Dido building Carthage explained to kids

The city of Carthage was founded in 814 BCE by the Phoenician princess Dido. The city was built on a site that was previously uninhabited and Dido used material from an old city to build Carthage. She also built a wall around the city to protect it. Carthage became a major trading center and its people became very wealthy. The city was also home to a large navy. In 264 BCE, the first Punic War broke out between Rome and Carthage. This war was fought because Rome wanted to control all of the trade in the Mediterranean Sea. The war lasted for 23 years and ended with Carthage being defeated by Rome. In 146 BCE, the Romans destroyed Carthage completely. They killed all of the people in the city and sold the survivors into slavery. They also plowed salt into the ground to make sure that nothing would grow there again. Despite this, the city of Carthage was rebuilt and became a prosperous city once more. It was even made the capital of the Roman province of Africa. However, in 439 CE, the Vandals captured Carthage and sacked it. The city was never rebuilt after that and it eventually became a ruin.