The Ascent of Civilization

The Carthaginians were sly merchants and cruel child killers – at least according to the Ancient Romans and Greeks. But research shows that they weren’t as bad as their reputation. The Carthaginians’ story began around 3,000 years ago, when settlers left their homes in what is now Lebanon to set up new colonies around the Mediterranean. The most splendid and powerful of these settlements was Carthage, a bustling Metropolis in what is now Tunisia, with a port that was the envy of the entire world.

There is barely a country in Europe that can't look back on Germanic roots, though there has never been one unified people. The term 'Germanic' actually refers to a number of tribes and clans that lived in central and northern Europe from the sixth century BC. Gaius Julius Caesar is said to have used it when talking about the Gallic war. However, the Romans were full of contempt for the Germanic peoples and their civilisation, Tacitus calling their home a hideous blood-curdling place full of dark woods and swamplands.

The Arabs have been bringing knowledge of the ancient world to Europe since the eighth century. In the fields of medicine, mathematics or philosophy, the scholars in their civilisation were far beyond their time and still affect our world today. For a long time the Arabs were estranged, not united by one nation or leader. They had little in common but a shared language. This didn't change until Mohammed ended polytheism, founded a new religion and united all of the Arabic tribes in their faith in one God: Allah.