Carthage Administration Inscription

Found among elements of the Roman period, this inscription is key for the knowledge of the institutions and town planning of Carthage during the Punic period; it refers to magistrates and a sector of the population, corporations and craftsmen.

Its dating varies according to scholars, ranging from the fourth to the second century BC. The text describes works carried out in the city but their exact nature is not established with certainty because of the difficulty of reading the Phoenician language and the gaps in the document.

Discovery

The inscription was discovered in 1964 during excavations led by Ammar Mahjoubi, about 100 m (330 ft) west of the TGM station in Carthage, and 300 m (980 ft) from the potters' quarter located in the current archaeological park of the Antonine Baths. It was mixed upon its discovery with rubble from a late Roman construction, "in a layer of embankments covering a 4th-century AD mosaic pavement", and has therefore not been found in situ.