First Punic War

the second Punic War.. Carthage was a much older empire than Rome located at today’s Tunesia, North Africa. It was founded by the Phoenecians which is known as Lebanon in modern days. ‘Punic’ word came from the word Phoenecians. By 264 B.C., Rome and Carthage had become rivals of each other and fought several wars to take control of the Western Mediterranean (Romanempire, nd.). Between 264 – 241 BC was the time of First Punic when Rome conquered Sicily and gain control…

Tension built between Rome and Carthage, finally reaching the breaking point in 264 BC. The first Punic War started because Rome was afraid that Carthage would control the Mediterranean Sea and Carthage feared that Rome would conquer their colonies on the island of Sicily. When the war began, Rome used land tactics at sea which hadn’t been done before. Their newly formed navy would ram enemy ships and use “boarding bridges” to board Carthaginian ships. This allowed them to do something they…

depended on its people’s character. Before the Punic Wars, Rome was not seen as a major power in the Mediterranean. However, by the outbreak of the first Punic War, Rome had decent control over most of mainland Italy. Each individual community fell into a clearly defined category. The first Punic war was a fight over control of Sicily. During this time Rome had a strong Army while Carthage had a strong Navy. During the war the king of Syracuse switched sides on multiple occasions. Also during…

had heightened during the First Punic War. Carthage was quickly becoming and equal of Rome with her presence in the Mediterranean Sea. Rome and Carthage had strengths of their own and would utilize these strengths in battle. The outcome of the First Punic War was significant in changing both the Roman Republic and the Carthaginian empire. Although they were closely matched in stature, only one would ultimately benefit from the war. Carthage grew to be the capital of a great commercial empire on…

second Punic war was the most devastating war that had to face Carthage. After the end of the first Punic war, Carthage managed to recover economically thanks to the choices of Amilcare, Asdrubale and especially Hannibal, who once became head of the Carthaginian army in Spain, with the siege of Segundo, began the war. "He invaded ever deeper inland and then besieged and conquered Saguntum (modern Sagunto, just north of Valencia), a long-time ally of Rome, in 219 BCE" (Cartwright, 2016). Once the…

The Punic wars are series of three conflicts between the Carthaginian republic and the Roman republic; they last about a century. These wars mainly based on a conflict of interests between both Romans and Carthaginians. The first one wanted the Sicily that the Carthaginians controlled, and the last one to control Italy and the Mediterranean. Indeed historian related that at the beginning of the First Punic War, Carthage was a dominant power in the Mediterranean Sea, an important rival of the…

What were the outcomes of the second Punic War? The attack on Rome by Hannibal of Carthage resulted in Rome and its allies’ defeat but Carthage did not manage to build on gains of their spoils of the war because they lacked the main resources in terms of military men needed for such development. Rome took advantage of this scenario and defeated Carthage at the battle of Zama 202 BCE series of similar defeats gave the Romans total control and dominion over the Mediterranean. “Carthage, although…

While studying the history of the archaic forces that fought in the Punic Wars, it is important to understand the rise of each side involved. The Punic Wars were fought between the powerhouses of the Western Mediterranean. On one side was the well established Carthaginians and on the other was the up and coming Romans. Both dominant city states would expand and eventually rise to conflict against each other. This essay will delve into the aspects that allowed Carthage to reign successful and…

to incorporate all residents in citizens which created social stability in the city state. Just like Rome, Carthage too had two social classes among her residents and this setting never changed until her demise. This meant that Carthage was prone to riots since some members of society never had no rights or had limited rights. In conclusion, these two great city states had some similarities, but were generally different in many ways. They were nearly equal in strength and resources, but…

What do Livy and Polybius pinpoint as the causes of the Second Punic War? Why should historians treat their interpretations with caution? The Second Punic War of 218-201BC demonstrated a challenge for Rome to prove its power against Carthage, and to finally establish itself as the greatest and most powerful city-state of the Mediterranean. The accounts of Roman historian Livy and Greek historian Polybius allow events surrounding the Second Punic War to be analyzed and explained in terms of…