History is fraught with a lot of wonderful, interesting, and sometimes tragic events. One of the latter is the destruction of Carthage, a majestic city on the coast of the African continent.
Instructions
Step 1
Carthage was a wealthy city built on the African coast and located at the intersection of trade routes with many countries. It is not surprising that over time, he had at his disposal enormous wealth, a strong fleet and army. But not far from Carthage, another state flourished - the Roman Republic, famous for its strength, aggression and predatory intentions in relation to its neighbors. These two powerful states could not prosper in the world for a long time. And although they were once allies, by the 3rd century BC, the situation had changed.
Step 2
Their confrontation lasted for over 100 years and resulted in three protracted wars, called Punic. Not a single battle over these hundred years could in any way end in an unambiguous victory for any one side. And therefore, unrest flared up with renewed vigor, as soon as the opponents managed to heal their wounds. Rome sought to expand its borders and increase influence along the shores of the entire Mediterranean Sea, and Carthage needed free routes for trade in its goods. Rome had the strongest army in the world, and Carthage had the strongest fleet.
Step 3
The confrontation between Rome and Carthage invariably ended in truces, which were then again violated by one of the parties. Proud Rome could not endure the insults when Carthage once again violated the agreement. In addition, after the seemingly devastating defeat in the second Punic War, the city was surprisingly quickly rebuilding and regaining its former strength and grandeur. The proverb “Carthage must be destroyed”, which had become habitual by this time in the Roman Senate, had finally to come true.
Step 4
Thus began the third Punic War. The legions of Rome approached Carthage and the consul demanded that the inhabitants surrender all weapons and equipment, and hand over the hostages. The frightened inhabitants of Carthage complied with all requests, hoping that the Romans would leave. However, the Roman army had a different task, and the fate of Carthage was decided in the Senate, long before the start of this campaign. Therefore, the Romans demanded that the inhabitants destroy the city and build a new one far from the sea. The Punyans could no longer stand this, they asked for a month to think about such a demand, and then they locked themselves in the city and prepared for its siege.
Step 5
For almost three years there were battles for the rebellious city. The Roman army was commanded by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus the Younger, the adopted grandson of Scipio the Elder, who defeated Hannibal's army during the Second Punic War. When, finally, the city under his leadership was taken by storm, the inhabitants defended themselves in the streets for six more days, preventing the Romans from fulfilling the instructions of the Senate. After such a fierce struggle, the brutality of the Roman troops knew no bounds. Of the 500 thousand inhabitants of Corfagen, only about 50 thousand managed to survive after this massacre, and even those were enslaved. The city was destroyed to the ground, and its soil was mixed with salt so that nothing would ever grow on it again.
Step 6
After some time, the population nevertheless returned to these places, but Carthage failed to revive its former power. Now on this territory is the African state of Tunisia.