Founded on the Tunisian coast by Phoenician settlers and legendarily by Queen Dido, Carthage grew from a “new city” into a Punic maritime empire dominating Western Mediterranean trade. Its wealth and rivalry with Greeks and then Romans led to the Punic Wars and total destruction by Rome in 146 BC. Rebuilt as Roman Carthage, it became a huge provincial capital and an early Christian center before passing to Vandals and then Byzantines. The city was finally razed as a power base after the Arab conquest. Rediscovered and excavated from the 19th century, Carthage is now a Tunis suburb and UNESCO World Heritage Site.