Why and who destroyed Carthage

Each of us still from the school bench knows the Latin phrase "Carthage must be destroyed!". She was told by an ancient senator, urging other nobles to put the edge to the rivalry of the Eternal City and the amazingly beautiful village in Africa. With this phrase, the politician always finished his speeches and, in the end, achieved what he wanted.

Why and who destroyed Carthage, it becomes clear when you make a short excursion into the past. In the world of that era, there were two great and powerful states that were complete opposites. In the Apennines, the Romans had a well-developed agrarian sector, an economy, a system of law, an army. In Carthage, however, trade flourished, everything was decided by money and status, and mercenary military forces were mercenaries. If Rome founded its power on land, then the African city was a sea power. On the Apennine peninsula, the pantheon of indulgent gods was worshiped, and on the other side of the Mediterranean Sea, bloodthirsty Moloch was offered numerous human sacrifices. These two superpowers would sooner or later have to face their foreheads, which resulted in a whole series of Punic wars.

Before answering the question of who destroyed Carthage, it should be said that the rivalry between the two civilizations lasted more than a hundred years. It was not profitable for any state to destroy the enemy, as their territorial interests did not come into contact. Rome fought to expand its borders at the expense of a weaker enemy, the Carthaginians also supplied their goods to all corners of the empire and needed a stream of slaves.

The Carthage guild acted against the Roman Empire with varying success. Such campaigns always ended in a truce. But all the agreements the African side violated the first, which could not please the proud Eternal City. Violation of the treaty for Rome was an insult, so again, wars unfolded. In the end, the Senate decided and chose the one who destroyed Carthage to the ground.

When the legions approached the walls of Carthage, they were assured of the peaceful end of the war. The Romans knew that the death sentence had already been pronounced. The Roman commander, who destroyed Carthage, patiently and step by step announced all the requirements of the Senate. The townspeople submissively executed them in the hope that the glorious army would soon leave. Residents of the legendary African city were allowed to take their wealth with them and leave the house. After that, it was razed to the ground, plowed with a heavy plow and sowed with salt, cursing these places forever. The main reason for these measures is the one who destroyed Carthage, called the lack of contractability. After all, they, in making promises, knowingly knew that they would not fulfill them.

By the way, the inhabitants of Carthage later realized, but the Roman legions did not believe them anymore. History captures the heroic siege of the African pearl before its complete destruction. The onslaught of Scipio in 146 put a fatty point in the history of this beautiful city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the great state. Despite Roman rituals, life returned to these lands after a while. Fertile soil, mild climate and favorable geographic location attracted new colonizers. But the former greatness of the city never reached.