Although it began as a Phoenician colony around 814 BC in northern Africa, Carthage rapidly developed into the strongest Mediterranean force that controlled the trade routes and created its own colonies, constantly spreading its territory. Its constitution was praised by Aristotle as a combination of the monarchy, the oligarchy and the democracy, and during the time of the Punic wars the role of the suffete was very important since it supervised the military general in order not to undermine the stability of the administration. Punic forces were mostly based on the mercenary army, which sometimes posed problems for the city because of unpaid money that created various rebellions. The population, on the other hand, was obliged to take part in the fight only when it posed direct threat to the city itself. In Carthage dominated the Canaanite religion which celebrated objects visible in nature, and the greatest spiritual value had Melqart, the god of the Punic city. The impact of the home country could be mostly seen through art in which Phoenician elements prevailed, but there were also Egyptian elements. From what has been found in the area of the North African city, examples of Terracotta have been preserved, many of which were the work of local artists. As Carthage was destroyed so was its literary work, which were donated to surrounding African cities which were enemies of the Punic people. Nevertheless, the discussions on agriculture of the author Mago were translated into Latin and many Romans applied his advices in practice. When it came to wars, the first important opponents of Carthage were the Greek colonies in Sicily that posed threat to the Punic cities. Thus, the tyrant Agathocles decided to transfer the war from Sicily to Africa itself, where it clashed with the Punic army and successfully defeated it. When the son of Agathocles took over the army, the Carthaginians reorganized and rescued their city. Still, the greatest threat was Rome which caused three Punic wars that lasted from 264 to 146 BC. During the clash the most prominent general proved to be Hannibal of the Barca family, whose father won parts of Spain. Hannibal remained remembered for his journey through the Alps and the battle at Cannae, where some 30 thousand Roman soldiers were killed. The last and decisive battle occurred in 146 BC when the North African city was destroyed, and the population sold into slavery. The Romans created the province of Africa, and during the reign of Emperor Augustus, the ancient city was restored.