Tuesday, April 29, 2008

From Al-Jabidaya's "Les Histoires Des Infidels du Nord"

Translated, albeit awkwardly, from the original Franco-Arabic.

The Carthaginian heretics of the far Northern mountains and woodlands risked their very existence for several millenia. But for the grace of the one true God they had been destroyed by it! Their economy was drawn repeatedly to the brink of ruin, and their knowledge of the miracles of God's creation lagged far beyond the rest of the world. Expansion came through a mixture of settling new cities and conquering existing independent states, many of which resisted assimliation to their barbaric and pagan ways. We will cover those developments in later chapters, including the renaming of several settlements which are referred to here by their original designations. All glory to the one true faith!

Dates of early Carthaginian settlements

3283 AvIE. Carthage
537 ApIE. Parthian
607 ApIE. Hippo
947 ApIE. Kerkouane
1297 ApIE. Leptis
1322 ApIE. Sakae


Interestingly, Al-Jabidaya, usually the most fastidious of historians, omits the second and third cities of early Carthage, Utica and Hadrumetum. Exact dates of settlement are unknown, but both were established well before Parthian was conquered. The resons for these notable omissions remain unknown, although a close examination of the folios reveal a tear in the original ms. that may be the cause.

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