Hello and welcome to the history of Rome, episode 27, Mopping Up.

For the last hundred years, Rome had been consumed by two major theatres of war, North

Africa and Greece.

The struggles against Carthage and Macedon had become intergenerational affairs and now

the grandsons and great grandsons of the men who had initially declared the wars dawned

their armor to finally finish the job.

The years just after 150 BC would mark the end of resistance on both fronts.

Not that the final act played out the same in both theatres however, in Greece a pretender

to the Macedonian throne would openly court conflict, whereas in North Africa the Carthaginians

did everything they could to prevent another war with Rome.

In both cases though the results would be the same and in the watershed year of 146 BC

both Carthage and the great Greek city of Corinth would burn to the ground after being

lit by Roman torches.

There would be no more mistaking who ruled the Mediterranean.

In that year the Roman Empire was truly born.

In the years leading up to 146, Greece, the dominant focus of Rome for the last 50 years,

still existed in a state of relative independence.

The Romans did not wish to garrison the whole country and hoped that the example made

of a pirus would instill in the Greeks a self-control that would leave the Romans free from

military costs in the east.

It was not to be however, the dream of Greek freedom burnt as bright as ever forcing

the Romans to conclude that there could be no half measures in Greece.

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