- Date:
- 146 BCE
- Participants:
- Carthage
- ancient Rome
Battle of Carthage
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What was the Battle of Carthage?
The Battle of Carthage in 146 BCE marked the end of the Third Punic War between Carthage and Rome. Spurred by Roman senator Cato the Elder's insistence that Carthage must be destroyed, Rome declared war after Carthage defended itself against Rome's ally Numidia.
The Roman army, initially under Manius Manlius, faced strong Carthaginian resistance. In 147 BCE, Scipio Aemilianus took command, blockading the city. After a three-year siege, the Romans breached the walls, leading to fierce street-by-street fighting. The city fell after eight days, with the Temple of Eshmun being the last point of resistance.
The Romans razed Carthage, enslaving 50,000 of its remaining inhabitants. The Carthaginian defeat was total, paving the way for the Roman Empire.
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Which countries or cities fought in the Battle of Carthage?
The Battle of Carthage in 146 BCE was fought between Carthage and Rome. This battle was the final conflict in the series of three Punic Wars fought between the two powers vying for control of the Mediterranean Sea. The Carthaginians were defending their city against the Roman army, which was led by Scipio Aemilianus. After a three-year siege, the Romans breached the city walls and engaged in house-to-house fighting. The city was eventually destroyed by Scipio.
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Why did the Battle of Carthage happen?
The Battle of Carthage occurred during the Third Punic War (149–146 BCE) because Rome, spurred by a growing mercantile population and statesmen like Cato the Censor, felt that Carthage needed to be destroyed.
Though Carthage had been stripped of its political power, its commercial enterprises expanded rapidly, causing unease in Rome. When Carthage resisted Numidian aggressions in 150 BCE, Rome used this as a reason to dispatch an army to Africa. Despite Carthage's attempts to make amends, Rome demanded that the city be abandoned and its people move inland, which the Carthaginians refused to do.
After a three-year siege, Scipio Aemilianus took Carthage in 146 BCE, enslaved the remaining inhabitants, burned the city to the ground, and ritually sowed the site with salt.
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What were the Punic Wars, and how did they relate to this battle?
The Punic Wars were a series of three conflicts between Rome and Carthage from 264 to 146 BCE, resulting in the destruction of Carthage and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean.
The Punic Wars consisted of:
* The First Punic War (264–241 BCE) was fought to control Corsica and Sicily.
* The Second Punic War (218–201 BCE) involved Hannibal's invasion of Italy and Scipio Africanus' eventual defeat of Hannibal at Zama.
* The Third Punic War (149–146 BCE) resulted in the final destruction of Carthage. After a three-year siege, the city was destroyed.5 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did the Battle of Carthage end, and what happened to the city?
The Battle of Carthage in 146 BCE marked the end of the Third Punic War and total defeat for Carthage. After a three-year siege, Roman forces breached the city walls, leading to intense street-by-street fighting. The last Carthaginian holdouts fell after eight days, with the wife of the Carthaginian commander sacrificing her sons and herself.
Scipio Aemilianus ordered Carthage to be burned and demolished. Of a population that may have exceeded a quarter of a million, the 50,000 survivors were sold into slavery. The territory was made a Roman province. Though legend says the land was salted, most historians believe that to be a later invention.
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What was the impact of the Battle of Carthage on Rome and the surrounding region?
The Battle of Carthage in 146 BCE marked the end of the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome, resulting in Carthage's destruction and Rome's dominance over the western Mediterranean. The Romans, driven by revenge and greed, razed the city and enslaved the survivors.
Though legend says the Romans salted the earth, Roman veterans later settled there under Julius Caesar. The Carthaginian defeat instilled fear and horror into Rome’s enemies and allies, paving the way for the Roman Empire. The territory of Carthage became the Roman province of Africa. A new city was built on the site a century later.
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The Battle of Carthage in 146 bce ended generations of war between the Phoenician-founded city and Rome, both vying for control of the Mediterranean Sea. It ended with the destruction of the city and can be viewed an act of Roman aggression prompted as much by motives of revenge for earlier wars as by greed for the rich farming lands around the city. The Carthaginian defeat was total and absolute, instilling fear and horror into Rome’s enemies and allies and opening the path for the formation of the Roman Empire.
Under the treaty ending the Second Punic War, signed after the Battle of Zama, Carthage had to seek Roman permission before waging war. That treaty expired in 151 bce, so when Rome’s ally Numidia annexed land from Carthage, much of whose empire had already been stripped away, a Carthaginian army marched to defend it. Spurred on by Cato the Elder, who customarily ended his senatorial speeches with the exhortation Delenda est Carthago (Carthage must be destroyed), Rome declared this event to be an act of war and laid siege to Carthage.
The Roman army, led by Manius Manlius, made little impact as the Carthaginians raised an army, converted the city into an arms factory, and held out. About 140,000 of Carthage’s women and children were evacuated by sea to seek refuge in friendly states. In 147 bce, the Roman senate sent a new commander, Scipio Aemilianus, with orders to take the city by storm. He defeated the Carthaginian field army and built a mole to block the city’s harbor. The end of the three-year siege came in the spring of 146 bce after the besiegers made a breach in the city walls. The Roman soldiers poured in, only to find that each street had been barricaded and every house fortified. The Romans had to clear the houses one by one.
By the eighth day, the last pockets of Carthaginian resistance collapsed, with so many dead in the streets that the Romans had to stop to clear them before continuing their advance to the Byrsa, or citadel. Last to fall was the Temple of Eshmun, where the wife of the Carthaginian commander, Hasdrubal, sacrificed her sons in front of the Romans, then killed herself. Hasdrubal himself, having negotiated surrender with Scipio, was taken to Rome and paraded in Scipio’s triumph, but was then allowed to retire in the countryside.
Scipio ordered the city to be burned, then demolished. Legend holds that Scipio also demanded that the surrounding fields be plowed up and sown with salt, but there is no contemporary attestation to this, and most historians believe that it was a later invention. In fact, Julius Caesar settled Roman military veterans there a century later, founding a colony that would become one of the largest and most important cities in the Roman Empire.
Losses: Carthaginian, 62,000 dead and 50,000 enslaved of an estimated 112,000 present in the city; Roman, 17,000 of 40,000.