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====Rome masters of the Mediterranean====
[[File: Carthage two.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Ruins of Carthage today]]
Carthage had always been a great maritime power and dominated the trade networks of the Mediterranean. Even after their defeat in the Second Punic war, they remained a formidable naval power.<ref>Goldsworthy, Adrian The Fall of Carthage (London, Cassel Military Paperbacks, 2010), p. 178</ref> Their naval technology was much more advanced than the Romans. While the Carthaginian navy was limited by the terms of the treaty that ended the Second Punic War, they could quickly build a powerful fleet of ships.<ref> Miles, p. 355</ref>
Moreover, the Carthaginians were expert traders and talented businessmen and even after the loss of their possessions in Spain they continued to trade extensively in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Many Roman merchants resented this, and they actively lobbied for the war against the North African city. The defeat of Carthage allowed Rome to become the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean. Their control was unchallenged for almost 700 years until the Germanic invasion of the 5th century AD.<ref>Scullard, H. H. From the Gracchi to Nero: A History of Rome from 133 B.C. to A.D. 68 (New York, Routledge, 1968), p. 167</ref>
The control of the sea was essential to the growth of Rome. It not only gave it naval supremacy it also allowed Italian merchants to dominate the sea’s trade routes and this significantly enriched the Republic. The destruction of their enemy allowed Rome to become the unchallenged power in the Mediterranean.
==Roman Africa==
In legend the Romans wanted to eradicate everything Carthaginian, so much so that they sowed salt on its soil to make it a desert. This did not happen, and it is only a 19th century fabrication. The Romans were too pragmatic for that and instead they declared the lands around the ruins of the great Punic city to be public lands. They encouraged Italian settlers to farm this land and much of it was also distributed to local farmers. The victors turned the area into a province and called it Africa. This eventually became the name of the entire continent. The Romans appointed a governor to the new province and they made Utica the capital. The large Punic population in the area was left alone if they were peaceful and paid their taxes. Julius Caesar later rebuilt Carthage and it became one of the great cities of the Empire and a cultural and artistic centre. The province of Africa became partially Romanized over the centuries. The Punic culture of Carthage survived in the area for many centuries, possibly until the Arab conquests. Over a period of decades, the Romans expanded from Tunisia and came to dominate the entire coastline of North Africa. They first conquered Numidia (Algeria), under Marius and eventually established a client kingdom in present-day northern Morocco<ref> Scullard, p. 189</ref>. The victory over Carthage allowed Rome to dominate the North African coastline from the Sinai to Morocco.