Genius Loci: Towards a Roman Understanding of Carthage

Year 2013, Issue: 3, 175 - 197, 01.01.2013

Jessica L. Ambler

Abstract

In 146 BCE, Scipio Aemilianus and his Roman forces conquered Carthage at the conclusion of the Third Punic War and laid waste to the city. The genius loci, or spirit of place, that had emanated from the physical site transitioned at the moment of destruction and became a production of Roman representation and memory. One means of portraying Carthage to a Roman audience was through triumphal processions, such as those of the Scipii following the Second and Third Punic Wars or commemorative paintings such as those of M. Valerius Messala and L. Hostilius Mancinus. The Roman fascination with Carthage led to the city’s ultimate rebuilding under Augustus. In re-founding the city as Colonia Concordia Iulia Karthago, he did not simply build another Roman colony, nor did he wipe away any trace of the Punic past. Rather, aided by the mythological narrative provided by Vergil’s Aeneid, Augustus completed a task begun by his legendary ancestor, Aeneas, and built a new Roman Carthage, centered around a genius loci growing in Roman memory for centuries and complete with historical parallels to Rome.

Keywords

Carthage, Rome, Augustus, Genius loci, Roman memory, Urban history

Genius Loci: Towards a Roman Understanding of Carthage

Abstract

Scipio Aemilianus’un önderliğinde Roma güçleri MÖ 146 yılında Kartaca’yı fethettiklerinde, bu olay Üçüncü Pön Savaşı’nın sona erişini yansıtmakta; kent de yerle bir duruma gelmekteydi. O yerin ruhu ya da genius loci, tahribatın yapıldığı anda kentin fiziksel varlığını terk etmekte, bundan sonra artık Roma’nın bir temsilcisi ve belleği haline gelmekteydi. Romalı izleyiciler için Kartaca’nın görünümü sadece zafer tören alaylarında canlandırıldığı biçimiyle vardı. Bu törenler, İkinci ve Üçüncü Pön Savaşları sonrasında kutlananlar ya da M. Valerius Messala ve L. Hostilius Mancinus’un anılarına adanan resimlere yansıyanlarla sınırlıydı. Roma’nın Kartaca’ya duyduğu hayranlık, kentin Augustus Dönemi’nde yeniden inşa edilmesini sağladı. Colonia Concordia Iulia Karthago adı ile yeniden kurulan kentte Augustus sadece sıradan bir Roma koloni kurmuyor; ya da onun Pön geçmişini silip atmıyordu. Aksine, Vergilius’un Aeneas Destanı’ndan aldığı mitolojik esinle, İmparator kendi efsanevi atası olan Aeneas tarafından başlanan bir görevi tamamlamaktaydı. Roma’nın yeni Kartaca kenti bir genius loci merkezinde gelişiyor, Roma belleğini asırlar boyunca yaşatıyor ve tarihsel paralelleriyle bütünleşiyordu.

Keywords

Kartaca, Roma, Augustus, Genius loci, Roma Belleği, Yerleşim Tarihi

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