Roman Imperialistic Influences on Africa - Essay Example

Tunisia and the rest of North Africa where Carthage was situated experienced misery, loss of lives, and poverty as the Romans in 146 BC vanquished Carthage and burnt it to the ground. The protracted nature of the Punic Wars underscores the aforementioned losses, since logically, the more protracted a battle is, the higher the collaterals are incurred. Particularly, the first Punic War was waged in 264 BC, the second, in 218-202 BC, and the ultimate, in 146 BC (Dio, 1987).

According to Dio (1987), the influence and presence of the Roman Empire in Africa also led to the annexation of different kingdoms such as the Ptolemaic Kingdom. Initially, the Ptolemaic kingdom began when Ptolemy I Soter created a large Hellenistic state spanning from Cyrene to Syria. An alliance would later be formed between Cleopatra and Antony at Tarsus in 41 BC, making the relations between Roman Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom more close-knit. Although Cleopatra intended to use the alliance to consolidate her political power, it made it easier for the Roman Empire to later annex the kingdom.

Likewise, the Roman Empire spurred onwards, mercantilism and commerce in Africa. This is especially the case since the Roman Empire maintained close contact with African provinces which featured among the wealthiest in the Empire after Italy and Syria, trade within the Mediterranean region and coast, northern Africa, and Italy became rife. This mercantilism was further aided by the Roman roads which had very dense and comprehensive networks.