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17 October 2003  

Was Cato Right?

A commenter asks whether I think Rome was justified in launching the Third Punic War and destroying Carthage. Well, as a dropout from Roman History 101, I hardly feel qualified to have an opinion on the matter. And less so given the information available in the text assigned for the class. It's very clear what the view of its authors is ("All that [Rome] was lacking [just prior to the start of the war] was a pretext that could decorously mask naked aggression.") Facts backing up the opinion are less apparent. I really don't know. Anyone else have opinions or pointers to objective analyses? Coincidentally, I'm attending a lecture by classicist John Lewis tomorrow night. If I get a chance, I'll ask him what he thinks.

12:06 AM |