The Romans Salted Carthage So Nothing Would Grow There Again

According to legend, when the Roman general Scipio finally vanquished Carthage toward the end of the Third Punic War, he made the decision to ensure that they were severely punished for their resistance. To ensure that nothing would ever grow there again, he had all of their fields plowed under and then seeded them with salt. The civilisation was then irreparably destroyed when he grabbed all of the survivors and turned them into slaves. Because the Roman Empire at the time is still viewed by many as a gigantic, emotionless machine, this story is pretty simple to believe. There is further evidence to suggest that the practice of salting the land has been employed historically as a means of retaliation against vanquished foes.

However, there is no solid historical support for the assertion that following its defeat, Carthage was plowed under and salted. No one other than the historian who made the claim has ever argued that such an action actually took place; the claims that the city was so destroyed were not even made until the 19th century. The more significant reality, though, is that it might not even be that useful as a long-term strategy for frustrating your enemies. It would scarcely be a permanent ruination of the land to begin with, since salty soil might quickly reach the ideal parameters for producing plants again given the correct circumstances.