Carthago Nova
ancient city of Spain
Carthago Nova is a historical name for the city of Cartagena in Spain, from the Roman conquest until the Byzantine domination in the 6th century. Its name then changed to Carthago Spartaria. The city may not have been founded entirely ex novo but rather built on earlier Iberian or possibly Tartessian settlement.
History
Origin
Carthago Nova was founded around 227 BC by the Carthaginian general Hasdrubal the Fair, son-in-law and successor of Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal. Carthago Nova became the most important of the Carthaginian cities on the peninsula, owing to its strong position and a well-built wall, and it was provided with harbors, lagoons, and silver mines. In Carthago Nova and the surrounding towns, fish abounded that could be salted for export, and it was the principal emporium both for goods arriving by sea destined for inland residents, and for inland products intended for overseas trade.
There is evidence of commercial exchanges with the Phoenicians dating back to the 8th century BC along the entire coastline. In addition, Cartagena has traditionally been associated with the city of Mastia mentioned by the Greco-Latin poet Avienus in the work known as the Ora maritima, which contains the oldest preserved accounts of the Iberian Peninsula, and also cited in the Second Treaty of Rome-Carthage in 348 BC as "Mastia Tarseion" (Mastia of the Tartessians).
All of the present coastline of Cartagena and Mazarrón was highly coveted in Antiquity for its important mineral deposits of lead, silver, zinc, and other minerals. Exploitation and trade in minerals from the Cartagena mines and Mazarrón are documented from Phoenician times.
The public source identifies “Carthago Nova” as ancient city of Spain. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Carthago, Nova and ancient.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Carthago Nova”, the useful work is to connect “ancient city of Spain” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 9, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2727884. Authority coordinates are 37.600, -0.983. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Carthago Nova”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Carthago Nova primary sources, Carthago Nova archive and Carthago research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Carthago Nova”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Carthago Nova” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.