Carthage: The Ideal Of Rome

Decent Essays
TRACE HOW CARTHAGE BECAME ALMOST THE EQUAL OF ROME

Introduction

Carthage was a colony of Tyre, known as the Phoenician. It’s cities were rich from trading and commerce by dynamically orchestrating imports and exports of goods to their neighboring countries. Hence, Carthage grew into an empire as the supreme merchant of the Mediterranean and the world. It is the largest trading center for Greek, Sicily, and Italy. For instance, the commercial treaties with these places extended their imports from Arabian frankincense; the linen in Egypt; the gold in Spain; the silver from Balearic Isles; Britain’s tin and iron from Elba. By the third century BCE, Carthage controlled most of North Africa, large sections of the Iberian Peninsula, Corsica, Sardinia, and parts of Sicily (Streich, 2011). Like a hawk, the growing power of Carthage took notice by Rome, which was determined to prevent the supreme merchant from further expanding its trading post. As Carthage progressively became interested in possessing Sicily, Rome entered into a competition against Carthage. Obviously, whoever controls Sicily, controls the vital trade routes to
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However, such treaty was infringed by his son, Hannibal, who caused and led the Second Punic War. This Carthaginian military genius managed to cause some significant damages to the Roman armies. Once again, Hannibal and Carthage was defeated by Rome, who subjugated Carthage with terms and condition of the war. Consequently, the Carthaginian Empire was reduced into a dependent state of Rome; Carthage was to give up Spain and all of the islands between Africa and Italy; Numidia, an ally of Rome, crowned a new king—Masinissa. Additionally, Carthage was to pay 200 talents equivalent to $250,000 annually for 50 years. Finally, Carthage had been weakened, as it was prohibited to wage war without Rome’s

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