page_title: Third Punic War
section_title: 149 BC
hierarchical_section_title: Third Punic War / Course of the war / 149 BC
caption_attribution_description: In 1868 Poynter produced another of his most celebrated Roman spectaculars, The Catapult. This shows Roman soldiers manning a siege engine for an attack on the walls of Carthage, during the siege which ended in the destruction of Carthage in 146 BC. The famous command of Cato the Elder, "Delenda est Carthago" (quoted in Pultarch's "Life of Cato") is carved in the wood of the huge catapult. The picture was a great success.
context_page_description: The Third Punic War was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome and lasted from 149 to 146 BC. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 201 BC one of the terms of the peace treaty prohibited Carthage from waging war without Rome's permission. Rome's ally, King Masinissa of Numidia, exploited this to repeatedly raid and seize Carthaginian territory with impunity. In 149 BC Carthage sent an army, under Hasdrubal, against Masinissa, the treaty notwithstanding. The campaign ended in disaster and the army surrendered. Anti-Carthaginian factions in Rome used the illicit military action as a pretext to prepare a punitive expedition.
  Later in 149 BC a large Roman army landed at Utica in North Africa. The Carthaginians hoped to appease the Romans, but despite the Carthaginians surrendering all of their weapons, the Romans pressed on to besiege the city of Carthage. The Roman campaign suffered repeated setbacks through 149 BC, only alleviated by Scipio Aemilianus, a middle-ranking officer, distinguishing himself several times.
context_section_description: The Roman army moved to Carthage and twice attempted to scale the city walls, from the sea and the landward sides, being repulsed both times, before settling down for a siege. Hasdrubal moved up his army and harassed the Roman supply lines and foraging parties. The Romans built two very large battering rams and partially broke down a section of the wall. They stormed the breach but fell into disorder while clambering through and were thrown back by the waiting Carthaginians. The Romans would have been in difficulty except for the actions of Scipio Aemilianus, who was serving with the 4th Legion as a tribune – a middle-ranking military position. Rather than join the attack as ordered, Scipio held back and spaced his men along the partially demolished wall, and so was able to beat off the pursuing Carthaginians when the Romans in front of him fled back through the ranks of his unit.
  Censorinus's camp was badly situated and by early summer was so pestiferous that it was moved to a healthier location. This, however, was not as defensible, and the Carthaginians inflicted losses on the Roman fleet with fireships. Separately, a night attack was launched against Manilius's camp; a dangerous outcome for the Romans was again averted by Scipio's prompt action. The Romans made repetitions of these attacks more difficult by building additional field fortifications. As winter approached, Manilius led a foraging force of 12,000 men into Carthage's hinterland. This was intended to gather foodstuffs for the winter and timber for cooking and building winter quarters, as well as despoiling anything they could not carry away in order to deny it to Carthage. Cavalry from the Carthaginian field army repeatedly attacked the foraging parties, except for Scipio's, as he ensured that formed groups were always ready and within reach of his foragers. Once Manilius's column had returned to camp, the Carthaginian cavalry mounted a night assault on the fortifications protecting the Roman transport ships; they retreated after Scipio confused them with a strategem.
  Manilius decided to strike against the Carthaginians' main camp near Nepheris, despite its strong position and fortifications. Arriving there, Manilius ordered an immediate assault, against Scipio's advice. This initially went well, but the Romans advanced into an untenable position, and when they attempted to withdraw were attacked by the Carthaginians, who inflicted heavy casualties. Scipio led out 300 cavalry and with a series of limited and well-disciplined charges and threats caused the Carthaginians to pause for long enough for most of the infantry to complete their retreat. Scipio then pulled back his cavalry force under pressure. That night it was realised that the Carthaginians had cut off a group of Romans, who had set up a defensive position on a hill. Scipio led his cavalry back in a night march, surprised the Carthaginians and audaciously rescued the cut-off group. The Roman column was repeatedly attacked as it retreated to its camp; this humiliation was reported to Rome by a Senate investigatory committee, as was Scipio's performance.
  Scipio made contact with several of the leaders of Carthage's Numidian cavalry, then joined a second, better planned expedition against Hasdrubal at Nepheris. In spite of the greater forethought, the Romans made no progress, although one of the Numidians contacted by Scipio did defect to the Romans with 2,200 men. Manilius led the Roman's back after they ran out of food, although their difficulties were alleviated when Scipio led a successful foraging expedition with the Romans' new allies.
caption: Catapulta by Edward Poynter; modern depiction of a Roman siege engine during the Siege of Carthage
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