Carthage
Carthage, an intervention installed on Madison Avenue in NYC, 2025 In affiliation with #falloffreedom and Broadcast Art https://broadcast-art.org
The looting and absolute destruction of Carthage and Corinth in 146 BC by the Roman Army demonstrated the extraordinary violence waged on the civilian inhabitants of these famous cities. The Roman custom of this unforgiving style of warfare shocked contemporaries. Yet these traumatic destructions were not so extraordinary: Romans confirmed their power by “terrorism and destruction” inspiring terror and sparing no one. They engaged in urban combat/mass violence in warfare away from the battlefield exercising physical violence against noncombatants or against communities.
These actions were a deliberate policy of the Romans which was not distinct or unique as compared to other ancient societies. There is ample evidence of systemic violence against civilians – including death, mutilation, rape and slavery – in Iron Age/Celtic societies. Further back in time the ancient Egyptians proudly advertised their brutality and destructiveness in scenes on temple walls, both against armed combatants and civilians.
#WarandSociety #GabrielBaker
