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Was Carthage Really Razed To The Ground and Salted By The Romans?
Carthage seems to exist long after the Punic Wars
Between 264 and 146 BCE, Rome and Carthage fought a series of devastating wars for supremacy over the Mediterranean. The winner would remain as the sole master of the region. The Punic Wars were fascinating and included elephants in the Alps, some of the best generalship of the era, and one of the worst military losses in Roman history. But it was a series of wars that Rome famously won. With Carthage buried, Rome became the most powerful state in the region and was on its way to becoming the most powerful state in the world.
One of the most enduring stories from the Punic Wars was the fact that after a century of warfare, Rome set out to punish Carthage by wiping it off the map altogether. Victory wasn’t enough. The Romans were seeking total victory at the expense of Carthage’s existence. Legend has it that Rome razed Carthage to the ground, destroying the city entirely, and then salted the earth underneath the ruins to prevent anyone from rebuilding the city again.
But is it true? Did the Romans really raze Carthage and salt the earth?
The great Siege of Carthage took place during the Third (and final) Punic War. The Romans landed in North Africa in 149 BCE with a large army…
