Introduction
After the conquest of Italy, the growing appetite of Rome for conquest and its ambitions to go beyond the Italian Peninsula placed her in the colliding course with another foreign power, Carthage. Carthage, a former colony of Tyre, on the northern coast of Africa, and the center of a commercial empire. Both powers had already made progress in organizing their forces, governing systems and had turned their attention to extending the trading routes and taking control over more territories. The creativity of the leaders, and radical changes in the warfare and strategic planning pushed both powers to quickly adapt and transform the region to one of the biggest ancient battlefields.
Discussion
Carthage and Rome shared some similarities …show more content…
In 264 BC, the first conflict between Rome and Carthage over the Island of Sicily broke out. The First Punic War and the struggle to take control over Sicily had begun. Romans soon realized that despite their powerful army, they need to match the naval power of Carthage too. This realization came about first because Carthage managed to retake many of the coast cities they had lost to Romans and interrupted Rome’s plan of sending troops to Sicily by fighting them from the sea. Romans couldn’t fight the efficient and strong ships of Carthage which had five banks of oars with their ships which had only three banks of oars. This insight led Rome to build and upgrade their fleets since the choice was between losing the war or getting prepared (Morey, 1901).
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Romans decided not to invent the wheel twice and simply studied the design of a Carthaginian ship which was wrecked and reconstructed one hundred of them in 2 months. Their soldiers practiced rowing on land by simulating banks of vessels on benches. The next step was to use the skills of their army, they built drawbridges to enter the enemy vessels. Rome had now a stronger army, and a navy of equal power.
Conclusion
The war and rivalry between Carthage and Rome sparked many brilliant warfare-related ideas and tested the stamina and ambitions of both powers. Rome’s citizens were more than ever united and fought for a common
After the conquest of Italy, the growing appetite of Rome for conquest and its ambitions to go beyond the Italian Peninsula placed her in the colliding course with another foreign power, Carthage. Carthage, a former colony of Tyre, on the northern coast of Africa, and the center of a commercial empire. Both powers had already made progress in organizing their forces, governing systems and had turned their attention to extending the trading routes and taking control over more territories. The creativity of the leaders, and radical changes in the warfare and strategic planning pushed both powers to quickly adapt and transform the region to one of the biggest ancient battlefields.
Discussion
Carthage and Rome shared some similarities …show more content…
In 264 BC, the first conflict between Rome and Carthage over the Island of Sicily broke out. The First Punic War and the struggle to take control over Sicily had begun. Romans soon realized that despite their powerful army, they need to match the naval power of Carthage too. This realization came about first because Carthage managed to retake many of the coast cities they had lost to Romans and interrupted Rome’s plan of sending troops to Sicily by fighting them from the sea. Romans couldn’t fight the efficient and strong ships of Carthage which had five banks of oars with their ships which had only three banks of oars. This insight led Rome to build and upgrade their fleets since the choice was between losing the war or getting prepared (Morey, 1901).
.
Romans decided not to invent the wheel twice and simply studied the design of a Carthaginian ship which was wrecked and reconstructed one hundred of them in 2 months. Their soldiers practiced rowing on land by simulating banks of vessels on benches. The next step was to use the skills of their army, they built drawbridges to enter the enemy vessels. Rome had now a stronger army, and a navy of equal power.
Conclusion
The war and rivalry between Carthage and Rome sparked many brilliant warfare-related ideas and tested the stamina and ambitions of both powers. Rome’s citizens were more than ever united and fought for a common