BEHIND THE MYTH OF DIDO.

This article examines the legendary figure of Dido, the mythical and possibly historical founder and queen of Carthage, highlighting her origins in ancient Roman and Phoenician traditions. Dido, also known as Elissa, is portrayed in two main founding myths: one from Virgil’s *Aeneid*, where she is a Tyrian princess who falls in love with the Trojan prince Aeneas before taking her own life, and another from the Roman historian Justin, which depicts her as a widowed princess fleeing political murder to establish Carthage in North Africa. Archaeological evidence supports Carthage’s 9th-century BCE foundation by settlers from Tyre, lending some historical credibility to these stories. After Carthage’s destruction by Rome in 146 BCE, Dido’s narrative was absorbed into Roman mythology, shaping her legacy as a tragic heroine and symbolizing the complex relationship between Rome and Carthage. [Extracted from the article]