Cindy Wu
Pr. Hubbard
GFCL 100 – D
2 March 2016
Genocides of Carthaginians and Spartans The word genocide was first coined in 1944 CE by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish writer, who combined ‘geno-’ from the Greek word for race, and ‘-cide’ from the Latin word for killing. Genocide, a killing of a race. Genocide has been defined as the “intentional destruction “in whole or in part, [of] a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such” (Kiernan 51). There are many similarities and differences between the Carthaginian genocide by Romans and the Spartan genocide by Athenians such as the conquest of land, domination, the cult of antiquity and war. Carthage is founded by Phoenicians in 813 BCE, it became “the richest city in the Mediterranean” (Mark 2011). When Carthage takes Sicily, Rome responds with the First Punic War. The Second Punic War happened when “the General Hannibal attacked the city of Saguntum,” an ally of Rome (Mark 2011). Again and again Carthage had to pay war indemnities to Rome crippling the wealth of Carthage. Cato the Elder ended every speech with, “Carthage must be destroyed!” (Kiernan 49) He believed in a cult of antiquity because Cato thought Carthage destroyed everything that was good about Rome. By destroying Carthage, Cato would be “restoring a lost utopia” (Kiernan 27). Cato lived through both the First and Second Punic War, as he got older, fewer and fewer people actually knew what life had been like before Carthage (Hubbard Feb 22). He convinced Rome that by destroying Carthage, Rome could return to the glory that is once was. Cato made Carthage the scapegoat for the decline of Rome. When Rome began its siege on Carthage they made multiple ridiculous demands of Carthage that were all followed by Carthaginians. …show more content…
Carthaginians who were “unaware that the Senate had secretly decided “to destroy Carthage for good, once the war was ended,” (Kiernan 50) surrendered their weapons to Rome leaving them defenseless. The last ridiculous demand instigated a three-year war when the Carthaginians said no, the demand that the Carthaginians “abandon their city, deserting their shrines and cults.” (Kiernan 50) was rejected. During the Third Punic War there was such a high number of casualties that the “Carthaginians were “utterly exterminated” (Kiernan 50). After absolutely decimating the Carthaginian population, the surviving Carthaginian population became slaves and the Roman army put salt on the remains of Carthage so that nothing could grow there again (Hubbard Feb 22). At the end of the Third Punic War, “of Carthage’s population of 200,000 to 400,000, at least 145,000 had perished…and dispersed into slavery all 55,000 survivors” (Kiernan 51). The Carthaginians were destroyed by Romans because of the ideal society put forth by Cato the Elder, the resulting genocide of the Carthaginian people left survivors who became slaves. The destruction of Carthage “fits the definition in the 1948 UN Genocide Convention: intentional destruction “in whole or in part, [of] a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such” (Kiernan 51) as it was the “destruction of a nation” (Kiernan 51). Sparta was founded in c. 900 BCE, it became on of the most important Greek city-states and was famous for its military prowess. Located on the Peloponnesian peninsula in the fertile Eurotas valley of Laconia, Sparta had plenty of fertile land to grow and harvest agricultural crops. Sparta conquered its neighbors, Messenia and Laconia, and “control[ed] some 8,500 km2 of territory” (Cartwright 2013). Messenian and Laconian people were enslaved after being conquered and were bound to land that was controlled by Spartan. By enslaving their neighbors, Spartans were able to “devote[d] their time to military training, hunting, war, and politics” (Cartwright 2013). Spartans dedicated almost their entire lives to military training and fighting which created a military force unlike any other at the time. Sparta created the best military force by following Lykurgus’ “proposal of turning Sparta into a militarized state” (Hubbard Feb 12). His proposal made Spartan warriors by brutal means, “Lykurgus’ system governs you from birth to death” (Hubbard Feb 12). Every child born was inspected by a council of elders at the age of three days, if you did not look healthy or there was something wrong with you they would leave you out in
Pr. Hubbard
GFCL 100 – D
2 March 2016
Genocides of Carthaginians and Spartans The word genocide was first coined in 1944 CE by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish writer, who combined ‘geno-’ from the Greek word for race, and ‘-cide’ from the Latin word for killing. Genocide, a killing of a race. Genocide has been defined as the “intentional destruction “in whole or in part, [of] a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such” (Kiernan 51). There are many similarities and differences between the Carthaginian genocide by Romans and the Spartan genocide by Athenians such as the conquest of land, domination, the cult of antiquity and war. Carthage is founded by Phoenicians in 813 BCE, it became “the richest city in the Mediterranean” (Mark 2011). When Carthage takes Sicily, Rome responds with the First Punic War. The Second Punic War happened when “the General Hannibal attacked the city of Saguntum,” an ally of Rome (Mark 2011). Again and again Carthage had to pay war indemnities to Rome crippling the wealth of Carthage. Cato the Elder ended every speech with, “Carthage must be destroyed!” (Kiernan 49) He believed in a cult of antiquity because Cato thought Carthage destroyed everything that was good about Rome. By destroying Carthage, Cato would be “restoring a lost utopia” (Kiernan 27). Cato lived through both the First and Second Punic War, as he got older, fewer and fewer people actually knew what life had been like before Carthage (Hubbard Feb 22). He convinced Rome that by destroying Carthage, Rome could return to the glory that is once was. Cato made Carthage the scapegoat for the decline of Rome. When Rome began its siege on Carthage they made multiple ridiculous demands of Carthage that were all followed by Carthaginians. …show more content…
Carthaginians who were “unaware that the Senate had secretly decided “to destroy Carthage for good, once the war was ended,” (Kiernan 50) surrendered their weapons to Rome leaving them defenseless. The last ridiculous demand instigated a three-year war when the Carthaginians said no, the demand that the Carthaginians “abandon their city, deserting their shrines and cults.” (Kiernan 50) was rejected. During the Third Punic War there was such a high number of casualties that the “Carthaginians were “utterly exterminated” (Kiernan 50). After absolutely decimating the Carthaginian population, the surviving Carthaginian population became slaves and the Roman army put salt on the remains of Carthage so that nothing could grow there again (Hubbard Feb 22). At the end of the Third Punic War, “of Carthage’s population of 200,000 to 400,000, at least 145,000 had perished…and dispersed into slavery all 55,000 survivors” (Kiernan 51). The Carthaginians were destroyed by Romans because of the ideal society put forth by Cato the Elder, the resulting genocide of the Carthaginian people left survivors who became slaves. The destruction of Carthage “fits the definition in the 1948 UN Genocide Convention: intentional destruction “in whole or in part, [of] a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such” (Kiernan 51) as it was the “destruction of a nation” (Kiernan 51). Sparta was founded in c. 900 BCE, it became on of the most important Greek city-states and was famous for its military prowess. Located on the Peloponnesian peninsula in the fertile Eurotas valley of Laconia, Sparta had plenty of fertile land to grow and harvest agricultural crops. Sparta conquered its neighbors, Messenia and Laconia, and “control[ed] some 8,500 km2 of territory” (Cartwright 2013). Messenian and Laconian people were enslaved after being conquered and were bound to land that was controlled by Spartan. By enslaving their neighbors, Spartans were able to “devote[d] their time to military training, hunting, war, and politics” (Cartwright 2013). Spartans dedicated almost their entire lives to military training and fighting which created a military force unlike any other at the time. Sparta created the best military force by following Lykurgus’ “proposal of turning Sparta into a militarized state” (Hubbard Feb 12). His proposal made Spartan warriors by brutal means, “Lykurgus’ system governs you from birth to death” (Hubbard Feb 12). Every child born was inspected by a council of elders at the age of three days, if you did not look healthy or there was something wrong with you they would leave you out in