Third Punic War: When Carthage was destroyed

The Third Punic War was fought between the Roman Republic and Carthage which took place between 149 and 146 BC.

This conflict is often overshadowed by the two previous Punic Wars, but it was an important event in world history.

Before the Third Punic War broke out, there had been two previous conflicts between Rome and Carthage.

The first of these wars began in 264 BC, when Rome was an emerging power in the Mediterranean and Carthage was the dominant maritime power.

The war was mainly fought over control of the wealthy island of Sicily, and it ended with a Roman victory in 241 BC. Rome then took control of Sicily.

The second war broke out in 218 BC after the Carthaginian general Hannibal invaded Italy.

This conflict lasted for over a decade and ended with a Roman victory in 202 BC. After the Second Punic War, Carthage was greatly weakened, while Rome had become the most powerful state in the Mediterranean.

Following their defeat at the end of the Second Punic War, Carthage had to agree to the terms of surrender as dictated by Rome.

In these terms, Carthage had to give up its fleet and pay a large indemnity to Rome. Also, Carthage had to surrender its Spanish territories and was also forbidden from waging war without the permission of Rome.

Despite these harsh terms, Carthage managed to rebuild its economy and by 154 BC it had regained much of its former strength.

The city became an important exporter of grain and barley to the city of Rome. This alarmed the Romans, who saw Carthage as a potential threat to their power in the region.

The Numidian kingdom became a crucial cause of the Third Punic War. Numidia was another North African kingdom that had been an important ally of Carthage during the first two Punic Wars.

In 202 BC, however, Numidia switched its allegiance to Rome. This made Carthage feel isolated and surrounded by enemies.

During the first forty years of the second century BC, Carthage was frequently invaded by the neighbouring kingdom of Numidia.

Both sides of the conflict would reach out to Rome to mediate these matters, but every time, Rome declared that Carthage was to blame and awarded extra Carthaginian land to Numidia. 

By the middle of the 2nd century BC, they had seized about half of Carthage's traditional territories.

However, by 154 BC, Carthage had had enough of being unfairly treated by both Numidia and Rome and decided to stand their ground.

In 151 BC, Carthage made their final indemnity payment to Rome that they were required to submit according to the terms of surrender at the end of the previous Punic war.

Now, the city could start using their own cash to rebuild their strength.

A second cause of the war was a particular Roman politician called Marcus Porcius Cato (Cato the Elder).

He had observed Carthage's regained strength during a diplomatic visit in 153 BC and was a fanatical opponent of Carthage.

He was said to have ended every speech he made in the Senate with the words "Carthago delenda est" ("Carthage must be destroyed").

In 150 BC, the Carthaginians responded to another Numidian invasion of their lands by sending a 31,000-man army to confront the Numidian king.

The ensuing battle was a disaster, and the Carthaginian force was completely destroyed.

When Rome received word of this conflict, the Senate was outraged that Carthage had declared war without Rome's permission.

The Romans argued that this violated the terms of surrender at the end of the Second Punic War.

Therefore, they argued, Rome could use this as a legitimate reason to restart the conflict with Carthage.

In combination with Cato's constant encouragement to finally wipe Carthage off the map, many Romans were convinced that Carthage posed a threat to their power and needed to be destroyed.

Finally, Rome declared war on Carthage in 149 BC.

In 149 BC, the Roman sent led an army of 80,000 soldiers against Carthage. They landed at the city of Utica and then laid siege to the city of Carthage itself. 

The Romans first demanded that Carthage surrender unconditionally. It was proposed that they had to disband their army, surrender all weapons, and release all prisoners.

Furthermore, the Carthaginian people were instructed to abandon the city and settle in a new location no closer than 16 kilometers from the coast.

Following this, the city of Carthage was to be torn down forever.

Clearly, these demands were more than Carthage could accept and, with nothing else to lose, Carthage decided to endure the siege.

The Siege of Carthage lasted for almost three years, until the city was finally captured by the Romans in 146 BC.

The Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus, who had taken over command in 147 BC, oversaw the final capture.

The destruction of Carthage was brutal. Across the course of seven days, the city was plundered and completely burned to the ground.

The 50,000 or so survivors were sold into slavery. The Roman Senate then voted to forbid any future settlements in the area.

Thus, the Third Punic War ended with the complete destruction of Carthage and its people.

It was a crushing victory for Rome. The former Carthaginian region was added to the Roman territories and became a province known as 'Africa'.

For his role in the victory, Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus gained the honourific title "Africanus". 

The Third Punic War had far-reaching consequences for both Rome and Carthage. For Carthage, it meant complete destruction and an end to their once-great empire.

For Rome, it cemented their position as the dominant superpower in the Mediterranean.

It also led to Rome's further expansion into North Africa and Spain.

After the destruction of Carthage, Rome became one of the most powerful empires in the world.