Polybius' Histories (jan 1, 246 BC – jan 1, 146 BC)

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Polybius, a Greek historian who lived from 200 BCE to 118 BCE, wrote a series of texts detailing Roman history, and more importantly, the Punic Wars. For the history before his time, he consulted other writers and record offices to compile all available information. Though much of his writings on the Punic Wars are lost, some fragments still remain to give insight into the eventual fall of Carthage. The First Punic and Second Punic Wars crippled Carthage’s economy and gave the Romans significant influence on Mediterranean trade. Carthage was able to recover even from attacks on the city, and would still hold maritime influence in the Mediterranean Sea. However, in the Third Punic War, Carthage fell to Roman invasion and was razed to the ground, and most of its population killed. The rest became slaves to the Romans and Carthage would eventually be turned into a Roman colony. Despite the massive setbacks in the first two Punic Wars, Carthage was able to hold onto its trade and was even able to gain some control of the Iberian peninsula, with plans to strike back against Rome. Their naval superiority and many trade routes present at the beginning of the wars provided Carthage great amounts of staying power, but not enough to beat back the Romans.
(A statue in Vienna depicting Polybius, “Polybius.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Polybius. )

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