The era dominated by the Roman Empire is one of the most well-known and influential periods in history, home to famous names, from Julius Caesar to Jesus Christ. At its peak, Rome's territory stretched from the Atlantic coast to the Middle East, home to more than 60 million people, a fifth of the population of the ancient world. However, the Roman Empire's treatment of its conquered peoples and its own citizens ultimately led to the permanent downfall of Rome. Even in the century before the Roman Republic was officially replaced by the Empire, Rome grew enormously as a result of the Punic Wars. Rome fought the Punic Wars between 264 and 146 BCE against the neighboring trading empire of Carthage on the neighboring island of Sicily, a cultural crossroads that greatly benefited Rome's already rich culture. During these years, Rome also took control of the neighboring islands of Corsica and Sardine, also surrounding the Italian peninsula and occupying a prime location for trade in the Mediterranean Sea. At the end of the Third Punic War in 146 BCE, the city of Carthage was burned, the citizens enslaved, and the lands salted to render them permanently barren. This demonstrated the new brutal attitude of the Romans towards conquered peoples, now seen as threatening after the century of fighting necessary for victory, which cost many Roman lives and taxes. Additionally, the power vacuum left by the Carthage trading empire, a remnant of the ancient Phoenician trading empire, allowed Rome to dominate the Mediterranean, gaining control through trade between Europe, Asia and the 'Africa, everyone known to the Greco-Roman civilization. Goods flowing into the empire also enriched the culture, a mixture of Hellenistic civilization and Etruscan influence...... middle of paper ...... describes the destruction as "multiplied by the extent of the conquests », the conquests of land. and the people who resided there, forced into submission by the merciless Roman legions. Ultimately, history proves that the Romans' mistreatment of the peoples they encountered and conquered led to the fall of their civilization. They rose to unprecedented heights as an empire, aided by geography and talented leadership, to become the most influential civilization of all time, but they could not escape their actions towards others. Their cruelty towards their own poor citizens and their massive slave population, as well as towards the many cultures with which they came into contact, was a recipe for disaster. As Edward Gibbons concluded: "The story of its ruin is simple and obvious... instead of wondering why the Roman Empire was destroyed, we should rather be surprised that it survived so long. ».”