Idea Ripper // ArchiveCards: 1555 [Live] | Updated: 2026-10-14
Card #c1200IR // #c1200Synthesis

"‘in the twentieth year of the rule of the sufetes in Carthage’" "These magistrates held the power of a king, but for a limited time."

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

[Use when]

You are designing the top job for a group that doesn't want a strongman.

[Why it matters]

Carthage replaced its kings with two sufetes, elected each year from the aristocratic council, and an inscription dates itself by the new system. The office kept a king's power, split it between two people and put it on a clock.

Filed under situations:When you need to know who really decides

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