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Cato the Elder was critical in Roman history because he caused the downfall of the great general Scipio Africanus, his campaign to maintain traditional values, and his conservative social policies. He was also a great writer and one of the pioneers of Latin literature. Perhaps his most important contribution to history was his role in the final destruction of Carthage.

====Early Life of Cato the Elder====

All his life he was committed to hardening his body, but he was also extremely well-educated for the time. The young man was called away from his farm to serve in the Roman army during the Second Punic War. Cato was a brave and capable soldier, and he made an important contribution to the defeat of the Carthaginians at the crucial Battle of Metaurus (207 BC). He was an imposing figure, and his devotion to the ascetic ideals of the Romans won him the respect of many of his peers and made him popular. Livy describes him as ‘undoubtedly a man of a rough temper and a bitter and unbridled tongue, an absolute master of his passions, of inflexible integrity, and indifferent alike to wealth and popularity.’ <ref> Livy, The History of Rome, 39: 40</ref>

====The Political and military career of Cato====

Many conservatives approved because they agreed that luxury was undermining the character of young Romans. It was during his time as censor, that Cato displayed a deep dislike of all things foreign. Indeed many of his policies were almost xenophobic. He had a particular dislike of Greeks; this was probably because of their growing influence in the city. During his time as censor, Cato who was an efficient man who improved the water supply of the city, reformed the taxation system and reorganized government contracting. The austere Roman is also credited with the building of the first Basilica, which became a standard feature of many Roman or Romanized cities. After his term of censor was complete, he continued to serve in the Senate. He became a very famous figure as much for his politics as his lifestyle. Cato despite his wealth still lived a frugal and austere lifestyle and continued to work on his farm. Indeed, so severe was his lifestyle that the great man lived like his slaves<ref> Plutarch, Life of Cato the Elder, 7</ref>. This made him the titular leader of the conservative or patrician party in Rome. In the later years of his life, he urged the Senate to renew Rome’s conflict with Carthage, despite an existing peace treaty. Cato the Elder firmly believed that Carthage was capable of going to war with Rome, even after it had been decisively defeated in the Second Punic War. He died before the war he sought with Carthage ended in a complete victory for the Republic<ref> Miles, Richard. Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization (London, Allen Lane, 2010), p 345</ref>. For Cato life was one continual struggle and only if Rome was disciplined and austere could it thrive. <ref>Plutarch, 8</ref>. This was in line with traditional Roman values and standards of morality. His grandson Cato the Younger became the leader of the Patricians and the avowed enemy of Julius Caesar.

[[File: Cato the Elder Three.jpg |200px|thumb|left|A bust of Scipio Africanus]]

====Cato the Elder and the Scipiones====

====References====

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