The Third Punic War, fought between Rome and Carthage from 149 BC to 146 BC, marked the end of Carthaginian power and the final destruction of the city of Carthage. It was the last of three major wars fought between the former Phoenician colony of Carthage and the Roman Republic, the great power of the time in the Mediterranean. This was perhaps the least justifiable of the three conflicts as Carthage, weakened by the two previous wars, posed no real threat to Roman security.
However, the enduring enmity for Carthage held by a faction of influential Roman senators, led by Cato the Elder, helped ignite the conflict through persistent calls to annihilate the old rival. Rome’s pretext for the war was Carthage’s defense against an attack from the Numidians, a neighboring state with whom Rome had a treaty. Rome interpreted this as a violation of the peace treaty imposed on Carthage after the Second Punic War. After a three-year siege, the Romans managed to breach the walls of the crippled city. The inhabitants were sold into slavery, whilst the city itself was burned to the ground, thus marking the decisive end to the Punic Wars.
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