The Battle of Lake Tunis was a series of engagements of the

Third Punic War The Third Punic War (149–146 BC) was the third and last of the Punic Wars fought between Carthage and Rome. The war was fought entirely within Carthaginian territory, in modern northern Tunisia. When the Second Punic War ended in 201 ...

fought in 149 BC between the

Carthaginians The Punic people, or western Phoenicians, were a Semitic people in the Western Mediterranean who migrated from Tyre, Phoenicia to North Africa during the Early Iron Age. In modern scholarship, the term ''Punic'' – the Latin equivalent of the ...

and the

Roman Republic The Roman Republic ( la, Res publica Romana ) was a form of government of Rome and the era of the classical Roman civilization when it was run through public representation of the Roman people. Beginning with the overthrow of the Roman Ki ...

. Roman

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

Manius Manilius Manius Manilius (fl. 155149 BC) was a Roman Republican orator and distinguished jurist who also had a long military career. It is unclear if he was related to the Manius Manilius who was degraded by Cato the Censor for embracing his wife in broad d ...

and Lucius Marcius Censorinus, leading separate forces, made several unsuccessful attempts to breach the walls of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the cla ...

. Later, the Carthaginians launched fire ships, which destroyed most of the Roman fleet. Eventually Censorinus returned to Rome, leaving Manilius to continue fighting.

Initial assault

When the Roman

and Lucius Marcius Censorinus made their beachhead at

, they deployed separately in two different locations; Manilius set up his camp on the isthmus leading up to the city, directly facing the citadel of

Byrsa Byrsa was a walled citadel above the Phoenician harbour in ancient Carthage, Tunisia, as well as the name of the hill it rested on. Legend In Virgil's account of Dido's founding of Carthage, when Dido and her party were encamped at Byrsa, the l ...

, while Censorinus made his encampment on the shore of Lake Tunis, opposite the western wall of Carthage. Manilius planned to fill the ditch facing the southern wall and from there scale it, while Censorinus intended to raise ladders to the western wall from the ground and the decks of the ships. Two initial assaults were made. The consuls thought the Carthaginians were without arms, but they were surprised to find the citizens re-armed, and both attempts were repelled. Fearing the approach of

Hasdrubal the Boetharch Hasdrubal the Boetharch ( xpu, 𐤏𐤆𐤓𐤁𐤏𐤋 , ''ʿAzrubaʿal'') was a Carthaginian general during the Third Punic War. Little is known about him. "Boetharch" was a Carthaginian office, the exact function of which is unclear, but whic ...

, who was encamped on the other side of Lake Tunis, each consul fortified his camp.Appian, ''Punica''
97

Surprise attack on Censorinus's camp

After fortifying his camp, Censorinus dispatched his men to gather timber from the far side of Lake Tunis, intending to build new siege engines. Himilco Phameas, the Carthaginian cavalry commander, seized this opportunity to attack the gatherers, resulting in a loss of 500 Roman soldiers and a great deal of tools for constructing siege works. Nevertheless, Censorinus acquired sufficient timber to build siege engines and ladders, and he and Manilius launched another attack on the city in concert, which was again repulsed.
97 Manilius decided against launching another assault on the walls from the isthmus, but Censorinus, having filled up parts of the lake to provide room, constructed two battering rams, one for his fleet and another supported by 6000 infantry. In the subsequent assault on the walls from Lake Tunis, his troops managed to breach Carthage's wall before being driven off by the defenders, who hastily began repairing the breach. Fearing a second assault, the Carthaginians sallied from the unrepaired wall that evening and assaulted the camp on Lake Tunis, burning many of the Roman siege engines.
98 The next day, the Roman troops attempted to break through the gap in the wall, though

Scipio Aemilianus Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Aemilianus (185–129 BC), known as Scipio Aemilianus or Scipio Africanus the Younger, was a Roman general and statesman noted for his military exploits in the Third Punic War against Carthage and during the ...

, then serving as military tribune under Censorinus, refused to enter and held his troops in reserve, instead spacing them at regular intervals along the wall. While Aemilianus's troops avoided battle, the other troops were met by staunch resistance in the gap, suffering heavy casualties.Appian, ''Punica''
98

Roman withdrawal and fire attack

Around 27 July - at the appearance of

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

on the horizon at sunrise - Censorinus faced an epidemic in his ranks, having kept his troops on stagnant water with poor airflow from the sea over Carthage's walls. Accordingly, he relocated his camp to a site on the shore of the sea. The Carthaginians, noting the movement of the Roman fleet, constructed

fire ships A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...

in their harbour and launched them along the coastline when the Roman fleet came into view. The resulting fire attack destroyed most of the Roman fleet, and substantially set back the Roman assault. Shortly afterwards, Censorinus returned to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to conduct elections, and the attacks on Manilius increased in intensity.Appian, ''Punica''
99

References

* Appian of Alexandria, ''Roman History'', "Punica" {{Punic Wars navbox 149 BC Lake Tunis Lake Tunis

Initial assault

Surprise attack on Censorinus's camp

Roman withdrawal and fire attack

See also

References