The Afri (singular, Afer) were a people located on the shores of the southern Mediterranean Sea near the city of Carthage. The first record of their existence was made during the Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.) between ancient Rome and Carthage. The name may be connected with Phoenician `afar, dust (also found in other Semitic languages). Satellite image The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ... Ruins of Carthage Carthaginian settlements in the western Mediterranean in the early 3rd century BC. The term Carthage refers both to an ancient city in North Africa — located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis across from the center of modern Tunis in Tunisia — and to the civilization which developed... The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and the Phoenician city of Carthage. ... The Roman Forum was the central area around which ancient Rome developed. ... Phoenician was a language originally spoken in the coastal region then called Phoenicia /Canaan (now Lebanon, coastal Syria and northern Israel ). Phoenician is a Semitic language of the Canaanite subgroup, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... After just three years of use dust has blocked this laptop heat sink, making the computer unusable Dust is a general name for minute solid particles with diameter less than 500 micrometers (otherwise see sand or granulates) and, more generally, for finely divided matter. ... 14th century BC diplomatic letter in Akkadian, found in Tell Amarna. ...

The most common etymology for the continent of Africa is traced to this group. The Romans referred to the region as Africa terra (land of the Afri), combining "Afri" with the suffix "-ca" to form an adjective. Following the defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War, Rome set up the province of Africa. A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... Combatants Roman Republic Carthage Commanders Scipio Aemilianus Hasdrubal the Boetarch Strength 40,000 90,000 Casualties 17,000 62,000 The Third Punic War (149 to 146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage, and the Roman Republic. ... Map of the Roman Empire, with the provinces, after 120. ... Roman North Africa The Roman Empire ca. ...

See also

• Afer
• Placename etymology

// Placename Origins By Continent Africa The ancient Romans used the name Africa terra --- land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) --- for the northern part of the continent, corresponding to modern-day Tunisia. ...

External links

• Africism, bc.edu