Scipio Aemilianus Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus Africanus Numantinus ( 185 – 129 BC ) , also known as " Scipio Aemilianus " or " Scipio Africanus the Younger " or Scipio Africanus - minor , was a leading general and politician of the ancient Roman Republic . As consul he commanded at the final siege and destruction of Carthage in 146 BC , and was a leader of the senators opposed to the Gracchi in 133 BC . Family . He was born the younger son of Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus , the conqueror of Macedonia , and fought when he was 17 years old by his father ' s side at the Battle of Pydna , which decided the fate of Macedonia and made northern Greece subject to Rome . He was adopted by Publius Cornelius Scipio , the eldest son of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus , and his name was changed to Publius Cornelius Scipio Aemilianus . He , therefore , was the nephew of Publius Cornelius Scipio ' s wife , Aemilia Tertia - as Aemilia and Lucius were sibling s and their father was Lucius Aemilius Paullus . Carthage . In 151 BC , with the Romans suffering repeated disasters in Spain , he volunteered his services in that theatre and gained influence over the native tribes similar to that which Scipio Africanus , his grandfather by adoption , had acquired nearly 60 years before . Though Carthage had been reduced in power following the Second Punic War , there was still lingering resentment in Rome . Cato the Elder ended every speech , " Also , I think Carthage must be destroyed . " In 150 BC an appeal was made to Scipio by the Carthaginians to act as mediator between them and the Numidian prince Massinissa who , supported by a party at Rome , was incessantly encroaching on Carthaginian territory . In 149 BC war was declared by Rome , and a force sent to besiege Carthage . In the early operations of the war , which went altogether unfavourably for the Romans , Scipio Aemilianus , though a subordinate officer , distinguished himself repeatedly , and in 147 BC he was elected consul , while still under the minimal age required by law to hold this office . Without the customary procedure of drawing lots , he was assigned to the African theater of war . After a year of desperate fighting and stubborn heroism on the part of the defenders , he took the city of Carthage , taking prisoner about 50 , 000 survivors ( about one tenth of the city ' s population . ) Complying with the mandate of the Senate , he ordered the city evacuated , burnt , razed to the ground and plowed over , ending the Third Punic War . According to Polybius , he declared after issuing the order : " It is a grand thing ; but I shudder to think that one day someone may give the same order for Rome . " On his return to Rome he received a Triumph , having also established a personal claim to his adoptive " agnomen " of Africanus . Political career . In 142 BC , during his censorship , he endeavoured to check the growing luxury and immorality of the period . In 139 BC , he was unsuccessfully accused of high treason by Tiberius Claudius Asellus , whom he had degraded when censor . The speeches delivered by him on that occasion ( now lost ) were considered brilliant . In 134 BC he was again consul , with the province of Spain , where a demoralized Roman army was vainly attempting the conquest of Numantia on the Durius ( Duero ) and the closing of the Numantine War . After devoting several months to restoring the discipline of his troops , he reduced the city by blockade . The fall of Numantia in 133 established the Roman dominion in the province of Hither Spain . For his services Scipio Aemilianus received the additional " agnomen " of " Numantinus " . Struggle against Gracchi . Scipio Aemilianus himself , though not in sympathy with the extreme conservative party , was not present in Italy at the time of Tiberius Gracchus and thus took no sides . Since he had not opposed Gaius Laelius Sapiens ' land reform law , it is likely that he would have supported the concept . Nonetheless , he was decidedly opposed to the practices of the Gracchi ( whose sister Sempronia was his wife ) . When he heard of the death of Tiberius Gracchus , he is said to have quoted the line from the " Homer ' s Odyssey " ( i . 47 ) , " " So may all who engage in such lawless conspiracies perish " " ; after his return to Rome he was publicly asked by the tribune Gaius Papirius Carbo what he thought of the fate of Gracchus , and replied that he was justly slain . The crowd listening to this comment responded with jeers , to which Scipio quickly replied : " I have never been scared by the shouts of the enemy in arms . Shall I be frightened by your outcries , you stepsons of Italy ? " ( Ward ) . This gave dire offence to the popular party , which was now led by his bitterest foes . He soon became an advocate of the Italians who disapproved of some aspects of the Lex Sempronia Agraria , fearing that their land would be confiscated . Soon afterwards , in 129 BC , on the morning of the day on which he had intended to make a speech in support of the Italians , he was found dead in bed with marks " allegedly evident " on his body . There have been three scenarios proposed for his death : murder , suicide , or suffocation . The mystery of his death was never solved . Legacy . Scipio Aemilianus will forever be associated with the destruction of Carthage . Although he dutifully carried out the will of the Senate , the horror he expressed at its fate speaks to his humanity . He was a man of culture and refinement ; he gathered round him such men as the Greek historian Polybius , the Stoic philosopher Panaetius , and the poets Lucilius and Terence — a group that came to be known as the Scipionic circle . At the same time he had all the virtues of an old - fashioned Roman , according to Polybius and Cicero , the latter of whom gives an appreciation of him in his " De re publica " , in which Scipio Aemilianus is the chief speaker . As a speaker , he seems to have been no less distinguished than as a soldier . He spoke remarkably good and pure Latin , and he particularly enjoyed serious and intellectual conversation . After the capture of Carthage he gave back to the Greek cities of Sicily the works of art of which Carthage had robbed them . He did not avail himself of the many opportunities he must have had of amassing a fortune . Though politically opposed to the Gracchi , he cannot be said to have been a foe to the interests of the people . He was , in fact , a moderate man , in favor of conciliation , and he was felt by the best men to be a safe political adviser , but as often happens to moderate men in radical times he ended disliked by both parties . Despite moderation in policy , his oratory was noted for its sharp witticisms , a number of which have been quoted in various sources ( Astin ) . Astin suggests that while his biting comments were doubtless appreciated by the crowds , they could have also had the effect of making enemies out of political opponents .