The Humiliation and Destruction of Carthage
And so Carthage burned.
Carthage was just beginning to flourish again again after suffering crippling losses at the hands of the Romans. After 50 years they had finally fulfilled the terms of their peace treaty, yet Rome felt like pushing them over the edge. They gave the Carthaginians a series of ludicrous commands, such as giving Rome 300 children from the noble families, until they were finally at their breaking point. The Carthaginians declared war on the Romans, but this was an enormous mistake on their hand. The Carthaginians knew they had no chance of victory, and defeat would mean death, so they fortified their city and braced for impact. The city held out well, until 146 BC, when the walls were breached, and the city was burned to ash. As a finishing touch, Rome decided to sow salt into the land near Carthage in order to make agriculture impossible in the area. Rome truly was hell-bent on the destruction of Carthage.
The Aftermath
The Roman Empire Expands
During the times between the Second and Third Punic Wars, Rome had gained plenty of land at the cost of their enemies lives, including Carthage. Any Carthaginian survivors were either executed, or sold into slavery. With the Capital razed, much of the Carthaginian's history was lost, and even today historians are having a hard time piecing everything together (because the city was burnt to the ground, so there's not much to go on). But one thing is for certain, from this point forward, Rome would be seen as a merciless Juggernaut, with the unquenchable thirst for power.