The Punic Wars

The Punic WarsAncient Rome

First Punic War• Began with a dispute over Sicily (Port of

Messina)• Strengths at war:

• Carthage was superior fighting at sea• Rome was superior fighting on land

• Rome used grappling hooks to pull in ships and fight “on land”

• Rome takes control of Sicily and is ready to attack Carthage

First Punic War

In Between the Wars• Hamilcar Barca

• Leader of Carthage troops (mercenaries) during the first Punic War

• Held a grudge against both Carthage and Rome• Carthage because they didn’t pay his troops• Rome because they defeated him in war

• Gathers another mercenary army and takes them to Spain (unbeknownst to Carthage)

In Between Wars• Makes his son Hannibal promise never to be a friend to

Rome• Hannibal attacks Saguntum Rome does nothing for

their ally!• Rome sent a delegation to Carthage

• The Carthaginian senate gave Rome a choice war or peace • The leader of the Roman delegation declared war!

• And so begins the unnecessary Second Punic War (Oh Rome, you war loving people..)

Beginning of the Second Punic War

Hannibal Invades Italy

Hannibal Kicks Butt• Leads his 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• Sees Rome as too well fortified

• Settles instead on war of attrition in hope of destroying Roman economic base

HANNIBAL AD PORTAS!!

Scipio to the Rescue• Rome is unable to defeat Hannibal in Italy • So…patrician general Scipio Aemilius Africanus

sailed a Roman army across the Mediterranean, landed in North Africa, and headed for Carthage!

• Hannibal forced to leave Italy to protect Carthage

• Carthage is defeated at the Battle of Zama, fought outside the walls of Carthage

Rome is Victorious!• Carthaginians gave

up their land in Spain

• Handed over their warships

• Agreed to another loss to Rome

• The terms were meant to cripple Carthage and never allow them to challenge Rome again

Roman Territory at the end of the 2nd Punic war

Here We Go Again…• 50 years of peace between Rome and

Carthage• Carthage has regained prosperity but is no

threat to Rome• Basically, Rome wanted Carthage gone off the

face of the Earth• This hatred for Carthage was headed by Cato,

a Roman senator• “Carthago delenda est”

Third Punic War• 146 BCE Rome burns Carthage• Sells the living population into slavery• Sowed the soil with salt so no crops could

grow

• Rome is now in total control of the Mediterranean

End of the Punic Wars

By the Death of Julius Caesar