Third Punic War

Багерман А.Я.

The Third Punic War of 149-146 BCE ended with the siege, capture and destruction of Carthage. Unlike the Second Punic War, it was not a struggle between two equal powers: Carthage was already restricted by treaty, while Rome moved to remove its rival permanently.

In brief:

• dates: 149-146 BCE;
• opponents: the Roman Republic and Carthage;
• main episode: the siege of Carthage;
• result: the city was destroyed and its territory became the basis of Roman Africa;
• key figure in the final stage: Scipio Aemilianus.

Why the Third Punic War began

The formal pretext was Carthage's armed conflict with the Numidian king Masinissa, an ally of Rome. For Roman politicians, the deeper issue was fear of Carthage's possible recovery and the desire to remove a dangerous rival in the western Mediterranean.

The Punic Wars were three wars between the Roman Republic and Carthage: 264–241, 218–201 and 149–146 BCE. Carthage developed from a Phoenician settlement into an independent Mediterranean power.

The Romans called the Carthaginians Punic. The Latin names Punicus and Poenus are connected with the name of the Phoenicians, not with a profession selling shellfish or producing purple dye.

Alignment of forces before the war

Reasons Third Punic War on the part of Carthage-thirst for revenge. Restore its former power. Defend their independence from Rome. On the part of Rome: fear that Carthage will be able to restore its power, as well as the complete elimination of a major commercial competitor. Carthaginian generals in the 3rd Punic War: Hasdrubal Boetarch (commanded the defense of Carthage). Roman generals in the 3rd Punic War: Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus; Lucius Marcius Censorinus (Roman naval commander-prefect of the fleet).

Course of the war

Carthage’s war against Masinissa without Roman approval violated the treaty of 201 BCE. In 149 a Roman army landed in Africa under consuls Manius Manilius and Lucius Marcius Censorinus. Carthage handed over hostages and weapons, but the demand to abandon the city and resettle inland prompted resistance.

Initial attempts to capture Carthage failed. Scipio Aemilianus took command in 147. He was Lucius Aemilius Paullus’ son, adopted by a son of Scipio Africanus. He tightened the blockade and prepared the final assault.

In spring 146 the Romans entered the city; the final fighting centred on Byrsa. Hasdrubal surrendered, while some defenders died in the temple. Surviving inhabitants were enslaved, the city destroyed and rebuilding prohibited. The popular story of sowing the ground with salt is not supported by ancient testimony and should not be presented as established fact.

Part of the former Carthaginian territory became the province of Africa, centred on Utica. Carthage was later refounded and became a major Roman city.

Related topics

• Roman Republic
• The First Punic War
• Second Punic War
• Punics
• Punic Wars: Rome and Carthage

Literature and sources

Ancient authors: 1. Polybius. Universal History. 2. Titus Livy. Roman history from the founding of the city 3. Appian of Alexandria. Roman history 4. Plutarch. Comparative biographies Contemporary authors: 1. Revyako K. K. Punic wars. Minsk: Universitetskoe Publ.,1988,272 p. (in Russian) 2. Rodionov E. Punicheskie voyny [Punic Wars]. St. Petersburg: SPBU Publishing House,2005. (Res militaris) 3. Bagnall, Nigel. The Punic Wars: Rome, Carthage and the Struggle for the Mediterranean. — London: Pimlico,1999 4. Punic Politics, Economy, and Alliances,218–201 // A Companion to the Punic Wars / Hoyos, Dexter. — Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell,2011. 5. Shifman I. I. Carthage. Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg University Press. 2006 6. Delbrueck H. The history of military art in the framework of political history. — Translated from German-Vol. 1 "The Ancient world". - Moscow,1936. 7. Eliseev M. B. The Second Punic War. - Moscow: Veche,2018. - 480 p.: ill. - Series "Antique world". 8. Mashkin N. A. The last century of Punic Carthage / / VDI. - 1949. - No. 2. 9. Herbert William Park. Greek mercenaries. Dogs of War of ancient Greece / Translated from English by L. A. Igorevsky. - Moscow: ZAO "Tsentrpoligraf",2013. - 288 p. 10. Warmington B.-H. Carthage. — L.,1960. 11. Mayak I. L. Sotsial'no-politicheskaya borba italiyskikh obshchestvov v period Gannibalovoy voyny [Socio-political struggle of Italian communities during the Hannibal War]. 12. Shifman I. S. Vozrozhdenie karfagenskoi derzhavy [The Emergence of the Carthaginian Power]. 13. Elnitsky L. A. The emergence and development of slavery in Rome in the VIII-III centuries BC-Moscow,1964.