Carthage is a fascinating story. Driven out of Phonecia by the Sea People (another amazing story) they end up on the north coast of what we now call Africa and later another city Cadiz Spain. They had an amazing culture until a new culture, Rome, appeared across the water in what is now called Italy.
Carthage was the and only real sea power in the region and its funny yet sad that they labelled ship parts to make construction more efficient. The Romans eventually capatured a ship and were able to use the built-in guide to make their own copies. Rome used the ships to attack and defeat Carthage.
I often wonder what the world would be like if Rome fell and Carthage survived. Adding insult to injury even words like Africa are Roman terms that we use today to describe where Carthage existed.
You're painting Carthage a little bit as a victim, when it was initially a power the equal of Rome. The Punic Wars were brutal for both nations. The sack of Carthage came only after Carthage, led by Hannibal, conducted a 15 year campaign of conquest and terror across Italy. The Romans' relentless adaptation to building a navy, even in the face of unimaginable losses, is remarkable and speaks to a cultural adaptation and perseverance that was a driving force of their success.