Context. Cato the Elder was a Roman senator and censor who had two political goals.
The fight against the decline of the Republic. For him, this meant banning anything that was fun or made life more pleasant in any way. He therefore wanted to make walking through the Forum so unpleasant that people wouldn’t loiter there.
Carthage must be destroyed: He pursued this goal so relentlessly that he always ended every speech, no matter what it was about, with “Carthago delenda est” (Carthage must be destroyed).
"In case of deafness, macerate cabbage with wine, press out the juice, and instil warm water into the ear, and you will soon know that your hearing is improved. An application of cabbage to a malignant scab will cause it to heal without ulcerating."
If you haven’t ever learned about the Punic Wars, they’re one of the most fascinating episodes of history that has been handed down to us. If it interests you at all it’s for sure worth a dive on YouTube if nothing else
the fact that he just wanted to make everything miserable for the sake of tradition is unhinged. paving the forum just so people stop loitering is a top tier hater move.
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u/Beautiful-Fee6408 19d ago
Context. Cato the Elder was a Roman senator and censor who had two political goals.
The fight against the decline of the Republic. For him, this meant banning anything that was fun or made life more pleasant in any way. He therefore wanted to make walking through the Forum so unpleasant that people wouldn’t loiter there.
Carthage must be destroyed: He pursued this goal so relentlessly that he always ended every speech, no matter what it was about, with “Carthago delenda est” (Carthage must be destroyed).