Late Payment Notification. Your package could not be delivered.

Late Payment Notification. Your package could not be delivered.

senator Cato was so well known that since the 18th century, he has been credited with ending all of his speeches with Carthago delenda est ("Carthage must be destroyed").[41][42] The opposing faction included Scipio Nasica, who argued that fear of a strong enemy such as Carthage would keep the common people in check and avoid social division.[33][43] Cato was a member of an embassy to Carthage, probably in 153 BC, and noted her growing economy and strength;[43] Nasica was likely a member of the same embassy.[44] Using the illicit Carthaginian military action as a pretext,[40] Rome began preparing a punitive expedition.[45] the obverse and reverse of a slightly corroded siver coin A silver double shekel from Carthage's last mint of coins before its destruction.[46] Modern scholars have advanced several theories as to why Rome was eager for war.[47] These include: a Roman fear of Carthaginian commercial competition;[48][49][50] a desire to forestall a wider war which might have broken out with the death of Masinissa, who was aged 89 at the time;[51] the factional use of Carthage as a political "bogeyman", irrespective of her true power;[52][53] a greed for glory and loot;[48][54] and a desire to quash a political system which Rome considered anathema.[52] No consensus has been reached regarding these and other hypotheses.[55] Carthaginian embassies attempted to negotiate with Rome, which responded evasively.[36][56] The large North African port city of Utica, some 55 km (34 mi) north of Carthage,[57] went over to Rome in 149 BC. Aware that its harbour would greatly facilitate any assault on Carthage, the Senate and the People's Assembly of Rome declared war on Carthage.[34][58] The Romans elected two men each year