25th Annual Student Research Conference
Carthago Aedificanda Est: Carthage under Hadrian
David J. Giovagnoli
Prof. Martha L. Rose and Dr. Rebecca Harrison, Faculty Mentors
Even before the first of the three Punic Wars, beginning in 264 BC, Roman Republican political leaders wanted to erase Carthage from the face of the earth; their aspiration was not expressed subtly. The model Republican aristocrat, Cato the Elder feverishly called for its destruction, ending all of his speeches, no matter what the topic, with the phrase Carthago delenda est Carthage must be destroyed. This was accomplished in 146 BC, and the ruins of the city became a monument to Roman expansion. A century later, Julius Caesar attempted to resettle the area as a colony to use as land for his veteran troops, but it was not until the imperial period that Carthage was reinstated as an important destination. In the second century, Emperor Hadrian resituated Carthage in the imperial Roman world. This city, once such a hated and feared Roman enemy, became Hadrianopolis, the emperors favorite seaside resort.
Keywords: Caesar, Carthage, Colonies, Hadrian, North Africa, Punic Wars, Rhetoric, Roman Empire
Topic(s):Carthage Did Not Die - Phi Alpha Theta History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 204-3
Location: MG 1090
Time: 10:00