The Punic Wars

World History

Essential Question: Why were the Romans able to conquer Italy & the Mediterranean World?

The Roman Army• All citizens were required

to serve

• Army was powerful:– Organization & fighting skill

• Legion- military unit of 5,000 infantry (foot soldiers) supported by cavalry (horseback)

Rome Spreads its Power• Romans defeat

Etruscans in north and Greek city-states in south

• Treatment of Conquered:– Forge alliances– Offer citizenship

• By 265 B.C., Rome controls Italian peninsula

Rome’s Commercial Network• Rome establishes a large trading network

• Access to Mediterranean Sea provides many trade routes

• Carthage, powerful city-state in North Africa, soon rivals Rome

Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.)

• Three Wars between Rome and Carthage

• 1st Punic War- Caused by trade rivalry. Rome gains control of Sicily, Corsica & Sardinia

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 was 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 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. They won First Punic War as a result.

http://www.heritage-history.com/books/horne/rome/zpage326.gif

• 2nd Punic War- Carthaginian General Hannibal’s “surprise” attack through Spain & France– 60,000 soldiers and 60 elephants– Romans experience severe losses, but

eventually ward off attacks & invade North Africa

Hannibal's troops crossing the Rhone River on their way to attack northern Italy.

Video clip

• BBC- Hannibal's Elephants

ROME WINS SECOND PUNIC WAR

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

• Hannibal was forced to leave Italy to protect Carthage

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

Hannibal

After 2nd war, Carthage was finished…

– Hannibal committed suicide– Conquered people sold into slavery– Economy shattered– Lost almost all territory to Rome

Cato

http://www.the-romans.co.uk/gallery2/full/15.cato.jpg

Carthage must be destroyed!

Rome had already beaten Carthage twice… why wasn’t Cato satisfied?

Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.)

• 3rd Punic War- Rome seizes Carthage

The destruction of Carthage during the Punic Wars. New York Public Library Picture Collection

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

Imperialism

• Imperialism= establishing control over foreign lands and peoples

• Gradually, Rome also conquered and made alliances with parts of Alexander’s old empire: Macedonia, Greece, Asia Minor, and Egypt, as well as Spain

Effects of Expansion

• Huge increase in wealth: conquests brought in money from loot, taxes, and trade.

• Newly wealthy families bought latifundia (large estates) and forced captured people to work as slaves.

• Small farmers could not compete with goods from the latifundia many went into debt and had to sell their land.

• Unemployed mobs went to Rome riots.• Corruption increased. Less focus on hard work.

Journal- on back of notes

• Normally Rome treated conquered people with justice. Why did Rome treat Carthage so brutally?

• Do you think this treatment was justified?