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The final defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War was to transform the history of the Ancient World. For over a century the Romans and the Carthaginians had fought for control of the Mediterranean. However, by 146 BC, the Romans had achieved a total victory over Carthage and they had literally wiped the city from the face of the earth. This was to have important repercussions for Roman politics and society. The defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War allowed the Roman Republic to achieve the status of a great power. This is because it allowed resulted in the Republic to become an becoming a North African power and acquire acquiring an area that was to become the breadbasket of its Empire for centuries. The victory of the legions also ensured that Rome was the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean and this aided its economic expansion in the Republican and the Imperial era.