Carthago delenda est... or How to show your hatred to your enemies

[MrBogey]

I've been reading up on the Punic wars as of late. I have to give it to the Romans for the sheer level of assholishness they took warfare. It's one thing to just knock a guy down but what they ended up doing to Carthage is something that goes beyond comprehension.

First they fight a series of bloodthirsty brutal wars for dominance. Then when they finally have Carthage handled they let the city recover only as far as allowing them to prosper so they can pay war reparations. The Carthagians thought that Rome would just let them go their own way and they gladly work toward paying off the debt and getting their affairs in order. However once they pay the final planned payment Rome gets a wild hair in its ass about Carthage thinking it can just go its merry way. They invade the city, raze it, sell off the entire population into slavery, then recolonize it as a final "fuck you" to the Carthagians.

Any other war history buffs who check out this stuff?

[AngryPest]

Didn't they also salt the land where the city stood so nothing would ever grow there.

[MrBogey]

I've heard that but it seems like a lot of historians disagree since Rome ended up using the land to feed their growing population.

[oandapartycock]

Wasn't salt a pretty valuable commodity back in Roman times? I think that's where the word "salary" comes from.

A month or two ago the History Channel reran those "Barbarians" episodes. The Huns, Goths, Vikings, etc. The Goths were the badasses that ended up toppling the Roman Empire.

[Hoagie]

Didn't they also salt the land where the city stood so nothing would ever grow there.

I've heard that but it seems like a lot of historians disagree since Rome ended up using the land to feed their growing population.I read that once too but it turned out that they just translated something wrong. They didn't salt the land but they did put flaming bags of dog poo on everyone's door steps.

[jackjack]

I'd have to do some re-reading to refresh my memory, but from what's left of what I used to know, Rome used to conquer everything around them and accept the people of the conquered cities as Romans if they chose to become Romans as opposed to dead.
That way the empire expanded faster. If that Carthage story is true, there's got to be more to it than just random cruelty.
Unless it happened later in the timeline of Rome when the rulers were batshit insane.

[MrBogey]

Carthage was the one city that scared Rome. Hanibal nearly broke them 50 years before the final war. Lots of adults in power who grew up under that threat.

[Stormrider666]

Carthage was the one city that scared Rome. Hanibal nearly broke them 50 years before the final war. Lots of adults in power who grew up under that threat.

Pretty much. I forget which leader it was, but he had someone whisper the word "Carthage" in his ear at every meal, so he would never forget what Hannibal had done when he invaded Rome.

It does make you wonder what the western world would have looked like if, Hannibal had succeeded in breaking Rome.

[Legion of Six]

Rome was broken by the animals from the middle east.
Then you had the dark ages because all of the tools of civilization were killed. The architects etc, etc, that lived in Rome were murdered.

This is what the U.S. and frankly, the world should be afraid of.
Animals from the middle east.

[oandapartycock]

Rome was broken by the animals from the middle east.
Then you had the dark ages because all of the tools of civilization were killed. The architects etc, etc, that lived in Rome were murdered.

This is what the U.S. and frankly, the world should be afraid of.
Animals from the middle east.

Nope. Rome was broken by Germanic peoples, specifically the Visigoths.

[Legion of Six]

shhh.
i'm a marine recruiter.