Cato the Elder
Cato the Elder or Marcus Porcius Cato (234-149 BC) was a prominent Roman politician.
He was born at Tusculum in 234 BC. He grew up on his father's country estate and entered military service at the age of 17. By 195BC he had achieved the post of consul. In this position he won a great victory in the wars in Spain. Then in 191 BC he retired from the army and concentrated instead on participating in debates in the senate.
Cato's greatest enemy was Scipio Africanus. Cato did his utmost to bring Scipio down. Scipio enjoyed great popularity. But Cato accused him of leading a decadent lifestyle and pursuing 'Greek customs'. Cato forced a court trial which he won, but at such a cost to his reputation that he had to withdraw from politics temporarily.
In 184 BC Cato returned to public life and was elected as censor. He took his role as the guardian of morality very seriously. For example, he used his powers to expel Manilius, a candidate in the election for the office of consul, from the senate because Manilius had hugged his wife in public, and in front of his daughter. Cato tirelessly battled against those who misused public property. He had pipes that were illegally used to take water from the public water supply were cut. Private buildings built partly on public land were demolished. He imposed hight taxes on the rich, and imposed strict regulations against luxuries that he deemed excessive.
While this earnt Cato the hatred of many as a pedantic bigot, he was revered by others as an able and incorruptible politician and a great orator.
Cato was also noted for his hatred of Carthage. He was obsessed with the possibility that it might once again rise and wreak havoc on the Roman Republic. He famously incorporated the phrase 'Carthage must be destroyed!' into all his senate speeches, regardless of their subject. In 150 BC he was the leader of a Roman commission to ajudicate between Carthage and Numidia. Carthage, a shadow of its once powerful self after two wars with Rome, was being unfairly harassed by its Numidian neighbours. But Cato, determined in his longstanding hatred for Carthage, ensured that the commission found in favour of Numidia, which inevitably led to the Third Punic War and the destruction of Carthage.
Cato remained busy in retirement. He created the first Roman encyclopedia, produced a work on medicine, wrote a history of Rome, and wrote a text on farming (the oldest known complete Latin prose work).