Hasdrubal: Carthaginian general who lost the 3rd Punic War to Scipio Aemilianus at the Siege of Carthage in 146 BCE.…
In 1000 BCE, a group of Latins, later known as Romans, founded the city of Rome. After almost 500 years of it being founded, the Romans set up a republic. They gained territory by force, beginning with the Italian peninsula and then easily moving to the Mediterranean region. The Romans launched a series of three wars, known as the Punic Wars. During this time, the were able to conquer Carthage and in return gained access into Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica. Even after the Punic Wars ended, Rome still managed to gain the territory of Macedonia, Greece and even some parts of Anatolia. Even through troubling times of the empire, it still managed to spread through Gaul,…
The first of these three wars stemmed from a minor incident involving the town of Messana on the northeast tip of Sicily and the powerful city of Syracuse in the southeast of the island. The rest of the island was under Carthaginian influence. Although Syracuse and Carthage were on reasonably good terms at this stage the Carthaginians did not want to see Messana fall into Syracusian hands. This prompted the mamertines to be pushed out of Messana and become concerned that the Carthaginians might occupy Messana permanently. And so it was decided to seek an alliance with Rome which seemed ‘To offer better long term security than Carthage’…
9. Who did Rome fight in the Punic Wars? (What was the name of their enemy?)…
Rome rule its people in a very organize and civil manner, which draws loyalty among its citizens. Rome has an effective and distinct way in managing people, particularly to the inhabitants of their newly acquired lands and territories. One of the best example was the Latins in Latium, whose devotion and loyalty were exceedingly commendable, especially during the Second Punic War, where they fought valiantly--along with the Romans --against the forces of Hannibal. On other hand, Carthage "great advantage" was they have a "permanent able leader," that command its military forces. Unlike Rome, the order of its military resides in the hands of its civil magistrates, who were constantly replaced…
They also used mercenaries to fight their wars. Unlike in Rome where military service was prioritised and they used citizen soldiers. As the Carthaginian empire expanded into the regions of Sicily with the Greco-Punic Wars, war with Rome became inevitable. In 264 BC Rome had become dominant power throughout the Italian peninsula, while Carthage had established itself as the leading maritime power in the world. This date marks the…
During the Punic Wars, Rome made an effort to take over Italy(most importantly Sicily). Although they had a land power advantage, they realized they could not win without a navy. The Roman navy eventually defeated the Carthaginian navy, and won the first Punic War. Sicily became the first Roman province as a result. Eventually, Carthage retaliated, and with the help of general Hannibal, almost retook all of Rome's provinces. However, Rome fought back and won the Second Punic War. After the Battle of Zama(202 B.C.E), Carthage signed a peace treaty and lost Spain. Fifty years later, the third and final Punic War defeated Carthage once and for all (which was advocated by the politician Cato). This marked the beginning of the great Roman Republic and Empire.…
By 200 BC, Rome was quickly becoming one of the world’s greatest empires with their excellent military conquering territory from modern day Scotland to Spain. After the Punic Wars and the defeat of Carthage, Rome had full control of the Mediterranean region, establishing colonies in North Africa, Egypt, the Middle East, and Asia Minor. Julius Caesar became Rome’s first emperor using his military influence. Under his reign, Rome shifted from a republic to an empire under the rule of an emperor and the military. Rome steadily increased in stability, power, and wealth, reaching Pax Romana (the time of Roman peace) under Emperor Augustus Caesar. Rome was forced to discover, as many other large empires throughout history have, that size can create complications. Political strains developed and Rome eventually morphed into a government similar to a dictatorship. Believing their goal of a “perfect empire” had been reached, leaders in Rome began to become lazy. Romans developed a thirst for luxury and a lack of work ethic, which resulted in a decline in the quality of products made by the empire. Around the 5th century BC, Rome began to have constant invasion attempts by Germanic tribes at their borders. There was a multitude of factors contributing to the fall of Rome, the most impactful being the frequently changing leadership, the increasing negligence of the Roman army, and foreign invasions along Rome’s borders.…
Hannibal’s influence came as a result of his involvement in the Punic Wars. The question of whether the Second Punic War was of Hannibal’s making is debated greatly amongst modern historians but regardless, it is unlikely it would have taken the course it did without Hannibal as the predominant leader of the Carthaginian forces. Both Polybius and Livy described Hannibal making an oath to his father at the age of nine that he would never become a friend of Rome. With this and his defiance of Rome by attacking Saguntum as evidence, many modern scholars have attributed the outbreak of war in 218 directly to Hannibal. Bagnall for example, suggests that “Hannibal was bent on war and Rome was not loathe to accept the challenge” (Bagnall, 1999) whilst Caven writes, “Hannibal was an impetuous young man in whom the principal driving force was a burning desire for military glory” (Caven, 1992). This modern interpretation of ancient sources would suggest a key impact of Hannibal on his time: the outbreak of the Second Punic War. Whilst numerous historians refute this being the main cause of the war, with Polybius for example suggesting that it was the seizure of Corsica/Sardinia or Scullard suggesting that “The Second Punic War was largely of…
with Rome and agreed to evacuate Sicily and pay Rome, which meant they had lost the…
The Second Punic war “was the greatest and most dangerous one Rome was compelled to fight on their way to the conquest of the Mediterranean.” With 17 years of battle causing heavy casualties to be suffered on both sides, the Second Punic War has proven to be an important time period in the Roman and Carthaginian empires. For Rome, the end of the war meant “the defection of most Southern Italy” (Kagan 232, 1995) and many economic problems. For Carthage this meant the end of their rise to power, and the realization that the idea of Mediterranean control being based in Africa rather than Europe was no longer a possibility (Kagan 233, 1995). Both empires had a lot at stake upon entering the war, but as will be discussed, many historians believe that eventual conflict was inevitable. Past grievances and battles pitted the Romans and Carthaginians against one another ultimately leading to the Second Punic War and the resulting downfall of Carthage.…
A big turning point was the 3rd Punic War and the End of Carthage. In 509 BC Carthage and Rome signed a friendship treaty. But this friendship would not last forever. There was series of wars fought between Carthage and Rome known as the Punic Wars. Fought between 264-146 BC. Carthage was a city-state on the Greek model that had been founded by Phoenicians. It was the strongest city in the Western Mediterranean by the 3rd century and it became very wealth through trade. Carthaginian merchants went from one end of the Mediterranean to the other, the city's fleets were huge, and its army was one of the best in the ancient world. It was Carthage that pried loose the Greek hold on the western ports, and Carthaginian merchants traded as far north as England and down the West African coast. Unlike Rome, but like the Greeks, the Carthaginians also made extensive use of mercenaries. By the early 200s, Carthage had expanded across North Africa but also had control of the Belearic Islands, Sardinia, Corsica, and much of Sicily. She took the goods from these regions, and her own fertile hinterland, and shipped them to eastern ports. Once Rome had conquered most of Italy, it was only a matter of time before these two ambitious and powerful empires came face to face with one another. Rome was a civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula. As years past Rome began to expand its empire all through out the peninsula. Later on they conquer most of the Italian peninsula. The Romans were very skilled fighters. Their army was fierce. They were stronger on land than on water. They wanted to expand their empire…
Between 264 B.C.E. and 146 B.C.E., Rome and Carthage fought in three costly battles known as the Punic Wars. Originally, Rome and Carthage were allies. It was not until the conflict between the Sicilian city, Syracuse, and the Mammertines that both Rome and Carthage…
In 264 B.C., Rome became involved in what later became the Punic Wars. The Greek Colony of Messina (sometimes known as Messana) requested help from Rome when King Hiero from Syracuse invaded. Though this first war just begun as a skirmish between Messina and other Carthaginians, once Rome had expelled Hiero it escalated into a full-blown battle, with Rome capturing Messina and adding it to its ever-expanding republic. From 262-261 B.C., Rome continued to press on through Sicily, capturing Agrigentum after a long siege. This battle of Agrigentum was a big turning point, as it was the first major military battle in these wars. Throughout this first Punic War, Rome realized what a disadvantage it was at by not having a suitable navy to match that of Carthage. As a result of this, in 260 B.C. the Roman senate made the big decision to build a fleet. At the end of the war in 241 B.C., Rome made Carthage sign a treaty promising that Carthage would give up Sicily and that it would pay for Rome’s war…
The main reason why Rome and Carthage went to battle during the first Punic war, which occurred from 264 to 241 BC, was to determine the control of the islands of Corsica and Sicily. Before this event, Carthage had apprehended many territories that had made it very easy for them to dominate the western part of the Mediterranean Sea. Nevertheless, when the Carthaginians decided to conquer Messana, which is now called Messina, located near the northeast corner of Sicily, the Romans considered this a threat to their territory and responded with an attack to the Phoenicians , another name for Carthaginians hence the name Punic, forcing them to withdraw from the area.…