Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1187IR // #c1187Synthesis

"Their expedition may well have been an attempt to cut out the desert middlemen by establishing direct links themselves, travelling by sea and setting up a network of contacts and colonies to facilitate this trade."

— In our words · Source: Carthage: A New History (Eve MacDonald)

[Use when]

A middleman controls the only route to your supply.

[Why it matters]

Carthage bought West African gold through traders at the Saharan oases. MacDonald reads Hanno's voyage as a try for the same gold by sea, with the margin kept at home. She also calls it the oldest move colonisers have.

Filed under situations:When a rival’s move changes your game

More from Carthage: A New History

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