What can the USA learn from a civilization that was a Superpower almost 3000 years ago?

As Canadians we may or may not like our neighbors to the south, but one thing we can all agree on is they are a one of the most powerful countries on the planet. The USA is like our loud, arrogant, athletic big brother that all the pretty girls want to date. After all, they have size, strength, power, wealth, and influence. Our association with the US has both helped and hurt us at times, but it’s safe to say that if anything major was to happen to them, Canada would be directly affected. For the most part, it’s also pretty safe to say they’re a good neighbor to have at the moment, and the positives definitely outweigh any negatives.

History has shown us however; that being a Superpower is a very difficult and dangerous status to maintain. Being the envy of the world may provide wealth and influence, but it also provides jealousy, detestation, and hostility. The longer a nation maintains Superpower status, the more enemies they generate and the more intense the hatred is towards them. No Superpower has been able to fend off their enemies forever, and in every case their status was either greatly diminished, or they were wiped from existence. This begs the question: can the USA survive as a Superpower?

Most people are familiar with the ancient Greek and Roman Empires, but did you know there was a third Superpower during the same time period called the Carthaginians? The Carthaginians, in my opinion, bear a striking resemblance to today’s USA. Until recently, all the information available on them came from documents written by the Romans and Greeks. It’s no wonder most are unaware of their existence; that’s like having America’s history written by the Russians and Chinese. The Carthaginians were originally colonists from Phoenicia; a civilization located near modern day Lebanon. Phoenicians were best known for colonizing the Western Mediterranean, opening trade routes, and pioneering multi-tiered oared shipping and war vessels; later used frequently by the Romans. Their democratic practices and extensive use of the alphabet were both adopted and modified later by the Greeks. In fact the words “phone” and “phonics” are both believed to be derived from Phoenicia. One of their settlements in Western Mediterranean was a city called Carthage. Established in 814BC, it was located on the tip of North Africa in modern day Tunisia by the city of Tunis. This city was later to become the hub for the Carthaginian Empire.

The Carthaginians were a dominate power in the Mediterranean world for about 600 years. In fact, one Greek historian claimed there was a time you couldn’t wash your hands in the Mediterranean without running it by the Carthaginians first. They had the biggest, fastest, best built, and most powerful war ships in the world; capable of annihilating their enemies. This allowed their shipping vessels to freely run up and down the Mediterranean doing trade without threats from pirates or other countries. Although Carthage began with Phoenician colonists, its’ growth can be attributed to the influx of immigrants from a variety of different cultures and ethnicities; all looking for a new start and buying into the ideology of capitalism and opportunity. The city of Carthage became the largest and wealthiest city in the western world; it was the hub for trade networks with tremendous commercial and political influence. They had brilliant engineers who developed some of the most groundbreaking and innovative technologies of ancient time. The city was surrounded by impenetrable walls and had a secured channel system to allow trading vessels entry by sea. It also harbored a massive fleet of naval ships that were capable of deploying extremely fast and at a moment’s notice. The city grew so fast and had so many occupants; they engineered apartment buildings with up to six stories. By utilizing watertight pipes and channels, these apartments actually had plumbing with running water, a sewage management system, fully equipped bathrooms with sinks, tubs, and showers (keep in mind they did this over 2500 years ago and years before Rome). With magnificent temples, glittering palaces, a theatre, and market place; it resembled an ancient day Manhattan. They had highly advanced ship building techniques which involved mass manufacturing and assembly of precision parts, and their agricultural methods utilized iron plows, irrigation, and crop rotation. They were excellent colonists, navigators, and seamen; some even believe they travelled to the Americas 1500 years before Columbus. Their army was a formidable foe to both the Greeks and Romans, and their navy was the most powerful in the world. They also produced some of the most brilliant Generals of their time. In fact one General, Hannibal Barca, was arguably the greatest military commander of all time. In one battle alone he defeated a Roman army almost twice in size, killing 70,000 men and capturing 10,000 more. Their political system consisted of democratic institutions, forms of public accountability with checks and balances, a senate, elected judges, and special commissioners that oversaw things like public works, tax collecting, and the state treasury. They even had trade unions and, believe it or not… a constitution.

An argument can be made that comparing the Carthaginians to the USA is somewhat silly given the time period and today’s technology. After all, the Carthaginians were eventually toppled by the Romans and wiped from existence; that could never happen today. The US is well positioned to maintain its status as a dominant Superpower for some time. However, if history has told us anything; it’s that it has a tendency to repeat itself when we are feeling the most confident it can’t. Past Superpowers have only lost their status when they became overconfident, its citizens developed a false sense of security at home, and they underestimated their enemies’ strength, resolve, and ruthlessness. Though most previous Superpowers maintained a strong military, they often depleted valuable resources by fighting multiple battles, usually abroad. Their governments became unsupportive, too political, divided, and slow to act. Their citizens became lazy, greedy, complacent, and dissolute…. what are the chances of any of that happening today? It does make me wonder though; what will historians be saying about us 2500 years from now?