Cato the Elder

Timeline

1. -234–-195Rome · RomeBorn to the plebeian Porcii family, he rose in politics through military merit and oratorical skill. He served during the Second Punic War, held military commands in Sardinia and elsewhere, and earned a reputation for integrity and severity. He gradually entered the Senate's inner circle, becoming a key conservative figure.
2. -184Rome · RomeAs censor he vigorously reformed social morals, legislating to limit luxury, regulate public ethics and aristocratic conduct, and cut unnecessary expenditure. His reforms offended vested interests but also shaped the mid-Republic political culture's emphasis on simplicity and discipline.
3. -183–-149Rome · RomeIn later life he became Rome's most uncompromising advocate against Carthage, repeatedly urging in the Senate the complete elimination of the Carthaginian threat. His 'Carthage must be destroyed' assertion became the public prelude to the Third Punic War. He also completed works such as De Agri Cultura, advocating self-sufficient farm economies. He died in 149 BCE, the year the Third Punic War broke out.