The Third Punic War - Siege, Stalemate and Climax

Prelude: Political Pretexts and Escalation

150–149 BCE: Carthage’s Recovery and Roman Anxiety

The Third Punic War emerged from the shadow of the Second Punic War, which had left Carthage humbled but intact under the 201 BCE treaty - stripped of its empire, navy, and burdened with a 10,000-talent indemnity. By 150 BCE, Carthage had paid its debt and rebuilt its trade, prompting unease in Rome. A border dispute with Numidia, Rome’s ally under King Masinissa, flared when Carthage repelled a Numidian incursion in 151 BCE, violating the treaty’s ban on unsanctioned warfare. Cato the Elder, a hawkish senator, seized on this, famously concluding every speech with “Carthage must be destroyed.” Polybius notes Rome’s intent: “They sought a cause to end the Punic threat forever” (Histories, 36.2).

Politically, Rome’s Senate engineered a casus belli: in 149 BCE, consuls Lucius Marcius Censorinus and Manius Manilius demanded 300 noble hostages and Carthage’s disarmament, then escalated by ordering the city’s relocation inland - terms designed to provoke refusal. Appian captures Carthage’s dilemma: “They yielded arms, but not their home… war was inevitable” (Punic Wars, 76). Carthage’s Senate, isolated without allies, resisted, rallying 500,000 inhabitants for a doomed defense.

Early Phase: Siege and Stalemate

149–147 BCE: Initial Roman Assaults

Rome dispatched 80,000 troops and 150 ships to Utica, 10 kilometers from Carthage, establishing a base under Censorinus and Manilius. Carthage’s triple walls—40 feet high—and fortified harbor defied early assaults. The Punic strategy, led by Hasdrubal (not Barca), focused on defense: they rebuilt a secret fleet of 50 triremes and armed citizens with scavenged metal. Polybius describes their resilience: “They turned every house into a forge, defying Rome’s might” (Histories, 38.1). Initial Roman attacks faltered—breaches were repelled, and a Punic sortie sank supply ships. Appian notes the setbacks: “Disease and failure plagued the consuls… Carthage endured” (Punic Wars, 93).

Political dynamics shifted with Rome’s frustration: the Senate replaced the consuls with Scipio Aemilianus in 147 BCE, elected consul at 38 despite age restrictions—a move echoing his grandfather’s exceptional command. His arrival, backed by popular and senatorial support, marked a turning point.

 

 

 

Climax: Scipio’s Siege and Carthage’s Fall

147–146 BCE: Strategic Encirclement

Scipio Aemilianus transformed the siege with meticulous strategy (*explore Roman military tactics here). He constructed a mole—a stone barrier—across the harbor mouth, sealing Carthage’s naval lifeline, and built contravallation walls with towers to isolate the city by land. Appian details: “He choked their ports and fields… starvation was his weapon” (Punic Wars, 118). Scipio countered Punic sallies with disciplined legions, repelling Hasdrubal’s breakout attempts while dysentery ravaged the besieged.

146 BCE: The Final Assault

In spring 146 BCE, Scipio launched a multi-pronged attack. His legions breached the harbor via a makeshift ramp, while others scaled the weakened northern wall under covering fire from ballistae. The assault devolved into urban warfare: for six days, Romans fought street-by-street, torching buildings to flush out defenders. Polybius, an eyewitness, recounts: “Blood and fire filled the air… Carthage became a pyre” (Histories, 38.9). Hasdrubal surrendered, but 50,000 survivors held Byrsa, the citadel, until flames forced submission. Appian narrates the end: “Scipio leveled the city, sowing salt in its ruins” (Punic Wars, 129)—a symbolic act of erasure, though salt’s use is debated.

Aftermath: Rome’s New Province

146 BCE: Consequences and Consolidation

Carthage’s destruction yielded 50,000 slaves and vast plunder, its territory annexed as Africa Proconsularis under Roman governors. Scipio’s triumph earned him the agnomen “Africanus,” though he wept at Carthage’s fall, foreseeing Rome’s own vulnerability, per Polybius: “He mourned the fate of all great cities” (Histories, 38.22). Rome’s Senate secured North Africa, eliminating its last major rival.