Comments by "DrScopeify" (@drscopeify) on "The Boring Truth about the Salting of Carthage - it isn't what you think" video.

Perhaps Rome had salted soils used for gardens of the city rather than vast farm land in the region. The city might have been too large to destroy all the structures so after the defeat they simply spoiled the smaller gardens inside the city to keep people away from immediate re-settlement and over time Rome had build up local administration and authority over the area. You can see this today when a military takes over an area they may do things to prevent civilians from getting back in to some area by destroying access roads or paths, water and infrastructure overall.
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