Carthaginian Books: Lost Literature
The Carthaginian civilization, heir to the Phoenician civilization , was one of the great civilizations of antiquity, and its Punic language was considered a learned language. Carthage produced many literary works, in both Punic and Greek. However, we know almost nothing about this completely lost Carthaginian literature. Therefore, since we have no original sources, everything we know about the history of Carthage comes from foreign authors, often enemies of Carthage.
History of the Great Carthaginian Manuscripts
The role of Boniki
Several sources attest to the existence of libraries in ancient Carthage, especially in temples. Before the destruction of the city, there were certainly hundreds, even thousands of manuscripts. What happened to them?
Most of the Carthaginian manuscripts were destroyed with the city in 146, but some were saved from the fire by the Roman legions, who then handed them over to their ally, Masinissa, king of Numidia. This shows that the Romans, despite their hostility to Carthage, recognized the value of these manuscripts. The Latin author Pliny the Elder, in his Natural History, reports that the Senate ordered some of the works to be translated into Latin.
Juba II, the last known owner of the Carthaginian manuscripts
What happened to the Carthaginian manuscripts after that? The Roman historian Sallust consulted and translated these manuscripts for use as a source for his book The Jugurthine War. This indicates that almost a century after the fall of Carthage, they were still in the court of the kings of Numidia. Another Roman historian, Ammianus Marcellinus, records that the Carthaginian manuscripts were still kept in the court of Juba II, the last king of Numidia.
After the Roman annexation , traces of these manuscripts were lost. However, some were preserved: the Christian bishop Augustine had access to some Punic manuscripts during the 4th century.
Unfortunately, no Carthaginian manuscript in the Punic language has survived to the present day. Only fragments of important works have been preserved, translated into Greek and Latin.
Carthaginian Literature: A Brief Overview
What do we know about Carthaginian authors and their works? The little information available to us shows that they covered a range of subjects, including legislative, philosophical, poetic, historical and religious texts, international treaties and books devoted to agriculture, geography and navigation.
One of the first Carthaginian authors the Romans wanted to translate was Magon, considered the father of agronomy. He wrote a treatise on agriculture, in 28 books, which is an inventory/statement of the agricultural knowledge of his time, describing Punic and Berber practices. He gave advice on how to plant and prune vines, how to grow olives and fruit trees, and on animal health and beekeeping. His work is lost, but some quotations in Latin and Greek by other authors have survived, which provide a good glimpse into his thought.
Possible route of Hanno the Carthaginian
Along with Magon's treatise on agriculture, the most influential Carthaginian works of antiquity were the travelogues of the great Carthaginian explorers, Hanno and Hamilcon . An abridged Greek version of Hanno's Voyage, which recounts his exploration of the African coasts, has survived. It is the only relatively complete Carthaginian work to have come down to us. The voyage of Hamilcon, the first Carthaginian to sail to Britain, has been lost but quotations have been preserved in some of the works of later authors.
Carthaginian philosophy belongs mainly to the Platonic and Pythagorean philosophical schools. The influential 1st century Neoplatonic philosopher, Moderatus of Gades, may have been the heir to a more ancient philosophical school in the city.
Some fragments of Punic hair have also been preserved.
As for historical books, there are many references to Carthaginian historians in the works of Greek and Roman historians, even if no Carthaginian author is mentioned by name. Had the work of these historians been preserved, it would have served as a supplementary testimony to the wars between Carthage and other Mediterranean civilizations, especially the Greeks and Romans. As it stands, everything we know about these wars, and even about Carthaginian institutions and customs, comes from other civilizations, often from Carthage's enemies.
Finally, several sources mention biographies of Hannibal. They mostly relate to the continuation of an ancient tradition of works written to glorify Carthaginian generals, in order to recount their exploits.
Translated foreign literature into Punic.
The Carthaginians also translated the works of foreign authors into Punic.
We have always thought that of all the peoples of antiquity, only the Romans were literate enough to translate Greek plays. However, the play Puenulus by the Roman actor Platus contains two stanzas in Punic. Puenulus is a loose translation of an ancient Greek comedy. The author used a foreign language to amuse his audience and to play with words. However, he clearly quoted a Punic translation of the same Greek comedy, which indicates that such a translation had existed before.
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