Two ancient powerhouses, Rome and Carthage, had had parallel ascents to power. Carthage began as a Phoenician colony in modern Tunisia and rose to dominate the western Mediterranean, while Rome’s similar meteoric rise in Italy sent the two on a collision course for control of the region.
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It has often been said that most wars are fought over money. Both Rome and Carthage were expanding aggressively in the Mediterranean area. The ruling classes in both Rome and Carthage wanted more land, more import-export trade, more slaves, more power, more influence. They were the ones who advocated for...
By 151 BC, the Carthaginians had fully repaid the indemnity imposed on them by the victors of Zama. The oligarchy that ruled the city believed that the treaty was now expired. This development alarmed Rome, who continued to fear the North African city.
Roman negotiators shamelessly exploited the Carthaginian’s willingness to grant concession in their desire to avoid war with Rome, stealthily increasing their demands to force a conflict on a weakened enemy. It was a far worse display than any of the recorded examples of ‘Punic treachery.’”
The Carthaginians refused to abandon their city even in the face of Roman might, and waged a three year campaign to remain where they were.
The fighting, which consisted predominantly of naval warfare, largely took place on the waters of the Mediterranean surrounding Sicily. The conflict began because Rome's imperial ambitions had been interfering with Carthage's ownership claims of the island of Sicily.
The Battle of MessanaThe Battle of Messana in 264 BC was the first military clash between the Roman Republic and Carthage.
The site of the city was well protected and easily defensible, and its proximity to the Strait of Sicily placed it at a strategic bottleneck in east-west Mediterranean trade. On the south the peninsula is connected to the mainland by a narrow strip of land.
Rome's central location attracted immigrants and traders from all parts of the ancient Mediterranean world. According to The Flow of History, the diversity of the early Roman state helped it expand its influence.
In the Third Punic War, the Romans, led by Scipio the Younger, captured and destroyed the city of Carthage in 146 B.C., turning Africa into yet another province of the mighty Roman Empire.
Punic Wars, also called Carthaginian Wars, (264–146 bce), a series of three wars between the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian (Punic) empire, resulting in the destruction of Carthage, the enslavement of its population, and Roman hegemony over the western Mediterranean.
Carthage (/ˈkɑːrθɪdʒ/) was a settlement in modern Tunisia that later became a city-state and then an empire. Founded by the Phoenicians in the ninth century BC, it was destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC, who later rebuilt the city lavishly.
Battle of Carthage, (146 bce). The destruction of Carthage was an act of Roman aggression prompted as much by motives of revenge for earlier wars as by greed for the rich farming lands around the city. The Carthaginian defeat was total and absolute, instilling fear and horror into Rome's enemies and allies.
The city of Carthage was founded in the 9th century BC on the coast of Northwest Africa, in what is now Tunisia, as one of a number of Phoenician settlements in the western Mediterranean created to facilitate trade from the city of Tyre on the coast of what is now Lebanon.
Rome defeated Carthage in three Punic (Phoenician) Wars and gained mastery of the western Mediterranean. The First Punic War (264-241 B.C.) Fighting chiefly on the island of Sicily and in the Mediterranean Sea, Rome's citizen-soldiers eventually defeated Carthage's mercenaries(hired foreign soldiers).
How did Rome build an empire around the Mediterranean Sea? Rome's conquest of the Italian peninsula brought it into contact with Carthage. Carthage ruled over an empire that stretched across North Africa and the western Mediterranean. Rome continued by expanding westward.
Rome became the most powerful state in the world by the first century BCE through a combination of military power, political flexibility, economic expansion, and more than a bit of good luck. This expansion changed the Mediterranean world and also changed Rome itself.
The rivalry between Rome and Carthage was one of the greatest in Antiquity. The Romans' victory in the Third Punic War was total and led to the disappearance of the Carthaginian State. The destruction of Carthage was critical in Rome's rise and helped it become the superpower in the Mediterranean. The destruction of Carthage allowed Rome to become the only significant naval power in the sea, which was essential in the growth and maintenance of its Empire. The control of the Mediterranean allowed the Roman Republic to dominate trade, allowing it to grow rich.
Moreover, the Carthaginians were expert traders and talented businessmen, and even after the loss of their possessions in Spain, they continued to trade extensively in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. Many Roman merchants resented this, and they actively lobbied for the war against the North African city. The defeat of Carthage allowed Rome to become the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean. Their control was unchallenged for almost 700 years until the Germanic invasion of the 5th century AD. [11]
The defeat of Carthage in the Third Punic War allowed the Roman Republic to become the superpower of Europe and allowed its influence to expand to North Africa. North Africa become the breadbasket of Rome for centuries. The victory also ensured that Rome was the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean and aided its economic expansion over the next 500 years.
In the Spring of 146 BC, Scipio launched a daring attack on the city walls and seized a section of it. This seizure enabled his army to enter Carthage. There was vicious street fighting, and either side gave no quarter.[7] After nearly a week, the Romans seized the city, and the Carthaginians surrendered. Many of the city’s inhabitants refused to surrender, and they committed suicide in mass by flinging themselves into the many fires in the devastated city.[8] It is estimated nearly all of the surviving population was sold into slavery by Rome. Carthage, once the greatest city of the Western Mediterranean, was a ruin.
Rome and Carthage came into conflict in the First Punic War of 264-241 BCE. They fought for the control of Sicily. The Romans, after a brutal struggle, emerged victoriously and gained possession of the island. This assured that Rome would be the dominant Italian power. The Second Punic War (218-201 BC), often known as Hannibal’s War, was the greatest challenge Rome faced. [1]
The vast city was placing an intolerable burden on the agricultural resources of Italy. One of the reasons Rome initiated the Third Punic War was to seize Carthage's rich farmlands. The Carthaginians were not just great mariners and traders but also accomplished farmers. The Romans' seizure of the lands of their enemies was significant. It allowed them to secure grain for their ever-expanding population.
The victory of Scipio Aemilianus also led to the establishment of the province of Africa and eventually led to the colonization of North African territories. The destruction of the great city of Carthage, in 146 BC, marks a new phase in the history of Rome. Without a dangerous rival, the Romans would expand their Empire and dominate Europe, the Near East, and North Africa for centuries.
The Roman victory over Carthage in the Punic Wars gave way to the establishment of the Roman Empire. Despite the great victories of Carthage during the wars, the Romans were able to outmaneuver and eventually conquer the remains of the African empire.
The Carthaginians wanted everything that could be bought, sold, or traded. The Punic Wars focused mainly on the question, “In whose yard will the Mediterranean be located?” The final answer was “Rome.
In 264 BC, a conflict in Sicily involving Carthage prompted the Romans to intervene. By sending its troops, Rome started the First Punic War.
Carthage grew from a small port to the richest and most powerful city in the Mediterranean region. It had a powerful fleet, a mercenary army, and, thanks to tariffs and trade, enough wealth to do what it pleases. At the time before the First Punic War (264-241 BC), Carthaginians had forbidden Rome to trade in the Western Mediterranean by contract.
The Romans burned down the ruins of the city, Carthage was leveled to the ground, and cursed in a special ceremony, prohibiting its settlement.
In the Battle of Cannae, from 87,000 Romans only 14,000 survived. However, the distance from Carthage interrupted Hannibal’s supply lines and at the same time, the Romans transferred their armies to Africa, attacking Carthage itself.
The most commonly remembered image and story of the Punic Wars is Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps with elephants. It really happened; it was a serious test to move an army of 50,000 men with horses and elephants through the passages between snowdrifts and landslides, across rivers, and across mountain ranges.
Both clans were fighting for what they said was “the whole world”. It was basically World War II of 3BC. Rome and Carthage were the two greatest powers at the time, and the impact of the war between them is still going on today, thousands of years later. The thing is, after these wars, Rome became the dominant power in the world ...
In this war, the Carthaginians slowly lost land as Rome engaged in a series of naval strategies that they completely mismanaged, which is why the war was pretty even at first. However, later on, Rome got the whole navy part learned and begun to win at sea too, so Carthage dropped out of the war-making Rome victorious.
The third Punic war was simply lost because Rome decided they didn’t want Carthage bugging them anymore, and Carthage was not strong enough to prevent it.
However, Hannibal claimed the city was on their side of the River. So, the Carthaginian army attacked the city debunking the roman embassies, Rome sent no troops to this city despite having signed a treaty claiming they were under Roman protection. This was because the Romans had recently engaged in another war.
So, when Saguntum fell, Rome sent an ultimatum to Carthage, they could either surrender Hannibal to Rome or face war. In case it isn’t obvious, they chose war and that’s how we see ourselves in the Second Punic War.
Hannibal began to conquer more Spanish land, trying to expand to the north, closer to the Ebro River, which was the limit set in the treaty mentioned above. As this happened, the Romans began to worry and the tension between the two civilizations grew further.
Then, there was a Greek city in the north of the Spanish territory called Saguntum. This city had signed a treaty with Rome establishing itself as sacrosanct since it was on the Roman side of the river. However, Hannibal claimed the city was on their side of the River.
The story of Rome"s destruction of the once buoyant maritime city of Carthage in 146 B.C. has been explained by many scholars, generally, in terms of the fear and security threats posed by Carthaginian naval authority and great trade across the Mediterranean.
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