed in the city but there was no widespread hellenization of tn<, traditional cults. Artistically the minor crafts of Carthage show little influence, but the few remains of the second century show that by that date architectural influences emanating from the Greek world were being felt not only at a Carthaginian site (Dar Essafi in Cap Bon) but also in Libyan territory (Dougga). Phoenician was used as a literary language, but none of its products has survived. We know of a treatise on agriculture by a certain Mago which was translated into Latin, and it is clear that Mago made use of Greek books on the subject; we hear also of some Carthaginian followers of Greek philosophy.

Hereditary kingship prevailed in the Phoenician cities till hellenistic times, and all our sources likewise refer to kingship at Carthage; for example, Hamilcar, defeated at Himera, and Hanno, the leader of the African expansion, are so described. It is probable that in calling them kings the classical authors were thinking as much of their sacral and judicial as their political and military powers. The position was in principle elective, not hereditary, but several generations of the Magonid family held the position. During the sixth and fifth centuries they appear also to have been the military leaders of the state when occasion demanded. During the fifth century a process began whereby the power of the kings was diminished. This appears to be associated with the rise to power of the sufets, the only Carthaginian political term transcribed for us by Roman writers. The word combines the meaning of judge and governor and since in the third century two (perhaps more) were elected annually, it was easy to compare them with Roman consuls; and the term sufet remained in use in North Africa in areas of Carthaginian culture for at least a century after the Roman conquest, to denote the chief magistrate of a town. The
reduction in the power of the kings was similar to developments in Greek cities and in Rome. At the same time the power of a wealthy aristocracy increased. In addition to their exclusive membership of a council of state like the Roman senate, the aristocracy established a court of ioo members apparently with the specific function of controlling all organs of government. Although the citizen body had some say in election of kings, sufets and other officials, it is certain that Carthaginian politics were always dominated by the rich - Aristotle considered the part played by wealth at Carthage to be a bad feature. Both birth and wealth were essential for election. All matters were decided by kings or sufets and council in concert, and only if they disagreed were assemblies of the citizens consulted. In the fourth or third century command of the armed forces was entirely divorced from other offices; generals were appointed only as needed for specific campaigns, since the state had no standing army requiring a permanent commander; several families, the Magonids in early history, and the Barcids (see below) later, developed a military tradition. It is notable that Carthage never succumbed to a coup d'état led by an ambitious general, as was the frequent fate of Greek cities especially in Sicily; presumably the organs of supervision and control were effective. The fact that from the early fifth century Carthaginian citizens were immune from military service except at rare intervals probably prevented them from developing a sense of their own strength which was such a potent factor in the growth of democratic tendencies in Greece and Rome.

Update #10 - no super power with a strong economic as foundation : 8/20/15

The Carthagian were on a technological standpoint surprisingly not that far from us today. One of the technological achievements the ancient might missing was electricity or great power source like at least a steam engine.
So besides that they were more advanced then some countries today on the world with technological feeds like showers, flushing toilets,advanced sewage and water management system, shipbuilding, knowlegde in metallugry which is not completly matched today.

They had products of inf. varities and in millions in quantity every year coming out their production sites, agricultural operation. No surprised after the lost second punic war they were able to repay their reparations in just a short time of ten years were romans aspected to strange the carthagians for decades and more.

Update #9- The Phoenician overachiever of the ancient : 5 days ago

Archaologist excarved close to the lebannese city of amrit and ancient sportstadium which is in his size bigger then the olympic grounds and dated around 300 years before the first olympic game was featured at Olympia. History has shown that inferior cultures love to copy from the achievers. Similar it was with the relationship between Phoencian Egyptian Greek Roman and also Carthagian (which by later times was independ from it phoencian motherland) somebody might raise the question which culture was the inferior one.

As our map is still not a 1:1 earth and amrit is super close to ancient Tyrus. There was simply no place. So I placed the arena representive in Carthage.

Update #8 - The City grows! : 13 days ago

more and more houses grow into the carthagian sky and some totally crazy having interior decorations xD

Update #7- emotions going high! : 15 days ago

Yesterday I set a lot of graves and urns on the Tophet.
Carthagian were for two thousand years know for sacrifing their children. As its turns out it was just a myst of winners history. In carthagian culture their were no higher good the life of their children. In almost all phoencian settlements around the mediterranean special dedicated cemeteries for children were found.

Beside this very emotional work. I added another baal hammon temple to the city. It will be the last as carthagian were no temple builder like rome instead were doing more procession.

Also started the first houses with toilette and shower and a market houses.
As well worked on the harbour. As I seem to missing my building partner for a while.

Update #6- up on the walls : 18 days ago

next update there will be houses and a temple of baal hammon, maybe the torpet too but for now its just more walls.
for everybody would like to watch it first hand
Take the portal rignt next to spawn to Ghat and from there just right up north takes about 5 min and you will stand in one of the biggest cities of antiquity. (just image for every tree a 6 storied house xD. Survival building takes time.
server: minehost117.host-unlimited.de:28980

Update #5- First Quarter done 9 more to go! : 22 days ago

the City is now about 10% finished but still looks like nothing is done xD


Update #4- Religion : 25 days ago

Tanit and Baal Hammon are are the major dieties in punic religion, but there were many more.
For todays update we start with some first people and surrounding housing.

Update #3- kothon here kothon there : 28 days ago

After doing some more research and addictive watching the dynmap. I decided some changes on the harbor and kothon need to be made. So changed the entrance to the kothon rebuild the interior almost completly.
I am now finally a bit satified and we staying close as we can to the Carthage before it get massmurdered by heroric romans.

Update #2- the harbor is working itself slowly in shape : about a month ago

Building as high walls taking a lot of time already farmed some 10K Sandstone but its not enough.
The inside of the harbor will get next week some docks and we also plan make changes on the kothon as want try to make it at least historical right. Hopefully we can see also some houses next week.

Update #1- the new 11500 BC history standard : about a month ago

As promised and that time more detailed then ever before some inside on Carthege.
we also a lot more constructions, which I will summarizes on sunday with some more picture.

Visit us on 11500bc.de to get more historic background , links to interesting dokumentations and more (currently only avaiable in german, working on the english at least when not building)

you can pm me if you want one

more details to 11500 BC server you can find here and Dynmap as well