I was reading about the utter and complete destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its people, the erasure of their culture and later roman ocupation of their land.
I understand there were "three" punic wars. The first over Sicily, that ended with Carthage losing Sicily and Sardinia, which translated in losing their grip on the mediterranean sea trade routes. The second punic war was a carthaginian retaliation against Rome, with Hannibal invading Italy and giving roman a taste of their own medicine. But it ended in roman victory, and a humiliating terms and crippling war indemities were imposed on the losers. Which Carthage paid in record times, and were able to thrive. Then the roman senator Cato the elder visited Carthage and was appaled by their success, and insisted on their destruction. Which eventually happened in the "third" punic war, which took place after Carthage surrendered.
I understand the destruction of Thebes by Alexander, out of spite of their insolence and the resentment of their neighbours. I understand the burning of Persepolis, as a vengeance for the burning of Athens. I understand the destruction of Jerusalem, in the context of the jewish rebellions and the plucky stubborness on the topic of jewish independence. But what was done to Carthage I do not understand. They tried their best to placate the romans, they surrendered their weapons, they duly payed their tribute...
I find the explanation of mere xenophobia and greed somewhat lacking. For example Thebes, Persepolis and Jerusalem were destroyed immediately during of after a fresh conflict, done in frenzy, frustration and bloodlust. But the destruction of Carthage happened generations after the second punic war.
So, is there a reason why Carthage had to be destroyed the way it was, apart from mere greed and revenge?
The Second Punic War is perhaps one of the single most dangerous wars the Roman Empire faced throughout its existence. They came incredibly close to losing as Hannibal and his army had decisive victories over large Roman forces and he came within marching distance of Rome itself. The ability of the Romans to field more and more soldiers to counter the terrible losses they had suffered was beyond what Hannibal expected and allowed them to eventually survive the war, along with a very un-Roman passive approach to fights in the later stages of the war. All in all however, their might, which had been uncontested in many ways until that point, was tested to the very limits and they came within inches of crumbling completely.
Such an event was remembered with great care. Carthage had always been, and would always be considered a dangerous threat to Roman hegemony in the area. They had proven to be a considerable force to be reckoned with. While their military might had dwindled considerably in the aftermatch of the Second Punic War, their material wealth was still impressive. We all know that money in many ways is equivalent to power, and thus a wealthy Carthage was a considerable threat to Rome.
Cato the Censor was one of the biggest proponents of war, ending all his speeches with the famous words: Ceterum autem censeo Carthaginem esse delendam (furthermore, I consider that Carthage must be destroyed). Certainly greed and revenge played parts in the decision to destroy Carthage, but perhaps first and foremost was the memory that Carthage was the only opponent who had almost undone the Roman Empire. They would always continue to carry that memory, a big blemish in the Roman history books, but also a reminder that they were not invincible. While they had already tried to deal with Carthage by crushing its military, that was not enough to remove its threat completely. The only way to deal with them in a decisive manner was by removing it from the face of the earth completely.
Carthage was a victim of its own success. If they had not come as close as they did to defeating the Roman Empire, they likely would have survived. Instead the fact they almost succeeded in toppling the Roman Empire was remembered forever, and would be used to justify their complete destruction to remove the threat forever.