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Aeneid
, one of the key texts of Roman identity, Jupiter
promises the Romans power –
imperium
, the word from which
we derive ‘empire’ – without limits of time or space.
41
The idea
of Rome has long outlived the physical empire that gave it form,
and now holds sway over vastly more people and a far greater
geographical area than the Romans ever ruled. It continues to
shape our understanding of the nature of imperialism and, thus,
however subtly, to influence the workings of the world. From a
purely historical point of view, other empires have an equal claim
to our attention: China, Persia, the Mughals, the Mayans and the
Aztecs. However, the reason why historians have devoted so much
attention to Rome and disparaged the claims of other empires, the
way that Rome has been claimed as one of the foundations of our
entire civilisation, is precisely why we need to keep studying it: the
Roman Empire is still ruling us, and we need to understand our
rulers and their system to liberate ourselves.
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‘carthage must Be destroyed’:
The dynamics of roman Imperialism
It is said that cato contrived to drop a libyan fig in the middle of the senate, as he
shook out the folds of his toga, and then, as the senators were admiring its size and
beauty, said that the country where it grew was only three days’ sailing from rome.
and in one thing he was even more savage, namely, in concluding his opinion on any
question whatsoever with the words: ‘In my opinion, carthage must be destroyed’.
(Plutarch,
Life of Cato the Elder
, 27.1)
In 149 BCE, the Roman senate despatched an army to Africa: the
city of Carthage had broken the terms of the peace treaty it had
signed 60 years earlier, by starting a war with the neighbouring
kingdom of Numidia without Roman permission, and therefore
had to be punished.
1
The Carthaginians, having failed to persuade
the senate of the justice of their grievances against the Numidians
(having, indeed, endured 60-odd years of unprovoked harassment,
with Rome almost invariably deciding against them whenever they
complained), sought to avert catastrophe by committing themselves
to the faith of the Romans, an unconditional surrender of their
whole territory and population. Their ambassadors were told that
the proposal was acceptable, and that the Carthaginians would be
granted their freedom and the possession of their whole territory,
provided that they handed over 300 hostages, the sons of leading
citizens, and obeyed the orders of the consuls who were commanding
the army. Those unspecified orders, it transpired, were firstly to hand
over all the weapons in the city; when that had been done, the
Carthaginians were then ordered to abandon their city and establish
a new settlement, at least ten miles from the sea.
The motive for this was transparent, as was made clear in the
speech that the Greek historian Appian placed in the mouth of the
Roman general: the absolute destruction of Carthage and the basis
of its historic power.
If we were addressing you as enemies, people of Carthage, it
would be necessary only to speak and then use force, but since
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ThE dynamIcs of roman ImpErIalIsm
15
this is a matter of the common good (somewhat of our own, and
still more of yours), I have no objection to giving you the reasons,
if you may thus be persuaded instead of being coerced. The sea
reminds you of the dominion and power you once acquired by
means of it. It prompts you to wrong-doing, and brings you to
grief. By means of the sea you invaded Sicily and lost it again.
Then you invaded Spain and were driven out of it. While a
treaty was in force you plundered merchants on the sea, and
ours especially, and in order to conceal the crime you threw them
overboard, until finally you were caught at it and then gave us
Sardinia by way of penalty. Thus you lost Sardinia also by means
of this sea, which always begets a grasping disposition by the very
facilities which it offers for gain. (Appian,
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