Blog | The Death of Carthage

What Became of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus after the Second Punic War?

December 18, 2021 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

When he returned from the Battle of Zama, Scipio was granted a splendid triumph. He was also repeatedly elected Senatus Primus and was elected Censor and later re-elected to Consul. But Scipio had an implacable enemy in Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, a rigid and authoritarian person, insanely jealous of Scipio and possessed of considerable […]

Filed Under: Carthage

Why Didn’t the Carthaginian Senate Support Hannibal?

December 3, 2021 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

After the Battle of Cannae, Hannibal collected over two hundred gold signet rings from the bodies of upper-class Romans who had fallen on the battlefield and put them in an urn. He sent his younger brother Mago back to Carthage to persuade the Senate to provide more men and materiel to Hannibal’s cause. Mago poured […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Dertosa, Battle of the Metaurus River, Hannibal, Hanno the Great, Hasdrubal Barca, Mago Barca

What Were the Main Reasons for the Roman Victory over Carthage in the Second Punic War?

November 25, 2021 By Robin Levin 4 Comments

There were several reasons. Rome relied on citizen and allied soldiery while Carthage relied largely on mercenaries. Mercenaries have to be paid and are not as reliable as citizen soldiers and can be bought off. Carthage during the Second Punic War did not support its military to the same degree that Rome supported theirs. Carthage’s […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Zama, Hannibal, Hasdrubal Barca, Hasdrubal Son of Gisco, Mago Barca, publius cornelius scipio africanus, Quintus Fabus Verrucosus Cunctator

Book Review: Kindred by Rebecca Wragg Sykes

November 14, 2021 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

This book brings us up to date on the latest scientific thinking about the Neanderthals. The book is for readers who are intensely interested in the subject. It contains a lot of archeological jargon and minutiae, but an interested reader will learn a lot from reading it. For me it raised more questions than it […]

Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Homo Sapiens, human prehistory, Neanderthals, Rebecca Wragg Sykes

Was There Opposition in Rome to the Destruction of Carthage?

November 14, 2021 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

The destruction of Carthage was not without opposition in Rome. Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder ended every speech in the Senate or in the Forum with the words “Cetera censeo Cartagine esse delendum!”- And furthermore I think that Carthage must be destroyed.” Publius Cornelius Nasica Corculum, the Pontifex Maximus, on the other hand, said “Carthage […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Adrian Goldsworthy, Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, Publius Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum, The Third Punic War

Why Did the Romans Oppose the Fabian Strategy?

October 28, 2021 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

Quintus Fabius Maximus realized that Hannibal was a military genius and that the best thing to do was not to confront him in battle but to starve him out. He tried to prevent Hannibal’s men from foraging and he forbade farmers from sowing crops in the areas where Hannibal’s army traveled. It was sort of […]

Filed Under: Ancient Rome, Carthage Tagged With: Battle of Cannae, Battle of Zama, Gaius Terentius Varro, Hannibal, Lucius Aemilius Paullus, Marcus Minucius Rufus, Publius Cornelius Scipio, quintus fabius maximus

What Happened to Hannibal After the Second Punic War?

October 12, 2021 By Robin Levin Leave a Comment

The decision allow Hannibal to return to Carthage was made by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. After the Battle of Zama, Hannibal escaped to Hadrumetum. Scipio then had the decision whether to besiege and destroy Carthage, or to allow the city to negotiate a treaty on Roman terms. Besieging the city would have taken months. The […]