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 THE EXPANSION OF ROMAN DOMINION 95 Presently an excuse was found in the quarrels of the states of Greece for reducing them also to a state of subjection. For the time being the cities were allowed to conduct their subjection own affairs ; but all disputes had to be submitted to of Greece, the Roman governor who was now set over Macedonia, which was itself organised as a Roman province. Meanwhile, Carthage had been recovering her old commercial prosperity. The neighbouring King of Numidia, who had helped the Romans in the second Punic War, was encouraged to raid Carthaginian territory. The unfortunate E na - of people were forbidden to take up arms. At last the Carthage, 146. limits of endurance were passed, and they declared war with the King Masinissa. The result was the third Punic War and the famous siege of Carthage, in which the Carthaginians resisted to the last gasp. It was captured by Scipio, the son of Aemilius Paullus the victor of Pydna, and the adopted grandson of Hannibal's conqueror. Carthage was levelled to the ground, and a curse was solemnly laid upon its site. The Carthaginian dominion was organised as a Roman province. This period of conquest closes with the suppression of the Spanish tribes, who at all periods of their history have shown an extraordinary power of maintaining a resistance to foreign con- querors. In the same year 136 B.C., in which Scipio conquest of captured Numantia, the last stronghold of the Spain. Spanish defence, Rome acquired her first actual territorial possession in Asia; when Attalus, King of Pergamus, on his death left the Roman people heirs to his kingdom under his will. The character of the Roman government deteriorated after the great struggle with Hannibal. Hitherto it had been marked by a high public spirit ; and there was warrant for 2. The Roman the words of the ambassador of Pyrrhus, when he Dominion, told his master that the Roman Senate was an Assembly of Kings. But splendidly as the Italians and the ruling Deterioration classes of Rome had maintained the contest, the of Rome, effect of the war itself had been disastrous. It had wiped out enormous numbers of the best men that Italy and Rome could produce. At the end of fourteen years of righting the number