Changes

The control of the sea was essential to the growth of Rome. It gave it naval supremacy and allowed Italian merchants to dominate the sea’s trade routes, which significantly enriched the Republic. The destruction of their enemy allowed Rome to become the unchallenged power in the Mediterranean.

In legend, the Romans wanted to eradicate everything Carthaginian, so much so that they sowed salt on its soil to make it a desert. This did not happen, and this legend was a 19th-century fabrication. The Romans were too pragmatic for that, and instead, they declared the lands around the ruins of the great Punic city to be public lands. They encouraged Italian settlers to farm this land, and much of it was also distributed to local farmers. The victors turned the area into a province and called it Africa. This eventually became the name of the entire continent.