The Punics (from Latin pūnicus, pl. pūnici) were a group of western Semitic-speaking peoples from Carthage in North Africa who traced their origins to a group of Phoenician settlers, but also to North African Berbers. Punics were probably a mix of Berbers and Phoenicians in terms of culture and ancestry. Unlike other Phoenicians, Punics had a landowning aristocracy who established a rule of the hinterland in Northern Africa and trans-Sahara traderoutes. In later times one of these clans conquered a Hellenistic-inspired empire in Iberia, possibly having a foothold in western Gaul. Like other Phoenician people their urbanized culture and economy was strongly linked to the sea. Overseas they established control over some coastal regions of Berber North Africa like modern-day Tunisia and Tripolitania (modern-day Libya), Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, the Baleares, Malta, other small islands of the Western Mediterranean and possibly along the Atlantic coast of Iberia, although this is disputed. In the Baleares, Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily they had strong economic and political ties to the independent natives in the hinterland. Their naval presence and trade extended throughout the Mediterranean to the British Isles, the Canaries, and West Africa.^[1] Famous technical achievements of the Punic people of Carthage include the development of uncolored glass and the use of lacustrine limestone to improve the purity of molten iron.

Most of the Punic culture was destroyed as a result of the Punic Wars fought between Rome and Carthage from 264 to 146 BCE,^[2] while traces of language, religion and technology could still be found in Africa during the early Christianisation, 325 to 650 CE. After the Punic Wars, Romans used the term Punic as an adjective meaning treacherous.

In archaeological and linguistic usage Punic refers to a Hellenistic and later-era culture and dialect from Carthage that had developed into a distinct form from the Phoenician of the mother city of Tyre. Phoenicians also settled in Northwest Africa (the Maghreb) and other areas under Carthaginian rule and their culture and political organisation were a distinct form. Remains of the Punic culture can be found in settlements from the Iberian Peninsula in the West to Cyprus in the East.

814 BC to 146 BC[link]

The Punic religion was based on that of their Phoenician forefathers, who worshiped Baal Hammon and Melqart but merged Phoenician ideas with Numidian deities and some Greek and Egyptian, such as Apollo, Tanit and Dionysis, with Baal Hammon being clearly the most important Punic deity.^[3] Punic culture became a melting pot, since Carthage was a big trading port in the known world but they retained some of their old cultural identities and practices, such as child sacrifice. This was not outside of regional norms, as many cultures of the time made human sacrifices, including the Greeks, Celts, and Romans.

The Punics carried out significant sea explorations around Africa and elsewhere from their base in Carthage. In the fifth century BC Hanno the Navigator played a significant role in exploring coastal areas of present day Morocco and other parts of the African coast, specifically noting details of indigenous peoples such as at Mogador.^[4][5] Punics pushed westerly into the Atlantic and established important settlements in Lixus, Volubilis, Chellah and Mogador, among other locations.

Greek-Punic and Roman-Punic Wars[link]

Being trade rivals with Magna Grecia, the Punics had several clashes with the Greeks over the island of Sicily in the Greek-Punic Wars from 600 - 265 BCE. They eventually fought Rome in the Roman-Punic Wars, between 265 - 146 BCE, but lost due to being outnumbered, lack of full governmental involvement and reliance on their navy. This enabled a Roman settlement of Africa and eventual domination of the Mediterranean Sea. Cato the Elder famously ended all his speeches, regardless of subject, with the imperative that Carthage be utterly crushed, a view summarised in Latin by the phrase Praeterea censeo Carthaginem esse delendam meaning, "Moreover, I declare, Carthage must be destroyed!". They were eventually incorporated into the Roman Republic in 146 BC with the destruction of Carthage but Cato never got to see his victory, having died in 149 BC.

146 BC to 700 AD[link]

The annexation of Carthage wasn't the end of the Punics. After the wars, the vicinity of Carthage was placed under a curse by the Romans, so that no one would live there and the place would not be repopulated. There were, however, other Punic cities in North Africa. Although the area was partially romanized and the some of the population adopted the Roman religion (while fusing it with aspects of their beliefs and customs), the language and the ethnicity persisted for some time. People of Punic origin prospered again as traders, merchants and even politicians of the Roman Empire. Carthage was rebuilt about 46 BC by Julius Caesar. Places in the area were granted for settlement as benefits to soldiers that had served in Roman armies. Carthage again prospered and even became the number two trading city in the Roman Empire, until Constantinople took over that position. As Christianity spread in the Roman Empire, it was especially successful in Northern Africa. Carthage became a Christian city even before Christianity was legal. It is possible that Saint Augustine himself was Punic, as he was aware of Punic words. One of his more well known passages reads: "It is an excellent thing that the Punic Christians call Baptism itself nothing else but salvation, and the Sacrament of Christ's Body nothing else but life." ("Forgiveness and the Just Deserts of Sins, and the Baptism of Infants", 1.24.34, AD 412)

The last remains of a distinct Punic culture probably disappeared somewhere in the chaos during the Fall of Rome. The demographic and cultural characteristics of the region were thoroughly transformed by turbulent events such as the Vandals' wars with Byzantines, the forced population movements that followed and the Arabic conquest in the 7th century.

Noted Punic[link]

• Septimius Severus (Roman emperor from the mainly Punic Libyan city of Lepcis Magna, founded by Phoenicians)
• Caracalla, his son
• Tertullian, an early Christian theologian (born in the highly multiethnic, Phoenician-founded city of Carthage)
• Vibia Perpetua (early Christian martyr, also born in Carthage)
• Cyprian (also born in Carthage)
• Hannibal, greatest Carthaginian general

See also[link]

• Phoenician languages
• Carthage
• History of Tunisia
• Poenulus ("The Puny Punic"), a comedy by Plautus, shows the vision the Romans had of Punics. A number of lines are in the Punic language.
• Punica, the genus of pomegranates, known to Romans as mala punica ("the Punic apple").

Line notes[link]

References[link]

B. H. Warmington, Carthage (2d ed. 1969) T. A. Dorey and D. R. Dudley, Rome against Carthage (1971) N. Davis, Carthage and Her Remains (1985).

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. (January 2010)

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (June 2011)

Chris Jarrett (born 1956 in Allentown, Pennsylvania) is an American pianist^[1] and composer who has lived in Germany since 1985. Chris Jarrett is mainly performing as a solo pianist, being influenced from classical music as well as from jazz improvisation. In addition to this, he is leading the Chris Jarrett Trio and the quartet Four Free.

Chris Jarrett's older brother, Keith Jarrett, is considered one of the most influential living jazz pianists.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Chris Jarrett Official Web Site.