Did Rome behave honorably in the Punic wars?
The fact that the Carthaginians had had enough of war meant nothing – African kings who were clients of Rome were sooled onto the Carthaginians, whose defensive actions were condemned as attacking Rome’s allies. Cato the Elder ran a continuous campaign, ending each speech in the Senate, regardless of the topic, with ‘and Carthage must be destroyed’. The third Punic War accomplished this in 149 BCE, and the city was literally destroyed. Three decades later a new Carthage was built on the site for Roman veteran resettlement.
