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The defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War allowed the Roman Republic to become the superpower of Europe and allowed its influence to expand to North Africa. North Africa become the breadbasket of Rome for centuries. The victory also ensured that Rome was the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean and aided its economic expansion over the next 500 years.
====BackgroundThe Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage====
[[File: Carthage four.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The prow of a Carthaginian Ship in a modern museum]]
Rome and Carthage came into conflict in the First Punic War of 264-241 BCE. They fought for the control of Sicily. The Romans, after a brutal struggle, emerged victoriously and gained possession of the island. This assured that Rome would be the dominant Italian power. The Second Punic War (218-201 BC), often known as Hannibal’s War, was the greatest challenge Rome faced.<ref> Chris Scarre, "The Wars with Carthage," The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Rome (London: Penguin Books, 1995), pp 24–25</ref>
After its defeat, Carthage was too weak to oppose Rome’s ambitions in the Mediterranean. Under the harsh terms of the treaty that ended the Second Punic War, the Carthaginians had been reduced to a dependency of the Italian city-state.<ref>Scullard, Howard Hayes: A History of the Roman World, 753 to 146 BC (New York, Routledge, 2002), p 316</ref> Not only had they been forced to relinquish their Empire and limit their navy, but the Punic state was also obliged to pay a massive indemnity to their old enemies’ treasury every year.
Furthermore, the Roman Republic oversaw the foreign relations of the city-state. The Romans also encouraged Numidians to raid Carthaginian areas frequently. The Romans also ruled in favor of the Numidians in their favor in their border disputes with Carthage. <ref> Scarre, p. 24</ref> The peace terms that the Romans had imposed on the North African city-state were onerous and framed in such a way as to weaken it permanently.
The descendants of the Phoenician settlers were a bold race of mariners, entrepreneurs, and traders. Despite the treaty, Carthage was able to pay the reparations and even to expand its trade network. The recovery of the city was remarkable, and it became, once more, an economic powerhouse, despite all the Romans' efforts.<ref>Miles, Richard. Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization (London, Allen Lane, 2010), p. 45</ref>
This alarmed some of the Senators, who were the ruling elite in the city on the Tiber. Many had fought in the Second Punic War and knew that Rome had come close to defeat and possible extinction at Hannibal's hands. The distinguished senator Cato the Elder demanded that ‘Carthage must be destroyed’ at the end of every speech he made in the Senate .</ref> Appian, History of Rome, v, iii</ref>. However, many Romans did not want war as they had come to rely upon Carthage's payments.
====Third Punic War====