Carthage, 814–750 BCE
Hybrid Regime · Republic · Mediterranean · Archaic World era
A young Tyrian colony on the North African coast, mercantile and autonomous, laying the base of a future Mediterranean power.
Founded by settlers from Tyre, Carthage began as a Phoenician colony on the North African coast, governed at first by leaders drawn from its founding elite and oriented toward maritime trade. Its harbor and position on east–west Mediterranean routes let it accumulate wealth and autonomy from the mother city. Over the following centuries it grew into an oligarchic republic and the dominant power of the western Mediterranean.
Dominant patterns
- Democratization
- Regime Stabilization
Political-science factor profile
Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).
| Centralization of Power | 58 |
| Media Control | 48 |
| Repression | 40 |
| Nationalism | 50 |
| Militarization | 45 |
| Economic Stress | 30 |
| External Conflict | 40 |
| Cult of Personality | 52 |
| Elite Fragmentation | 40 |
| Institutions | 58 |
| Social Polarization | 42 |
| Corruption & Patrimonialism | 48 |
| Ideological Mobilization | 52 |
| External Sovereignty | 80 |
Economy & society
| GDP per capita | $800 (intl-$) |
| Population | 120k people |
| Share of world population | 0.12% |
| Territory | ~5000 km² |
| Capital population | ~20k |
Closest historical twins
The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles Carthage 814–750 BCE, by similarity score (0–100).
- Funan, 300–400 CE – similarity 91/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Tyre, 850–800 BCE – similarity 83/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Srivijaya, 650–750 CE – similarity 76/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Kingdom of Judah, 850–800 BCE – similarity 72/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Florence, 1434–1494 CE – similarity 71/100 · shared: Democratization
- Unified Silla, 668–780 CE – similarity 70/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Kingdom of Aksum, 330–370 CE – similarity 69/100 · shared: Democratization, Regime Stabilization
- Nara Japan, 710–784 CE – similarity 69/100 · shared: Democratization
What followed
- Growth into a dominant western-Mediterranean trading state.
- An oligarchic commercial republic at its height.