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Please read The Book of the Ancient Romans by Dorothy Mills pages 172-176.
The End of Hannibal
When Hannibal was defeated in the Second Punic War and Carthage was left as a shell of its former self, most would have thought that was the end of the Punic Wars. However, history shows us that the Romans would have no rivals.
Hannibal set out to regrow the wealth and status of Carthage. This was necessary to pay the huge war indemnity laid on Carthage. But by all accounts, they did pay their debts. They stayed within their boundaries and they did not rebuild their fleet of ships.
However, Rome saw their prosperity as a threat and called for Hannibal to be delivered to them. He went into exile rather than be turned over to the Romans and Carthage as a sign of distancing themselves from Hannibal and seeking to maintain peace with Rome, destroyed his home. Hannibal died in exile, taking his own life instead of being captured by Roman forces.
Over fifty years after Hannibal’s war with Rome came to a close in 202 BC, the Romans would go looking for trouble with Carthage to begin the third and final Punic War, if you can call it that.
Cato the Elder
The Romans were allied with the Numidians to keep an eye on Carthage from the south. I can’t prove this, but I think that the Romans encouraged the Numidians to harass the Carthaginians every chance they got. Then, when Carthage began to make preparations to defend themselves against this hostile neighbor, they sent Cato the Elder to decide if Carthage had broken any rules.
Cato the Elder was one of the principal forces behind the ongoing hatred of the Carthaginians. As a young man, Marcus Cato fought many battles against the armies of Hannibal. He had personally witnessed how close Rome had come to defeat. So, as an old man, when he visited Carthage on this diplomatic mission in 154 BC he was shocked by how the city was regaining its strength and wealth. He came to believe that Carthage would once again pose a challenge to Rome and its Empire.
Cato the Elder believed that Rome should attack before the great Punic city became too strong. In the Senate, he constantly demanded a war against the Punic city-state. He would end every speech he made with the line “Carthage must be destroyed”. Cato would not live to see the destruction of his hated enemy, he died in 149 BC.
Utter Destruction
Just a year after Cato died, Rome finally took his advice and they sent an army to Carthage to begin a siege of the city supposedly for a violation of the nearly 60-year-old treaty. Carthage held out for two years until the son of Scipio Africanus was called up.
His name was Scipio Aemilianus, and he had no love for Carthage and in 146 BC, after most of the citizens had been forced into the city’s citadel, he called for the city’s complete destruction, he set the city alight, and for six days and nights, his death squads ranged the streets slaughtering men, women, and children who had survived the blaze. When the city finally surrendered, its center was leveled, and 50,000 traumatized citizens went into slavery. Carthage would not rise again.
The destruction of Carthage would have immense consequences for Rome, for example, it ultimately led it to become a North Africa power and the rich farmland of their enemy became the grain fields of Rome. Carthage had gone before them and had led the way. Rome learned these valuable lessons and absorbed them into its growing empire.
What do you think about the Punic Wars? Are there any parts you’d like to learn more about? Do you think that the Carthaginians were treated fairly by the Romans? Does the version of history that we have, written by the Romans, really tell us the whole story? Leave your comments and questions below.
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did the romans know that there would be bigger consequences for a war with carthage other than bloodshed? if so, why would they attack?
The Romans were greedy and wanted what the Carthaginians had. That’s 90% of wars right there.
Carthage made peace with Rome but Rome was greedy and wanted more.
so rome attacked carthage yet they said that they wouldn’t rebuild ships
The Romans finally listened to Cato a year after he died. I think that’s just sad. also, Cato ended every speech with, “Carthage must be destroyed.”
Scipio Aemilianus set Carthage on fire. I thought Scipio Africanus was on Carthage’s side? Why would his son destroy the city?
No, go back and look at yesterday’s notes. Scipio Africanus was the Roman Consul who defeated Hannibal the Carthaginian Captain.
The Romans demolished Carthage mostly because of the advice of Cato the Elder. Another thing I learned, I cannot spell Carthage. I misspelled it twice before getting it right. XD
I thought Scipio Africanus was a Roman slave who was captured when the Romans made peace with the Africans.
Nope, he was born into a wealthy Roman family and both his father and uncle were Consuls. Now, Scipio Aemilianus was adopted into the family, but he was still Roman nobility.
Rome attacked carthage even though they made peace
How do you round up 50,000 people and put them into slavery
Lots of people with swords, whips, and shouting.
Carthage solved their differences with Rome, but apparently that wasn’t enough.
I think it was really wrong for Scipio Africanas son to just cold-bloodedly destroy Carthage an important and historical city. He could have taken it over but not destroyed it
why did thy still attack after making peace