The Punic Wars

Latium

• During the period of the first kings around 509 BC there were actually very many cities in Italy – and Rome was just one of

them.

• The Italian Peninsula is located right in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. – Rome is located right in the

heart of Italy on a large plain known as Latium.

After the establishment of the Republic, the Romans began to conquer southern Italy.

• They used a good idea to help them. – They told everybody that if any

city needed help fighting a war, the Romans would be happy to help them.

– Soon a city did ask for help, when its neighbors were attacking it.

– The Romans sent troops and fought off the neighbors.

– But when the war was over, the Romans announced that they were going to leave Roman soldiers in this city, to keep the city safe.

• But when there are Roman soldiers living in the middle of your city, you pretty much have to do whatever the Roman Senate says! – In this way the Romans took

over all of southern Italy.

Carthaginian Empire

Former Phoenician trading post

Commercial city

Had western Mediterranean empire

Felt threatened by Rome’s rise to dominance in Italy

The Punic Wars

Carthage

Dispute over control of Sicily and trade

routes in the western Mediterranean

coupled with Rome’s expansion to the toe

of Italy brought Rome into conflict with the

powerful North African city-state of

Carthage

Carthage had been

founded as Phoenician colony 500

years earlier

Result was the three Punic Wars

264-146 BC

These conflicts, so disastrous for Carthage, were inevitable.

• Between Carthage and Italy lay the huge island of Sicily; – Carthage controlled the

western half of Sicily, – but the southern tip of the

Italian peninsula put the Romans within throwing distance of the island.

• When the city of Messina revolted against the Carthaginians, – the Romans intervened– Security being in their

National Interests, – and the first Punic War

erupted.

FIRST PUNIC WAR• Primarily a naval war

– Tactics involved maneuvering your ship in such a way so that you could ram and sink enemy

• Carthage very good at this because of long experience as naval power

• Rome had small navy and little experience in naval warfare

– Defeated time and time again by larger and more experienced Carthaginian navy

ROME WINS THE FIRST ONE• Rome would not surrender

– Finally turned the tables on Carthage by changing rules of naval warfare

• Equipped ships with huge hooks and stationed soldiers on ships

– Would hook enemy ship, pull it nearby, and board it with soldiers

– Converted naval warfare into mini-land battles

• Something Rome was very good at

• Won First Punic War as a result

Mercenary War

• Immediately following the war, Carthage's mercenaries revolted over a pay dispute and occupied a number of important Punic cities in North Africa and Sardinia, beginning the Mercenary War. – Miraculously, Carthage was able to defeat the mercenaries in

North Africa, – meanwhile Rome used the Mercenary revolt as an excuse to

invade and conquer the islands of Sardinia and Corsica – Thus by 238 BC, Carthage had lost all of her islands in the

Central Mediterranean

SECOND PUNIC WAR

• Carthagian general Hannibal surprises Romans, leads army from Spain, through southern France and the Alps, and invades Italy from the north– Defeats Roman armies sent to

stop him several times but hesitates to attack Rome itself

• Too well fortified• Settles instead on war of

attrition in hope of destroying Roman economic base

Fabian Strategy

• Eventually Rome appointed a dictator: – Quintus Fabius

Maximus• They relied on

employing the strategy of avoiding direct conflict with Hannibal in Italy – Known as the Fabian

Strategy

• Meanwhile, Hannibal was thwarted in his attempts to invade Rome. – He tried to incite revolt

among the tribes of Italy, but most feared Rome's wrath should Carthage lose,

– and they remained with Rome for the most part.

• and Hannibal decisively defeated Rome in a number of battles, – including the two worst

military defeats of its history,

– the Battle of Lake Trasimene, and the Battle of Cannae.

• Roman allies in the south of Italy literally ran to Hannibal's side; – the whole of Sicily allied

itself with the Carthaginians.

– In addition, Philip V, who controlled most of the mainland of Greece,

– began his own war against Roman possessions in 215 BC.

The arrival of Hannibal’s army in Italy sparked off numerous rebellions against Roman rule

ROME WINS THIS ONE TOO

• Unable to defeat Hannibal in Italy, a Roman army sailed across the Mediterranean, landed in North Africa, and headed for Carthage– Led by patrician general Scipio

Aemilius Hannibal forced to leave Italy to protect Carthage

• Defeated at the Battle of Zama, fought outside the walls of Carthage

Scipio Aemilius

In 201, a treaty was signed, which was very punitive. Carthage had to surrender her navy, all territorial claims in Spain, and had to pay reparations in the amount of 10,000 silver talents over 50 years.

1 silver talent was worth about $300,000

How did Hannibal shows the necessity of political goals are more important

than military accomplishment?

Legacy– This was the defining historical experience of the Romans.

• They had faced certain defeat with toughness and determination• and had won against overwhelming odds.

– For the rest of Roman history, the character of being Roman would be distilled in the histories of this desperate war against Carthage.

– The Second Punic War turned Rome from a regional power into an international empire:

• it had gained much of northern Africa, Spain, and the major islands in the western Mediterranean.

– Because Philip V of Macedon had allied himself with Hannibal

• and started his own war of conquest,– the second Punic War forced Rome to turn east

• in wars of conquest against first Philip • and then other Hellenistic kingdoms.

Rome drawn into the affairs of the successor

kingdoms

Successor kingdom

increasingly called on Roman aid in their incessant

wars against each other

Rome always responded in the

belief that achieving a balance of power in the east

was better than having one

successor kingdom become too

powerful and challenge Rome

Rome eventually became weary of

playing this endless refereeing role and

realized that the continued

independence of the successor kingdoms

threaten Roman interests

Took over Greece, Macedonia, some of Asia Minor, Syria, Aegean and eastern Mediterranean islands

by 133 BC

THIRD PUNIC WAR

• Carthage finished after Second Punic War– Hannibal committed suicide– Economy shattered– Lost all territory to Rome– But some Romans feared it might

revive someday and challenge Rome again

• Notably Cato the Elder– Pushed for another war that

would wipe Carthage off the face of the map

Cato the Elder

Carthage Returns?

– Carthage had, through the first half of the second century BC, recovered much of its prosperity through its commercial activities,

• although it had not gained back much power.

– The Romans, deeply suspicious of a reviving Carthage, demanded that the Carthaginians abandon their city and move inland into North Africa.

• The Carthaginians refused

• They were a commercial people that depended on sea trade,

ROME WINS A THIRD TIME

• Due to Cato’s persistent efforts, Rome declares war against defenseless Carthage– Wins easily– Entire population of city sold

into slavery– Everything of value carried

back to Rome– Everything else burned and

dumped into the sea– Site sown with salt so that

nothing would ever grow there again

– Carthage completely disappeared

The end result of the Second Punic War…

was the domination of the known world…

by Rome.

SUMMARY• Roman Republic was strongly rigged to work only in

the interests of the wealthy classes

– No way a sincere reformer could “work within the system” to change things•Everything was stacked against him

• The only way to effect change within this rigged system was to either threaten or use violence against the ruling class

• The rigged structure of government in republican Rome was therefore the first factor that contributed to the growth of political violence in the city-state