Carthage couldn't conceive of ruling Rome, so they were wiped out by the Romans who couldn't conceive of a Mediterranean not dominated by a single power. The Confederacy had no intention of ruling Yankees, so they were wiped out by the Union who had no intention of letting the empire fracture. The left believes they are engaged in a fight to the death with an existential enemy, and the right doesn't want to fight anyone. This is why conservatives are doomed to failure.
The Carthaginians were sacrificing babies, which offended the Romans so much that they decided to wipe it off the map. Of course power and prestige were factors as well, but the initial disgust against their practices is not to be underestimated.
I'm not sure that child sacrifice or abandonment was really as shocking an idea to the Romans as you might think. After all, their founders, Romulus and Remus, were abandoned in the elements. It was a not uncommon practice.
It was Christianity that brought that kind of thing to an end.
Yeah I was going to say that. The Roman people often deposed of female babies too, as it was a cultural standard to just have one girl. I know it's not the same as sacrificing many children but it's not a million miles away from it at the same time. I could be wrong about all that, but I'm pretty sure I read that in The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark
Carthage couldn't conceive of ruling Rome, so they were wiped out by the Romans who couldn't conceive of a Mediterranean not dominated by a single power. The Confederacy had no intention of ruling Yankees, so they were wiped out by the Union who had no intention of letting the empire fracture. The left believes they are engaged in a fight to the death with an existential enemy, and the right doesn't want to fight anyone. This is why conservatives are doomed to failure.
The Carthaginians were sacrificing babies, which offended the Romans so much that they decided to wipe it off the map. Of course power and prestige were factors as well, but the initial disgust against their practices is not to be underestimated.
I'm not sure that child sacrifice or abandonment was really as shocking an idea to the Romans as you might think. After all, their founders, Romulus and Remus, were abandoned in the elements. It was a not uncommon practice.
It was Christianity that brought that kind of thing to an end.
Yeah I was going to say that. The Roman people often deposed of female babies too, as it was a cultural standard to just have one girl. I know it's not the same as sacrificing many children but it's not a million miles away from it at the same time. I could be wrong about all that, but I'm pretty sure I read that in The Rise of Christianity by Rodney Stark