#3Rd Punic War Manual On Military#

The siege of Carthage was decided years before the Third Punic War (149146 B.C.) actually took place. After a Roman army under Manius Manilius landed. It was a siege operation, starting sometime between 149 and 148 BC, and ending in spring 146 BC with the sack and complete destruction of the city of Carthage. The Battle of Carthage was the main engagement of the Third Punic War between the Punic city of Carthage in Africa and the Roman Republic.

The campaign ended in disaster as the Battle of Oroscopa ended with a Carthaginian defeat and the surrender of the Carthaginian army. In 149В BC Carthage sent an army, under Hasdrubal, against Masinissa, the treaty notwithstanding. Rome's ally, King Masinissa of Numidia, exploited this to repeatedly raid and seize Carthaginian territory with impunity. When the Second Punic War ended in 201В BC, one of the terms of the peace treaty prohibited Carthage from waging war without Rome's permission. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia.

It was a century before the site of Carthage was rebuilt as a Roman city.The main source for most aspects of the Punic Wars is the historian Polybius ( c. The formerly Carthaginian territories became the Roman province of Africa with Utica as its capital. In the spring of 146В BC the Romans launched their final assault and over six days systematically destroyed the city and killed its inhabitants only on the last day did they take prisoners, 50,000 of them, who were sold into slavery. Once this was complete Scipio led out a strong force that stormed the camp of Carthage's field army and forced most of the towns and cities still supporting Carthage to surrender. The Romans then built a large brick structure in the harbour area that dominated the city wall.

3Rd Punic War Manual On Military

The account of the Roman annalist Livy, who relied heavily on Polybius, is much used by modern historians of the Punic Wars, but all that survives of his account of events after 167В BC is a list of contents. In addition, significant portions of The Histories ' account of the Third Punic War have been lost. He accompanied his patron and friend, the Roman general Scipio Aemilianus, in North Africa during the Third Punic War this causes the normally reliable Polybius to recount Scipio's actions in a favourable light. His works include a now-lost manual on military tactics, but he is best known for The Histories, written sometime after 146В BC.

Other sources include coins, inscriptions, archaeological evidence and empirical evidence from reconstructions. These issues mean that of the three Punic wars, the third is the one about which the least is reliably known. It is thought to have been largely based on Polybius's account, but several problems with it have been identified. The modern historian Bernard Mineo states that it 'is the only complete and continuous account of this war'. Modern historians also use the account of the 2nd-centuryВ AD Greek Appian.

Africanus imposed a peace treaty on the Carthaginians which stripped them of their overseas territories, and some of their African ones. Both wars ended with Roman victories the Second when the Roman general Scipio Africanus defeated Hannibal, the premier Carthaginian general of the war, at the Battle of Zama, 160 kilometres (100В mi) south west of Carthage. Carthage and Rome had fought the 23-year-long First Punic War from 264 to 241В BC and the 17-year-long Second Punic War between 218 and 201В BC. 'Punic' derives from this usage. The Carthaginians were referred to by the Romans by the Latin word Punicus (or Poenicus), and is a reference to Carthage's Phoenician origin.

Henceforth it was clear that Carthage was politically subordinate to Rome. Many senior Carthaginians wanted to reject it, but Hannibal spoke strongly in its favour and it was accepted in spring 201В BC. Hostages were taken and Carthage was prohibited from waging war outside Africa, and in Africa only with Rome's express permission.

The campaign ended in disaster at the Battle of Oroscopa and the army surrendered many Carthaginians were subsequently massacred by the Numidians. In 151В BC Carthage raised a large army commanded by the previously unrecorded Carthaginian general Hasdrubal and, the treaty notwithstanding, counter-attacked the Numidians. Masinissa's seizures of and raids into Carthaginian territory became increasingly flagrant. Whenever Carthage petitioned Rome for redress, or permission to take military action, Rome backed Masinissa, and refused. Over the following 50 years he repeatedly took advantage of Carthage's inability to protect its possessions.

These include: a Roman fear of Carthaginian commercial competition a desire to forestall a wider war which might have broken out with the death of Masinissa, who was aged 89 at the time the factional use of Carthage as a political 'bogeyman', irrespective of her true power a greed for glory and loot and a desire to quash a political system which Rome considered anathema. Modern scholars have advanced several theories as to why Rome was eager for war. A silver double shekel from Carthage's last mint of coins before its destruction. Using the illicit Carthaginian military action as a pretext, Rome began preparing a punitive expedition.

The Romans elected two men each year, known as consuls, as senior magistrates, who at time of war would each lead an army on occasion their term was extended. Aware that its harbour would greatly facilitate any assault on Carthage, the Senate and the People's Assembly of Rome declared war on Carthage. The large North African port city of Utica, some 55В km (34В mi) north of Carthage, went over to Rome in 149В BC. Carthaginian embassies attempted to negotiate with Rome, which responded evasively.

Once Carthage was disarmed, Censorinus made the further demand that the Carthaginians abandon their city and relocate 16В km (10В mi) away from the sea Carthage would then be destroyed. Their warships all sailed to Utica and were burnt in the harbour. Surviving records state that these included 200,000 sets of armour and 2,000 catapults. Large convoys took enormous stocks of equipment from Carthage to Utica. The consuls demanded that they hand over all weaponry, and reluctantly the Carthaginians did so. The Carthaginians continued to attempt to appease Rome, and sent an embassy to Utica.

Opposing forces The city of Carthage itself was unusually large for the time: modern scholars give population estimates ranging from 90,000 to 800,000.