Ancient Carthage was the Phoenician city-state of Carthage. During the 7th to 3rd centuries BC, its sphere of influence, the so-called Carthaginian Empire, extended over much of the coast of North Africa as well as substantial parts of coastal Iberia and the islands of the western Mediterranean.The city, called Qart-ḥadašt (New City) in the Phoenician language, was founded in 814 BC.