Our group visited the North African American Cemetery to pay homage to those who fought and died in this region during World War II. The cemetery is small but resembling the design of the Normandy cemetery in France.
The cemetery covers 27
acres with 2,840 military Dead of the USA. Most of them died in the
landings in and during the occupation of Morocco and Algeria, as well as subsequent
fighting the ended with the liberation of Tunisia and the capitulation
of all Enemy Forces in North Africa. Included in the cemetery are 234 headstones for the"Unknowns".
The Wall of Honor (left) lists the names of Americans who died in North Africa. Also inscribed are the names of 3,724
Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country but whose
remains were never recovered or identified as well as those who were buried at sea.
Most of the Americans who died during the war were sent home for
burial. A tree-lined walkway (right) leads visitors to the grave sites.
Second Lieutenant James McCullin of Missouri and First Lieutenant Sherman White of Mississippi were the first American casualties of the North African campaign on July 2, 1943. They were combat pilots with the Tuskegee Airmen who were shot down by enemy fighters over Sicily. No crash sites
were found. They were the first Americans killed in action in North Africa.
Lady Be Good was a B-24D Liberator bomber that disappeared without a trace on its first combat mission during the North African campaign. The plane, which was from 376th Bomb Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), was believed to have been lost—with its nine-man crew—in the Mediterranean Sea while returning to its base in Libya following a bombing raid on Naples on April 4, 1943. However, the wreck was accidentally discovered 440 miles inland in the Libyan Desert by an oil exploration team from British Petroleum on November 9, 1958. A ground party in March 1959 identified the aircraft as a B-24D.
Investigations concluded that the first-time crew failed to realize they had overflown their air base in a sandstorm.
After continuing to fly south into the desert for many hours, the crew
bailed out when the plane's fuel was exhausted. The survivors then died
in the desert trying to walk to safety. All but one of the crew's
remains were recovered between February and August 1960.
Private Nicolas Minue was a Ukranian American who fought in World War I. He enlisted in the American Army infantry to fight in World War II. While fighting German Field Marshal Rommel's Afrika Korps, he single-handedly assaulted and destroyed
several enemy positions with fixed bayonet while under fire near Medjez El Bab, Tunisia.
He died on April 28, 1943.He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. He is the only Medal of Honor recipient in the cemetery.
Captain Foy Draper of California was an American track and field athlete who won a gold medal in 4×100 m relay at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics. He served as a pilot on a twin-engine attack bomber in Tunisia. On January 4, 1943, Draper took off to take part in the battle of Kassarine Pass but he and his two crewmen never returned. His death date is usually given as February 1, 1943.
Celia Goldberg of New York was one of the few women who died in North Africa and who is buried here. A member of the Women's Army Corps (WAC), she diedof cystic degeneration, right adrenal and acute
hemorrhage left adrenal. She was on the USAT Santa Rosa enroute to Algeria at 5:45 a.m. on August 29, 1943.
When Hilary Clinton was First Lady, Senator of New York, and Secretary of State, she visited Celia's grave.
Anas, our guide, bought a bouquet of flowers for us to place on the chapel's altar in memory of those who lost their lives in North Africa. The group posed at the altar and Jack (right), a Vietnam veteran, presented the bouquet.
These flags represent the American Armed Services that lost soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. They are displayed in the chapel.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let Your perpetual light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace.
Sidi Bou Saïd is a town in northern Tunisia located about 20 km from Tunis and 4 km from Carthage. It is a tourist town that features souvenir shops, restaurants, and hotels. It is also near the shipping docks of Tunis. Above is a typical street with cobblestone streets and whitewashed buildings with blue windows and doors.
Although Sidi Bou Saïd has been around at least since the 12th century, it is quite modern.
The Carthage Palace juts out into the Mediterranean Sea. It is the official residence and seat of the President of Tunisia, which is next to the current city of Carthage and the archaeological site of the ancient city. Behind it is the industrial area that features international shipping docks.
Sidi Bou Saïd was our last stop for souvenirs, and the streets were loaded with them. They surely add much color and activity to the streets.
Sidi Bou Saïd is known as a town for artists. Many Tunisian writers and painters lived or visited here. French philosopher Michel Foucault lived here for a number of years while teaching at the University of Tunis. French author Andre Gide also had a house in the town. French singer Patrick Bruel sang about Sidi Bou Said in his song Au Café des Délices pictured here.
Surrounding Sidi Bou Saïd are mountains and the ever-present olive trees.
We stayed at this fancy hotel, Dar Sid, our last two nights in Tunisia.
The hotel was a rich man's villa at one time. It sits on top of a hill and winds through flat cobblestone streets. It's beautiful and spacious and every room is different.
I think about my good fortune in being here in Tunisia over these past two weeks and thank God and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for putting me on this journey of travel throughout the world.
Carthage. I finally made it to Carthage! Here I am on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea at the enormous bathhouse that the Romans built a century after they decimated this ancient empire that had lasted seven centuries and introduced many innovations including an assembly-line style of ship-building, water systems, six-story buildings, a constitutional democracy, an empire with local control!
Most people, including me, think only of Carthage's defeat by the Romans. We know it was burned to the ground in 146 BCE after a century of Punic Wars and that that was the end of it. However, its strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea and its rich cultural heritage could not be denied even by its arch-rival. So the Romans resurrected the old city a century after they had leveled it, and then proceeded to penetrate even deeper into North Africa. For example, we had seen Roman ruins in the ancient cities in Dougga, Sbeitla, and El Djem. But this blog will focus on Carthage's history, its ruins, and other things I discovered about this fascinating city.
A Short History of Carthage
All
the ancient writers report that Carthage was founded in 814 BCE by the
princess from Tyre, Elissa-Didon. In a few decades the
Phoenician trading post experienced considerable development.
By the 7th century BCE Carthage supplanted Tyre, its city of origin, and its
rival in Africa. Soon it was to enter into conflict with other
navigators, the Greeks, whom it defeated on several occasions. It
established a foothold in the Balearic Islands (Located east of the Spanish mainland, the Islas Baleares comprise four very different islands: Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera.) in 654 in Sardinia, in
Sicily, and in Corsica (with the victory of Aleria in the east in 535).
Finally, in 405,
Denys the Ancient, tyrant of Syracuse, recognized Carthage's sovereignty
over western Sicily. However, at the end of the 3rd century the
Carthaginians settled in Messina and found themselves face to face with
the Romans who came to settle on the other side of the straits. From
that time on and for a century, the two great Mediterranean powers were
to engage in a merciless struggle.
Defeated
after the naval battle of the Aegate Islands, the Carthaginians lost
the first Punic War (264-241) and abandoned Sicily and later Sardinia
and Corsica (238). Subsequently, Hamilcar Barca and Hasdrubal
established a Punic empire in Spain (237-219), a land rich in silver
mines. Rome then started the second Punic War (218-201) during which
Hannibal performed great feats in Italy, crushing the Roman legions at
Trasimene and Cannae (216).
In
204, Scipion, the African landed in Africa, formed an alliance with the
powerful Numid King Massinissa and defeated Hannibal's army at Zama
(202) there by shattering Punic power. The military response from
Carthage led to the third Punic War (149-146), a three-year siege, the
burning and sacking of Carthage.
"“Delenda est Carthago"
The Destruction Of Carthage: Why Ancient Rome Feared Their Great Rival
These words by Cato the Elder (234 - 149 BCE ) set the Romans on a mission. The Roman soldier, senator, and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization had an undying hatred of
Carthage (and Greece), which stemmed from his deeply conservative attitudes
towards both cultures. He deeply feared that after two wars, Carthage's revived prosperity after the Second Punic War would once more allow it to rise as a power to rival, and perhaps even destroy Rome. His embassy to Carthage (probably 153) convinced him of this threat. In the Senate, Cato constantly repeated his admonition “Delenda est Carthago” (“Carthage must be destroyed” ). He lived to see war declared on Carthage
in 149, the Third and last Punic war. This video by Timeline explains the ultimate fall of Carthage.
Carthage
was
conquered
by
the
Arabs
in the 7th century who
then
abandoned
it
in
favor
of
Tunis.
However,
it
remained
a
watchful
outpost
of
the
new
capital
city.
Throughout
the
centuries Carthage
has
been
inexorably
pillaged
as
a
source
of
building
materials
for
Tunis
and
other
Mediterranean
towns.
It
has
gradually
been
transformed
into
an
agricultural
center
famed
for
the
quality
of
its
produce.
Foundations of Carthage
The entrance to Carthage's foundation is onMount
Bysra, which is nowa huge, paved square with old truncated columns, a tomb from the 6th century, and a view of Saint Louis Church, no longer operating. The square also overlooks several ruins.
Tombs
The tombs, without exception, always contained funerary furniture, various utensils that were supposed to accompany the deceased to the other world. From the archaic period (814 to 4th century BCE), the world of the dead has delivered mainly amulets, pendants, jewelry, masks, razors, and especially terracotta vases. Among these, some come from Corinth and the oldest objects dating from the end of the 8th century.
Punic tomb enshrined with access shaft and underground burial chamber below
(second half of 6th century BCE)
One of the best preserved and best-known tombs (above) is undoubtedly the one named "Byrsa's Young Man in Carthage". It is indicated by two slabs that cover a 4.45 m deep rectangular-shaped access shaft. The burial vault is built in blocks of sandstone that are 2.32 m long, 1.78 m wide, and 1.46 m high. This vault contains two funeral troughs cut in sandstone and covered with slabs. Only the trough on the left contained a skeleton belonging to a robust man measuring 1.70 m and whose age would vary between 19 and 24 years old. The examination of this skeleton reveals the traces of a bone trauma to the right shoulder dating back to childhood as well as strong decay. The cause of his death is unknown.
Outside the trough was found a Punic commercial amphora (burial urn), an achromic lamp (gray or colorless), two pinched beaks resting on a plate, ten small cabochons, (shaped and polished gem stone) curved ivory, a slender amphora (container with pointed bottom designed to lean against other amphora), and 120 bone fragments belonging to a goose that perhaps was locked in a wicker cage.
Inside the tomb, the material accompanying the deceased consists of a beetle, 21 small Egyptianizing amulets possibly belonging to a rosary, a pyxis (a piece of ancient Greek pottery) and lid between the knees, and finally, on the left shoulder the remains of a fabric belonging either to a garment or to a shroud.
Elyssa-Didon, a Phoenician princess, intended that Carthage be a capital city. She layed out its perimeter with animal hides stitched together in defiance of those who wanted to limit her acquiring too much land.
The city quickly became an epicenter of trade and commerce as well as a cultural center of the ancient world. As it expanded to new lands, it required its colonies to do three things: (a) pay tribute; (b) supply soldiers when needed; and provide agricultural products.
The Carthaginian Empire stretched from Tyre to Spain and west of the Straits of Gibraltar in Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean. Although it was a Phoenician colony, it came into its own in the 6th century BCE. It sits perched over the Mediterranean Sea in view of a distinctive mountain with an inverted hump. The sea air is fresh to breathe and the view is magnificent to behold. One can easily understand its former power and grace just by its geography.
Saint
Louis Church was built in the 19th century under the French who named
it after Louis IX of France. It is on the same hill as is the foundation of Carthage. Louis IX fought in the Crusades and
traveled through Tunisia and North Africa on his way back from the Holy Land. He brought back the Crown of
Thorns, which today sits in Notre Dame in Paris, and the Black Madonna,
which was eventually housed in the Cathedral in Le Puy-en-Velay where I
live. At one time St. Louis Church was the Bishop's seat. That honor now
goes to St. Vincent
DePaul Church in Tunis, the only operating Catholic church in Tunisia, which is Muslim.
This is the metropolis of Carthage today as viewed from Mount Byrsa.
Punic Port
Military and commercial port. They were equipped with sophisticated installations such as the dry docks, shipyards, and warehouses for stocking goods and raw materials, and administrative and naval center where the admiral resided.
The first port, in the shape of a rectangle, was reserved for the merchants and equipped with a great variety of moorings. At the center of the second circular port stood an island. The island and the port were surrounded by large wharves. All along these were berths for 220 vessels. This circular port was for war ships.
The photo above shows the curve of the island in the shipbuilding port. Today, the port is a tranquil fishing spot and a roost for cats.
Ancient Carthage at its Peak
The Layout of Byrsa Hill
At your feet are the low-level remains of a Hannibal-era residential
quarter from around the 3rd century BC, where a well-preserved grid of
streets would have seen Carthaginians walking in your same tracks.
Destroyed in 146 BCE, Carthage was condemned to oblivion for a little over a century but there was no question of Rome neglecting its possessions that were quickly consolidated in the provinces. Despite its failure, the Gracchi adventure was a prelude to a revival that only the end of internal conflicts cold guarantee and ensure its success. Caesar understood the strategic importance of the site and decided to restore it by creating a colony. The technical and legal means set up by Octavian-Augustus and his successors made Carthage the second or third city in the world. Rome, which had done everything to annihilate it, spared no effort to restore its former splendor. It is very likely, as we read in Appian (Punica 2) that "the Romans had experienced how strong was the position of Carthage; they wanted to make it their point of support to contain the African tribes".
The first project was the construction of the Byrsa hill, which began with two symbolic gestures. It was indeed necessary to make invisible all the vestiges of the old Carthage, all that could recall its past, its power as also the prohibition that still weighed on its soil. The ancient remains were not destroyed as one might expect, but buried by massive backfilling and ground leveling, thousands of tons of backfill were needed, "armed" by huge piles of masonry clearly visible on the side of the neighborhood, said Hannibal. This artificial platform, a real geographical center of the city, is one of the largest in the Roman world: just over 17 acres, which is six times the size of the August Forum in Rome.
The Punic District
This view that is offered to the visitor is one of the most beautiful and evocative that can be ancient Carthage. By itself, this place called Hannibal district sums up the whole history of Carthage from its Phoenician origins to its total abandonment in the 13th century by the sovereigns of the Hafsid dynasty (1207-1574). A careful look shows that unlike what we read in the sources, the Romans did not strive to completely destroy Carthage in 146 since the houses we see have appreciable heights--like six stories high because of a growing population. It received this name because the beginning of its construction seems to coincide approximately with the sufetat of Hannibal in 196-195 BCE.
However, the streets intersect at right angles in certain areas, thus defining rectangular islands separated by simple dirt roads without sewers. The slope is interrupted by steps which mean that these streets were pedestrian; they have staked out small houses (about 75 m2), trade and crafts. Access to the houses is through a door that opens onto the street and leads to a corridor and then to the courtyard which overlooks service rooms, bathroom and reception room. The absence of bedrooms, combined with the strength of the load-bearing walls and the abundance of debris collected at the time of the excavators' clearing ensures the presence of at least one floor accessible by wooden stairs.
The roofs were terraced which allowed them to supply rainwater to underground cisterns.
The Romans who destroyed Carthage spared no effort to rebuild it a century later. The large blocking pillars and the subterranean apse visible in some places in this neighborhood served to stabilize the whole to give the hill the appearance of an immense esplanade on which were built the main Roman monuments of the city.
Public Baths
This archeological park owes its name to the most famous public baths in Africa. This monument was built in the 2nd century AD (the works started under the rule of Emperor Hadrian and were completed under the rule of Antoninus Pius). Nowadays, the only thing that has remained from this building is its basement. In the old times, the first floor used to provide two symmetrical spaces with an axis on both sides presenting a hot room, a cold room, and an open-door swimming pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
Below are drawings of the bathhouse as the Romans knew it. What we saw were only the ruins of the building's basement, the lower level of this cross-section drawing.
Roman bathing
followed a specific process. Bathers would get undressed and then
progress from an unheated room (frigidarium) to a warm room (tepidarium)
and then to a hot room (caldarium) before heading back to an unheated
room and taking a refreshing cold plunge.
The last stage of the bath was a dip in the Mediterranean Sea--or at least a look at the sea from a platform. Ahhh, the good life! See the video below to understand the process involved in the Roman bath.
Equally,
the park includes several monuments dating back to the Punic epoch
(tombs belonging to the necropolis and a ceramic oven), the Roman epoch
(Roman houses designed as urban islands and bordered by Roman roads that
are well-preserved), and finally the late Antiquity era (Christian
churches and a Byzantine chapel).
Sanctuary of Tophet
Thought to have been used for ritual sacrifices of children and animals, the haunting Sanctuary of Tophet
is speckled with lichen-covered stelae. These tombstones are engraved
with symbols and script, such as the sign of Tanit (right below), a marker of the
chief Punic deity, which looks something like a stick-figure woman in a
dress or an Egyptian ankh (the key of life). When French archaeologists
excavated the site in 1921, more than 20,000 urns were found below the
stelae and contained the cremated remains and bone fragments of
children, making this one of the largest cemeteries of its time.
And, the research continues... We were fortunate to see archeologists at work.
Resources
Carthage info -- https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/37/
