What was carthaginians power based on?

Answer 1

Carthage became the leading colony (settlement) among a series of Carthaginian colonies in northwest Africa and southern Spain. He power was based on wealth and naval and military strength. Carthage took the lion share of Phoenician trade in the western basin of the mediterranean. This involved buying goods from the locals in Africa and Spain, especially tin, which was highly valuable because it was needed to make bronze (an alloy of copper and tin), selling them to the Greeks and Phoenicians in the eastern mediterranean. She bought quality manufactures from them. These were sold in Carthage and the other Phoenician settlements. Carthage made cheap manufactures which she sold to the natives of Africa and Spain in exchange for what they bought. Carthage was in Tunisia, which at the time was one of the most fertile lands in the Mediterranean.and she also sold agricultural goods.

With the wealth accumulated Carthage built a powerful navy. Many Phoenician settlements became subordinate to her. The Phoenicians and Greeks had much better ships and sailors than anyone else. This enabled Carthage to dominate the western basin of the Mediterranean and develop and defend extensive trading networks in this area. With the wealth, Carthage also built up a mercenary army, with which she took over Sardinia, the western part of Sicily and the Balearic islands. When the Greeks migrated to Italy and eastern Sicily, they challenged Carthaginian supremacy. They also took over much of the trading networks of southern France. Carthage fought several wars with the Greek in Sicily and managed to retain her dominance of western Sicily and continue to be a great power until she was defeated by Rome.