Did you know...?
According to the mythical tradition, Elissa, also known as Dido Queen of Carthage, took a group of Tyrians, first to Cyprus and then to the north coast of Africa, after her brother murdered her husband. Because of the tales of all her wanderings, she received the name 'Dido'--the wanderer.
-from Carthage.edu
New Arrivals!
That's right ladies and gentlemen. Mesopotamia has had two new arrivals since our last edition. First off, I'd like to
congratulate our Mesopotamian scribe ApilIshtar Etana. On November 17th, 2005, at 6:39 PM, she brought into this world baby Conor. He was 6 pounds, 15 ounces. Be sure to
ask ApilIshtar to see a baby picture. He's absolutely adorable. We look forward to him growing up an ancient history lover just like his mommy. Hey, maybe one day we'll even see him here at AncientWorlds.
Place all your bets at The Kash Bowl! Our newest arrival has been Herme's baby ostrich, Junior. Herme is our local ostrich patron. She is frequently seen at the Kash Bowl.
With the baby name Junior we assumed the baby was a boy, right? Wrong. In fact, we are unsure of the gender of Junior.
We forgot to do the necessary check. We are now having a blast placing our bets with our guesses. Feel free to place your own bet before MacMorna Niafer, of Celtia, makes the announcement. By the way, Mac will be doing the necessary check for us. Thanks for taking that, uh, lovely, job off our hands.
Group News
brought to you by Marduk Hammurabi
A Confederacy of Dunces was born in January
of 2003. Now, on the eve of our three year anniversary, I am here to update the Ancient Worlds community on our
past achievements and future goals. Our group has grown in number and now includes 107
members. We love to discuss contemporary matters focusing mainly on pop culture. Our boards include: A Complete History of Movies,
The Pet Shop & The TV Guide.
This message is not about the wonderful boards we have or the awesome graphics at our group home -
No!!!. This message is about the people you will meet and the relationships that you will develop at our group. The bonds that are formed here are not easily broken. The prime example for this sense of group community was at our two year anniversary. We held a
Back to the 80s Ball at our public thread. It was unplanned and unannounced; over the course of
three days we had ourselves a wonderful time indeed. Over 300 posts! Who knows what waits on the eve of our three year anniversary! If you are unable to join our group but care to share in the fun, please post at our public board:
The Dunces Public Board
In conjunction with Mesopotamia's Valentine's Day festival, A Confederacy of Dunces will be holding their one year
anniversary of the "Back to the Future Ball". This year's theme will be love songs.
Valentine's Day Volunteers
Last year our dear scribe Caileadair came up with the wonderful idea of a
Virtual Valentine's Card Creation Contest. Not only was it a huge success, it was also great fun! Now, Caileadair is passing the torch to ApilIshtar and I to handle the Valentine's Day festival in Mesopotamia. With that in mind, we have many ideas brewing in our heads.
If you would like to help make Valentine's Day themed graphics, please contact Bahiyyah Siduri or ApilIshtar Etana.
Or leave your graphic at mesopotamia.festivals@gmail.com
The Legacy of Carthage: Carthaginian Constitution
Part I of an ongoing series entitled The Legacies of Ancient Mesopotamia, highlighting each neighborhood of our Ancient World.
By Salah al Din Saba
Carthage was initially founded sometime in the 8th or 9th century BCE, as a trading outpost of the sea-faring Phoenician culture based in Tyre and Sidon. Such outposts, which were as far flung as Spain and the south of France, were traditionally governed by two local 'suffetes', or petty kings. When the Phoenician trading empire fell, many of these outposts disappeared as well, or reverted into tyranny. Carthage, however, flourished under a new constitution. The suffetes were now elected from among a Supreme Council of 100, the elders of the city state, and held control in much the same way as the dual kings of Sparta. Beneath the Suffetes were the Magistrates of Five, a small body of elders elected to oversee all legal disputes.
The unique feature of the Carthaginian system, the feature that differentiated it from those in Sparta and Crete, was the lack of corruption. As Aristotle wrote in c. 340 BCE, the Carthaginian people elected only those elders who were already rich, and had no need of more money. They placed a high value on honor, and virtue, and in this way the Carthaginian constitution excelled where others fell. The people of Carthage were treated well by the leaders of their burgeoning empire, and so remained intensely loyal to their capital throughout the Punic wars, which eventually brought about the destruction of the heir to the Phoenician trading empire founded many centuries before.
Source: The Politics of Aristotle, trans. Benjamin Jowett (Colonial Press, 1900), pp. 49-51.
