The Carthaginian Army was raised from the eonseription of the subjugated Libyans, from the hired Nmnidians, and moreenaries from Spain, Gaul. and. indeed, all pails of the world. The soldiers had no interest in the State. but were capable of becoming strongly attached to their general:, and in good hands were a for midable force, as is seen in the suceessful cam paigns of Ilamilear Barca and Hannibal. Jul the time of Agathocles the city sent forth 40,0011 heavy-armed infantry, 1000 cavalry, and 2000 war chariots, but the State could easily raise 1(10,0(10 troops. The fleet in the First Punic War consisted of 350 ships. carrying 150.000 men. 1Tow Carthage contrived to raise revenue sufficient to cover the enormous expense her military and naval organization involved is not very clear. It was, in all likelihood. derived from tribute imposed on subject Libyan or Numidian races, in great part from mines in Spain. and from import duties derived from her maritime and inland trade. which was prodigiously great. tier merchantmen visited every coast and island of the :Mediterranean, and even ventured as far as the Azores, 13ritain, the Baltic, etc.: while her L.aravan: penetrated through Sahara to the gold producing distriets of the Niger. and through the Libyan Desert to the lands along the Nile. Still, Carthage was by no mean: an exclusively mercantile State. Alany of her wen ItnieSt eiti• zens derived their income from large estates yid tivated by band: of slaves, and the only Punic literature the Romans thought worth preserva tion was a treatise on agriculture by :.\fago, which
was translated into Latin by order of the Senate, for the benefit of the Roman hu:bandmen.
The religion of the Carthaginians appears to have been substantially the same as that of the worship of the stars and of fire. :Moloch was the chief deity, and to him children and captives were sacrifieed. The highest nat ural manifestation of this deity was the sun. Besides :Moloch. the Carthaginians worshiped the Tyrian Melcart: Astarte, the lotion goddess; Esnmn, also called Asclepius by the Greeks: and a few of the Greek divinities. of whom a knowl edge had been obtained in si•ily. It does not ap pear that there was a distinct sacerdotal order in Carthage. Probably religious, ceremonies were performed by the dignitaries of the State, but our knowledge on this point is too meagre to permit of our arriving at any very definite conclusion, Consult : A. Church. Carthage, or the Empire of Africa (Ne• York, 1S86) : 11. B. Smith, Carthage and the Carthaginians (Lon don, IS,77 : :Meltzer. Gesehichtr der Karthaaer (Berlin, IS79. ISffitl ; Andoll•t, Carthage ro amine 19011 N. Davis Parihaa• and Iler mains (London, Itied) ; Both'. For/jars II cartilage (Paris, ISO) ; E. de Sainte .:\larie, Mission a Cur/lotyc (Paris. IS54); :lags are/u'otogique dr /17 Tii (Sie ( Paris, 1893). For recent discoveries, see I'ootptcs Rend its de r.tradf% ie deg Inscriptions et 'Mks , Vol.
( Paris. 1901).