In this episode Professor Greg Woolf takes us to 146 BCE – the point at which Roman domination of the Mediterranean became inevitable.

In the West, the Romans destroyed the city of Carthage, ending the decades of military struggle known as the Punic Wars and finally defeating the Phoenicians.

In the East, Roman forces seized control of the important city of Corinth on mainland Greece, giving them a strategic foothold that they would go on to use in building their empire.

At the same time, the glittering intellectual capital of the ancient world, Alexandria, was beset by internal power struggles and so began the period of decline that would eventually lead to it, too, being absorbed into the Roman Empire.

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Scene One: The demolition of Carthage in Spring of 146

Scene Two: At the sack of the ancient city of Corinth in Greece in 146

Scene Three: The decline of Alexandria and the death of Ptolemy VI in 145

Memento: A painting from the Ancient world

Presenter: Peter Moore

Interview: Violet Moller

Guest: Professor Greg Woolf

Production: Maria Nolan

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Partner: Colorgraph

The conversation in this episode of Travels Through Time revolves around Woolf’s most recent book, The Life and Death of Ancient Cities.