Carthage Dispute over control of Sicily and trade routes in the western Mediterranean brought Rome into conflict

with the powerful North African city-state of Carthage

Result was the three Punic Wars 264-146 BC

Carthage had been founded as Phoenician colony 500 years earlier

 Primarily a naval war Tactics: maneuver ship to ram and sink enemy Carthage: very good, experienced naval power Rome: small navy, little experience Defeated repeatedly by Carthaginian navy

FIRST PUNIC WAR

 Rome would not surrender Finally turned tables on Carthage by changing rules of naval warfare Equipped ships with huge hooks and Stationed soldiers on ships Would hook enemy ship, pull nearby, board it with soldiers

ROME WINS THE FIRST ONE

SECOND PUNIC WAR

"Hannibal ad portas" (Hannibal is at the Gates!)
Carthagian general Hannibal surprises Romans, leads army from Spain, through southern France and the Alps, invades Italy from the north Defeats Roman armies sent to stop him several times but hesitates to attack Rome itself Settles instead on war of attrition in hope of destroying Roman economic base

 In 218 BC Hannibal captured the town of Saguntum in Spain. This led to the Romans declaring war. As Hannibal could not attack Italy through the sea, he led his troops through 2 mountain ranges and 1500 miles into Italy His army consisted of 100000 men ( from Africa, Spain and Gaul) together with 37 elephants

 Read Page 19 How did the elephants cross the Rhone? Read Page 20 Read Page 20 How the boulder was destroyed? Read Hannibal reaches Italy Page 21

ROME WINS
Unable to defeat Hannibal in Italy, a Roman army sailed across the Mediterranean, landed in North Africa, and headed for Carthage Led by patrician general Scipio Aemilius Africanus Hannibal forced to leave Italy to protect Carthage Defeated at the Battle of Zama, fought outside the walls of Carthage

Hannibal

Hannibal-the-Conqueror
"I swear that so soon as age will permit . . . I will use fire and steel to arrest the destiny of Rome."
~~Childhood Hannibal Quote
Born about 247 - Died 183BC

SUMMARY Hannibal Barca (247-183 BC) *Carthaginian general *Brilliant strategist *Developed tactics of outflanking and surrounding the enemy with the combined forces of infantry and cavalry

Spain
Hannibal, commander in chief @ 26 Consolidated Carthaginian power in Spain 219 he besieged Saguntum
south of the Iberus River (Ebro) and ally of Rome

Iberus River line-of-demarcation between

Roman and Carthaginian spheres of influence

Blockade of Saguntum 8-month siege Declaration of war

Alps

Hannibal conceived of an invasion of Italy from the north

Wanted them crushed on own turfcounted on disaffected allies Crossed the Iberus-bloody battles with Spanish tribes

Marched with about 40,000 men across the Pyrenees

In Gaul, quick progress to Rhone River Transported army & war elephants across the river

15 days marched through rugged mountain passes Enormous army Diverse origin and language
38 war elephants enemy attacks

landslides
early autumn snow

Heroic feat
Captured the imagination of historians and poets alike

Africa Back in Carthage after 16 years of victorious warfare Hannibal defeated by Scipio Africanus Battle of Zama Ironically, Hannibal victim of his own strategy: Scipio outflanked & surrounded Carthaginians Aid of King Masinissa's Numidian cavalry Hannibal escaped with a few horsemen Rushed to Carthage Counseled peace Treaty in 201

Hannibal poisoned himself when threatened with being prisoner He did so in Libyssa, close to today's Istanbul in Turkey. Ruins of grave site near Diliskelesi, South of Gebze, 60km East of Istanbul

Let us release the Romans from their long anxiety, since they think it too long to wait for the death of an old man.

THIRD PUNIC WAR

Carthage finished after Second Punic War Hannibal committed suicide Economy shattered Lost all territory to Rome But some Romans feared it might revive someday and challenge Rome again Notably Cato the Elder Pushed for another war that would wipe Carthage off the face of the map
Cato the Elder

ROME WINS A THIRD TIME

Due to Catos 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

Took over Greece, Macedonia, Rome eventually Rome always Successor some of Asia Minor, Syria, Aegean responded in the became weary of kingdom Rome drawnendless and eastern Mediterranean islands increasingly called playing this into the belief that by 133 BC a role in achieving of the refereeing balance onaffairs aid and Roman successor that the of their incessant realized kingdoms power in the east warscontinued wasagainstthan better each independence of the having one other successor kingdoms successor kingdom threaten Roman become too powerful and interests challenge Rome