The Punic Wars

Dispute over control of Sicily and trade

routes in the western Mediterranean

brought Rome into conflict with the powerful North

African city-state of Carthage

Carthage

Carthage had been

founded as Phoenician colony 500

years earlier

Result was the three Punic Wars

264-146 BC

The First Punic WarThe First Punic War Primarily a navalnaval war

Tactics: maneuver shipship to ram and sink enemy

Carthage: very good, experiencedexperienced naval power

Rome: smallsmall navy, littlelittle experience

DefeatedDefeated repeatedly by Carthaginian navy

ROMEROME WINS THE FIRST ONEWINS THE FIRST ONERome would not surrendersurrender

Finally turned tables on Carthage by changingchanging rules of naval warfare

Equipped ships with hugehuge hooks and stationed soldiers on ships

Would hook enemy ship, pull nearby, boardboard it with soldiers

Converted naval warfare into mini-land mini-land battles, something RomeRome was very good at

The SecondSecond Punic War"Hannibal ad portas" (“Hannibal is at the GatesHannibal is at the Gates!”)

Carthagian general HannibalHannibal surprises Romans, leads army from SpainSpain, through southern France and the AlpsAlps

Invades Italy from the northnorth with elephantelephant army

Defeats Roman armies sent to stop him severalseveral times but hesitateshesitates to attack Rome itself

Settles on war of attritionattrition in hope of destroying Roman economic base

Hannibal

ROMEROME WINS THE SECOND ONEWINS THE SECOND ONE

Unable to defeat Hannibal in Italy, a Roman armyarmy sailed across the Mediterranean, landed in North AfricaNorth Africa, and headed for Carthage

Led by patricianpatrician general Scipio Aemilius Africanus

Hannibal forced to leave ItalyItaly to protect CarthageCarthage

Defeated at the Battle of ZamaZama, fought outside the walls of Carthage

"I swear that so soon as age will permit . . . I will use firefire and steelsteel to arrest the destiny of Rome."

~~Childhood Hannibal Quote

Born about 247 - Died 183BC

Hannibal-the-Conqueror

Hannibal Barca (247-183 BC) *Carthaginian general *Brilliant strategist *Developed tactics of outflanking and surrounding the enemy with the combined forces of infantry and cavalry

As a boy of 9, begged his father, Hamilcar Barca, to take him on the campaign in Spain

Hamilcar, made him solemnly swear eternal hatred of Rome.

•After Hannibal’s defeat, he remained a suffete (civil magistrate) of the newly acquired Roman territory

•Organized financial reforms to pay back Rome for their prosecution of war

•Political enemies accused him in Rome of conspiring with King Antiochus III of Syria

•When Romans sent commission to investigate, fled Carthage and went into hiding

•Hannibal poisoned himself when threatened with being taken as a prisoner

•He did so in Libyssa, close to today's Istanbul in Turkey.

•Ruins of grave site near Diliskelesi, South of Gebze, 60km East of Istanbul

“Let us release the Romans from their long anxiety, since they think it too long to wait for the death of an old man.”

The The ThirdThird Punic WarPunic WarCarthage was finishedfinished after Second Punic War

Hannibal committed suicidesuicide

EconomyEconomy shattered

Lost all territory to RomeRome

But some Romans feared it might reviverevive someday and challenge Rome again

Notably Cato the ElderCato the Elder

Pushed for another war that would wipe Carthage off the face of the mapmap

ROMEROME WINS THE THIRD ONEWINS THE THIRD ONE

Due to Cato’s persistent efforts, Rome declares war against defenselessdefenseless Carthage

WinsWins easily

Entire population of city sold into slaveryslavery

Everything of valuevalue carried back to Rome

Everything else burned and dumped into the seasea

Site sown with saltsalt so that nothing would ever grow there again

Carthage completely disappeareddisappeared

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