The Conclusion
Epilogue

        The settlement of peace required Carthage to give up all foreign possessions, and give its navy to Rome, with the exception of 10 small ships.  This was an extreme hardship for a state based on profit by trade.  All war elephants were given to the Romans, and the Carthaginians were forbidden from training more.  They were not allowed to take their army outside Africa, and they could not declare war on enemies within Africa unless they had first obtained permission from Rome.  (It was this provision that eventually caused the Third Punic War.)  They also had to pay Rome a large sum of money for the next 50 years.
    Perhaps the most difficult part of the exchange was the decision by Scipio to burn the Carthaginian ships in their own harbor.  By the treaty, Scipio had acquired 500 ships, but he did not have enough sailors to man those ships, so he chose to burn them instead.  He sailed home in his own vessels, feeling proud of his successes, and leaving behind many angered victims.
    For 8 years, Hannibal remained in Carthage, and became a political leader.  He was always on the edge of violating the peace treaty, leading forces against local enemies without the permission of the Romans.  Slowly, he built a cadre of enemies in Carthage, who were sick of his continual bringing of unwanted attention.  These enemies eventually reported to Rome that Hannibal was conspiring with Antiochus, ruler of Syria and Phoenicia, to once again bring war upon Rome.
    Though the reports were completely untrue, Hannibal had no choice but to flee from all Roman vengeance.  Scipio, whose respect for Hannibal's courage and leadership yet remained strong, tried to persuade the Roman Senate that these reports were false, but the Romans feared Hannibal's capability too much.  He left Carthage, hoping to spare it the wrath the Romans felt for him, personally, but it would make no real difference.  Though he hid well, Roman "FBI" agents pursued him from place to place, making his life miserable.  A few times, he did persuade some foreign rulers to consider an attack on Rome, but Roman power was becoming more fearsome worldwide, and none of these plans came to fruition.
    Finally, Hannibal found himself surrounded (in 182 BC) in Bithynia (in Asia Minor).  He had for many years carried with him a vial of poison for just such a case.  He drank his poison, and died, finally bringing a major chapter of world history to a close.


    It would be illogical to imagine that this would end the conflicts between Rome and Carthage.  The Roman orator, Cato, finished every single one of his speeches, no matter what the topic, with the statement, "Carthage must be destroyed."  All that was needed was some pretext for a justifiable war.
    That justification came when Carthage responded to a threat from nearby Numidia, and their king, Masinissa.  The Numidians had been trying to expand their territory, which would infringe on Carthaginian space.  Though it was a direct violation of their treaty, the Carthaginians sent out an army to destroy Masinissa.  This army was beaten badly, but the Roman Senate decided that the treaty had been violated, and that Carthage must be punished.  Thus began a series of indignities that concludes our story.
    The Romans insisted on 300 hostages (sons of political leaders in Carthage) to guarantee that Carthage would no longer violate the treaty.  Carthage complied.  The Roman army landed in Africa with about 80,000 men.  The Roman Senate demanded corn to feed their army, and Carthage supplied it.  The Romans then insisted that Carthage give up all its weapons.  This, of course, created great concern, but the Carthaginians did as they were told.
    It was the final order that became the "last straw".  The Roman Senate demanded that the Carthaginians move out of their city, and decreed that it would be destroyed.  This order could not be followed.  The Carthaginians slammed the gates of their city, and began to make new weapons by melting down every metal artifact in the place.  The Romans laid siege, and the Third Punic War was in full swing.
    For 3 years, the Carthaginians resisted.  During this time, the commander of the Roman forces became Scipio Africanus Minor, adopted grandson of S. A. Major, Hannibal's conqueror.  S. A. Minor perpetuated his siege of Carthage until he was finally able to beat down the gates.  Some Carthaginians resisted until the last, but many surrendered.  Carthage was utterly destroyed, as the city was burned, the walls pulled down, and salt sowed into the ground so that nothing would grow there.
    Rome no longer had a serious opponent in its progress toward world dominance.  Since the rest of Western History stems from the Roman Empire and the world it left behind, we may imagine the Punic Wars as one of the most pivotal series of events in all our history.
    If you would like to work through the scenario again from the opposite viewpoint, click here.  You should score better this time, but your decisions may be completely different.

    Interested in learning more about Hannibal and the Punic Wars?  My friend Hilary Gowen in the UK (cyberland) has created a marvelous site that is just chock full of great stuff about this period in history.  Go HERE.