They learned from each other and of each other, passing along information between the two powers. No, there was something that deeply disgusted the Romans about the Carthaginians.įor half a century the Romans had essentially controlled the tributary state of Carthage after the second Punic war, and in that time they had learned a great deal about Carthaginian society. Hannibal Barca had embarrassed Rome and their resentment was a long lasting sting upon the glory of Rome, and that may have been the spark that lit the match for the third and final punic war, but it was not the only reason why Rome had so visciously destroyed the tiny remnant of the once vast Carthaginian state, by killing the men, scattering the women as slaves to different sections of the republic, destroying all their texts, razing the city and salting the surrounding earth so no future inhabitant could ever grow crops on the fertile Mediterranean costal city shores. These blood baths between the two powers resulted in over a million combined deaths and great losses on both sides. The first two wars resulted from encroachment into the control of the other power’s hold on the Mediterranean. However, despite these similarilities, or perhaps owing a root cause to these similarities, the two republics were eventually brought to war. In Carthage the republic was controlled by the supreme council, which was headed by two sufetes. In Rome the republic was controlled by the senate, which was headed by two consuls whose control alternated month by month. Both Carthage and Rome had once been monarchies, and had since transitioned into becoming republics. Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BC, separating the two powers by only 61 years. So why did Rome so viciously scatter Carthage? Some context is required.Ĭarthage was founded sometime in 814 BC. Rome has long since destroyed Carthage, her people scattered or killed, her language slowly strangled out of existence, her ancient texts burned for better or for worse, but in many regards Carthage was a mirror to Rome, from their beginnings to their government. The average modern reader does not internalize their religion, their languages, their customs, their cultures and so on, and instead tends to subconsciously fill in the gaps of historical context with what they presume would be normal behavior in the modern context, whether they acknowledge it or not. It is the norm to rip historical fact out from the context of the experience of the everyday that lived in their ancient world. It is all too common to view our ancient history through the perspective of modern eyes.
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