The ruins of an ancient city on the north coast of Africa in Tunisia, situated to the west of Tunis. Traditionally founded by Phoenicians from Tyre (in modern Lebanon) in 814 bc, it became a major centre of the Mediterranean, with interests in North Africa, Spain, and Sicily which brought it into conflict with Greece until the 3rd century bc and then with Rome in the Punic Wars, until the Romans destroyed it in 146 bc. It was refounded as a Roman city and prospered. It was a centre of Christianity and Genseric made it his capital in 439. In 533–34 it was captured by Belisarius and was part of the Byzantine empire until its destruction by the Arabs in 697.