Evaluation

The Scipionic Age certainly anticipated some of the thrust of humanitas Romana. But there was (inevitably) another side to the coin. Scipio may have earned from Polybius an accolade that the latter did not concede to Aemilianus, but Polybius also reversed his priorities when it came to the brutal treatment of conquered cities.

When enough of his men had got into the city he sent them, as is the Roman custom, against the inhabitants with orders to kill all whom they met; they were not to start plundering until the signal was given. They do this to inspire terror, so that one often sees not only human corpses but dogs cut in half and the dismembered limbs of other animals. There were many such scenes on this occasion owing to the large number of inhabitants. After the massacre they began plundering.²⁶

Scipio had not breached the traditional rules, however. The capture of an enemy city could take place in two ways. The city might surrender to the fides (good faith) of the Roman people, in which case terms would be based by the victor on the combination of traditional severity and humanitas that would later be known as humanitas Romana. But if there was no surrender and the city had to be taken by storm there was no place for leniency.²⁷ New Carthage had not surrendered, and Scipio had acted in due accordance with the laws of war. His adoptive grandson would not be able to say as much. Hence the special pleading about the public interest taking precedence over humanitas in the cases of Old Carthage and Corinth.