 "I have run the plough over it, like the ancient Carthage of Africa, and I have had salt sown upon it..."

When Carthage fell, its nearby rival Utica, a Roman ally, was made capital of the region and replaced Carthage as the leading center of Punic trade and leadership.It had the advantageous position of being situated on the outlet of the Medjerda River, Tunisia's only river that flowed all year long.However, grain cultivation in the Tunisian mountains caused large amounts of silt to erode into the river.