Carthaginians

We will either find a way, or make one. ~ Hannibal

The Carthaginians  are the inhabitants of the Carthaginian Empire which once controlled North Africa as well as the Souther Mediterranean at its height before the Punic Wars. They are a playable civilization in the Age of Empires: The Rise of Rome expansion. Due to their different unit varieties and military bonuses, the Carthaginians are primarily used for offense rather than defense.

Features

 * Roman style
 * +30% transport speed
 * +25% attack for Fire galleys
 * +25% Elephant and Academy units hit points

Strategy
Like the Macedonians and the Persians, the Carthaginians are strictly an Iron Age civilization since almost all of their bonuses apply during that age. As a whole, the Carthaginians somewhat struggle in the beginning of the game compared to other civilizations so they are definitely not recommended in short games especially in Random Map. If played in Death-matches, the tide of the game changes since they rely on large amounts of resources to enter the Iron Age. The Carthaginians work well on land but are best used at water maps since their fast Transport speed and improved attack for Fire Galleys pack a powerful punch to civilizations with no bonuses on naval units. Packing a whole horde of Armored Elephants into a Heavy Transport escorted by countless Fire Galleys will make the opposing civilization gone for good.

History
Carthage was founded by Queen Elissa of Tyre in the year 814 BC. Bearing heavy Phoenician influence, the city soon expanded by trade. It eventually expanded to encompass over 300 cities. Queen Elissa ruled this empire for some time. According to legend and lore, she was a very benevolent ruler that was well respected by her followers.

Rivalry with Rome
The Carthaginian Empire was at odds with Rome for over eighty years. During said time frame, three wars broke out. These wars, called the Punic Wars, would eventually spell defeat for the empire, but not the city itself. Even today, Carthage is still present as a suburb of the city of Tunis. During the Second Punic War, a military general named Hannibal rose to fame.

Hannibal and His Elephants
Hannibal is often credited as being one the of the great military minds of the time. He invaded Italy by crossing the Pyrenees and the Alps with 38,000 infantry, 8,000 cavalry, and 37 war elephants. During his time in Italy, he only suffered one true defeat, a failure to take the City of Capua in a siege in 211 BC. No one expected Hannibal to succeed in his mission across the mountains, as no one thought a sizable force could truly be moved in such a way.

The Roman military knew that an outright attack against his military force would result in their destruction, so they used a policy of harassment and small skirmishes, fighting a mental battle by tiring and demoralizing Hannibal's troops. Despite numerous requests for aid from Carthage, only untrained and unmotivated troops were sent to reinforce those well trained soldiers being lost. Eventually, Hannibal was recalled to Carthage for its defense. He suffered defeat in the Battle of Zama in North Africa and soon after left the position of General behind him.