Usual name (Lat., Greek bursa, ‘cow hide’) for the acropolis of Carthage, supposedly as a reminder of Dido's legendary purchase of land (‘as much as a cow hide can cover’) for the foundation of the town, or oldest place name (Serv. Aen. 1,70: Carthago ante Byrsa, post Tyros dicta est), as a result of misunderstanding the Phoenician toponym bir-ša (‘Sheep's well’).
Bibliography
E. Lipiński, B., in: Actes du IVe colloque international sur l'histoire et archéologie de l'Afrique du Nord. Strassbourg 1988, 1990, 123-130.
Id., in: DCPP, s…