Lebanon
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Queen Dido
Tyre, Lebanon
Archival Overview
Legendary Phoenician princess of Tyre who fled her tyrannical brother Pygmalion, sailed across the Mediterranean, and founded the immortal maritime empire of Carthage on the coast of Tunisia in 814 BCE.
Biographical Record
Elissa (Dido), daughter of King Belus II of Tyre, escaped Phoenicia after her husband Acerbas was murdered by her brother King Pygmalion. Leading a fleet of noble exiles, priests, and artisans, she landed on the Gulf of Tunis around 814 BCE.
According to classical tradition, she negotiated with the local Berber king Iarbas for as much land as could be encompassed by an oxhide; cutting the hide into hair-thin strips, she encircled the entire hill of Byrsa. There she built the citadel of Kart-Hadasht (New City / Carthage). When Iarbas demanded her hand under threat of war, she threw herself onto a sacrificial pyre to preserve her city's sovereignty.
Key Life Milestones
Founding of Carthage (Kart-Hadasht)
Founded the maritime metropolis that became the undisputed commercial and naval power of the ancient world.
Sacrifice on Byrsa Hill
Perished on the funeral pyre to protect Carthage from foreign subjugation, immortalized in world literature.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialTunis, Tunisia