A failed military campaign in 151 BC triggered the total destruction of Carthage
Carthage thought they were defending their borders against a nuisance, but they walked into a trap. By breaking a peace treaty to fight the Numidian king Masinissa, they handed Rome the perfect excuse to launch the Third Punic War, leading to the city's complete annihilation five years later.
In 151 BC, Carthage attempted to defend the town of Oroscopa from Numidian raids, disregarding a treaty that prohibited them from waging war without Roman permission. General Hasdrubal led a force of 25,400 infantry and 400 cavalry, bolstered by 6,000 Numidian defectors. Masinissa, a long-time Roman ally, lured the Carthaginians into rough terrain with limited water. Expecting the Numidians to disperse, Hasdrubal instead found himself besieged by a disciplined army with superior logistics.
The Carthaginian situation deteriorated rapidly. As supplies ran out, the soldiers were forced to eat their pack animals and cavalry mounts, eventually burning their own equipment for fuel. Disease broke out, and Hasdrubal was compelled to surrender. Despite the terms, the surrendering troops were massacred by Numidian cavalry. While Hasdrubal and his officers escaped, the Carthaginian government condemned him to death to appease Rome, which was already seeking a pretext for war.
Rome seized upon this breach of the peace treaty to launch a punitive expedition. By 149 BC, the city of Utica had defected to Rome, providing a base for the final assault. The Third Punic War culminated in 146 BC when Scipio Aemilianus systematically destroyed Carthage. The city was razed, its population was killed or enslaved, and the territory was annexed as a Roman province. The conflict that began as a localized border dispute at Oroscopa ultimately ended the existence of the Carthaginian state.
Source: Battle of Oroscopa
