The Carthagenians had a number of problems by today's standards. I'm aware they invented crucifixition as well as engaged in human infant sacrifices. The Romans practiced crucifixtion as well as human sacrifice and had depraved entertainment. Modern liberals would, if it were in their power, grow infants to harvest organs, think nothing of murder in the womb, but get all squeemish about giving the most cruel of adult murders a swift and relatively painless needle in the arm. You tell me which is more civilized.
The Romans were cool on crucifixion, true, but contemporary Romans were pretty appalled by the baby-burning Baal faith of the Barca boys. Indeed, for centuries apologists for the Carthaginians practiced, shall we call it, small-h holocaust denial. Until the 19th Century science of archaeology exposed actual sacrifice sites.
There were cults in Rome that did human sacrifice, true, but they were not mainstream. Now, cruel and barbaric entertainments, that was certainly a Roman cultural fact, but they had their issues with baby sacrifice.
Certainly the Greeks, too, were imperfect; all societies of that era enslaved most of their inhabitants, for one thing. But an objective read of history ought to have us thanking our stars that our culture and civilisation was transmitted via Greece and Rome vice Persia and Carthage... at least, that's my opinion.
As far as liberals' modern intent, you'll find nothing to argue with me about.