CARTHAGE, Mo. — The lobby of Carthage City Hall is a bit more unusual than your run-of-the-mill city hall lobby.
Ignore notices of meetings hanging in the entry foyer and you could easily believe you’ve walked into a museum or art gallery.
The atrium-style room rises two stories and is empty except for a large display case in the center and six paintings in gilded frames that adorn the walls.
The display case contains antiquities from ancient Carthage (now Tunis in North Africa), the namesake of the city. They have been in the city’s possession since 1952. The paintings, by Carthage artist Andy Thomas, depict the founding, destruction and rebuilding of each of the two cities after they were destroyed by war — the Punic War for the ancient Carthaginians and the Civil War for the Jasper County seat.
Founding of the original Carthage, around 814 B.C., is attributed to Queen Elissa, who shared the rule of the Phoenician city of Tyre with her brother, Pygmalion. Elissa fled her home after her husband, a high priest, was murdered by Pygmalion.
With loyal followers, she sailed across the Mediterranean to a well-protected peninsula with low hills, one of which was ideal for a fortress. Local custom prohibited foreigners from acquiring a plot of land larger than a cowhide. Legend has it that Elissa ingeniously had a cowhide cut into thin strips that reached around the entire hill.
Afterward, it was known as the Byrsa — Greek for cowhide — and a Phoenician word meaning fortress. The Phoenician word “Carthage” meant new city or new capital
Known for their sailing skills, the Phoenicians in Carthage built a navy of 300 to 350 ships and established more than 300 colonies. Its large commercial fleet allowed the city to trade with every major port in the Mediterranean, as well as southern Africa, Britain and the Canary Islands.
But in the middle of the third century B.C., Carthage became engaged in a series of wars with Rome, ending with the destruction of the city in 146 B.C. in the Third Punic War.
The reason the founders of Carthage, Mo., chose that name in 1841 is lost in history, but it is presumed that the location of the city’s center on a small rise, and the fact that it was to be a new city, awakened the founders to parallels with the ancient metropolis.
Aside from their intrinsic value, knowing some background makes one more appreciative of the “treasures” in safekeeping at City Hall. Most of the artifacts in the display case are dated between 400 and 146 B.C. There are pottery lamps and vases, a strainer with a pouring spout in the shape of a lion’s head, a blown-glass perfume bottle (probably Roman), and amphoras (large jars with narrow necks and two handles).
An eye-catcher is the jewelry. Looking much like today’s designs, the items are made from shell and glass beads, a few semiprecious stones and some ivory. These examples, found in grave sites, are exhibited along with religious charms in delicately carved shapes of sacred animals and fertility symbols. There are also Roman coins and round, flat stones that probably were used as gaming pieces.
Two steles are carved with the Sign of Tanit, the patron Goddess of Carthage. They are believed to have been found at the Tophet, an open-air space where human sacrifices (probably involving children) were performed. Although that is under contention by some skeptics, if it’s true, this horrific practice may have given Rome the moral indignation it needed to launch the war against Carthage.
The next time you are in City Hall, take time to really look at the art and artifacts in the lobby. I promise you it will be more fun and fascinating than buying that yard sale permit or paying your taxes.
