If history is written by the victors, why did Romans depict themselves as such assholes in the Third Punic War?

>>17872155 (OP)
Cause they dgaf about modern moral compass
In the same vein, Odysseus the homeric hero literally advocates for smashing Hector's newborn son on rocks

Because they were assholes

>>17872155 (OP)
Because even with all that amount of propaganda Roman would still look as the good guys

>>17872189
>Odysseus the homeric hero literally advocates for smashing Hector's newborn son on rocks
Based Odysseus

>>17872155 (OP)
Imagine seeing this happen to the likes of Jew York or San Fransicko.

>>17872155 (OP)
>why did Romans depict themselves
Where?

>>17872155 (OP)
if Polybius is the main source for this, he was a greek who was very objective

>>17872155 (OP)

>>17872189
In that case why did they depict themselves as losers in the Battle of Cannae? So that their ultimate victory would be more epic, or?

>>17872686
You get winded walking up the stairs fat boy, you'll do nothing. Am Yisrael chai.

>>17873291
It was a legendary blowout so it's hard to deny. Plus, it feeds into the Roman narrative of resilience + they eventually won

>>17872155 (OP)
>history is written by the victors
This statement is annoying because while it's technically true, it implies that the victors will try to smear or demonize the vanquished side, which doesn't necessarily happen.
Best possible example is how the US treated Japan after WW2. They gave amnesty to Japan's worst war criminals and simply chose not to bring up Japan's numerous war atrocities. Nobody in the West knew about Unit 731, Nanking massacre, comfort women, etc. until the Internet became a thing.

>>17873291
We tend to have more detailed accounts of their losses and not their victories. The main exception being Caesar because of his war journal. We know a lot about Carrhae but don't know as much about Ventidius and his massive success against a much larger Parthian army almost 20 years later who's victory lead to the death of the crown prince Pacorus.

>>17872155 (OP)
Thucydides won the Peloponnesian War?

>>17873272
People still think that rape is funny and murder is cool.

What exactly did Jesus die for again?

>>17873310
>This statement is annoying because while it's technically true
It's not even technically true because the Bible exist and both France and Germany have written about WW2 and the Napoleonic Wars.

>>17873291
>In that case why did they depict themselves as losers in the Battle of Cannae?
Everybody did that, Polybius writes on it too. It's pretty hard to ignore one of the most crushing defeats in human history and greatest victories ever won by a general.