Beginning of the Third Punic War

In the peace treaty which ended the Second Punic War, the Carthaginians had to bring border disputes before the Roman Senate and receive approval before raising an army.  However, 50 years after the Second Punic War, Massinisa of Numidia, an ally of Rome, slowly annexed territories of Carthage until Carthage complained to the Roman Senate.  The Senate decided in favor of Numidia, and the Carthaginians, fed up with Rome, raised an army without approval and attacked Numidia.  The Carthaginian force was defeated, and shortly afterward the city of Utica defected to Rome.  At this point Rome declared war on Carthage for breaking the peace treaty which had ended the Second Punic War.
 

The Third Punic War
149-146 BC

Rome raised an army of 80,000 soldiers which it sent to Rome.  However, the armies had poor leadership and gave the Carthaginians time to build up their own army.  While the Carthaginian army held off the Romans for 2 years, their leaders tried to appease the Romans by sending 300 children to Rome as hostages and handing over weapons and armor to the Romans.  Though when the Romans demanded that Carthage move inland 10 miles (which would ruin its trade) it cut off negotiations and pulled its army back.  The next year Scipio Aemilianus, the adopted grandson of Scipio Africanus, took command of the Roman army and besieged Carthage.  He had the harbor of Carthage sealed off and then stormed the city the following winter.  After 6 days of house-to-house fighting, the last of the Carthaginian resistance was crushed.

Results of the Third Punic War

The Romans sold the 50,000 Carthaginians into slavery, razed Carthage, and sowed salt into the land.  The Carthaginians’ territories were made into the Roman province of Africa, of which Utica was the capital.