This war was smaller than the previous Punic Wars, because the empire of Carthage was in decline and the war was nothing more than the weak resistance of the Phoenicians. This time Rome intended to annex the Carthaginian empire, and the central point of the war was the encirclement of the city of Carthage. After seven days of resistance to the Romans, the Phoenicians surrendered and the entire population inside was killed or sold into slavery. Following the collapse of the Carthaginian Empire, the Roman Republic became the most powerful force in the world