| Carthage and Rome, 264-202 BC-When Carthage and Rome met at the Southern tip of Italy, and felt threatened by each other, the Punic Wars began. Sicily, in between Rome and Carthage, was the site of the Carthaginian Settlement of Messana. The Carthaginians occupied the Western half of Sicily, which was within throwing distance of Southern Italy. Messana requested and received a garrison of Roman troops. We allied ourselves with King Hiero of Syracuse on Sicily, who taught us to fight more successfully at sea. The recently learned sea tactics were ingenious yet uncomplicated. We fought Carthage with a corvus, a hooped iron spike. The Corvus would be lowered onto a Carthaginian ship. Romans would climb down and swarm aboard. We won a gigantic battle off Camp Ecno using that method as well as winning a smaller battle of less importance near the Aegates Islands in 241 BC. We did lose battles in Africa fighting on the sea. Although Carthage had excellent naval skill, we finally overcame them. After twenty years of strenuous excessive fighting, Rome succeeded in expelling Carthage from Sicily. However, the Carthaginian settlements were in terrible condition due to the fact that Rome had besieged all of Carthage�s settlements and destroyed their navy when they started to raise havoc. Sicily became Rome�s first province. A praetor was sent from Rome annually to act as a king. Carthage Our previous enemies, the Carthaginians lived in a Phoenician settlement. In Phoenician, it means �The New City.� Because of their origins, we call the Carthaginians Phoenicians, Poeni in Latin. Poeni is where we get the name of the Punic Wars. After the Persians vanquished Phoenicia, it ceased to be an independent state. When Phoenicia was conquered, they no longer governed Carthage, its colony. Carthage then became an independent state. Carthage took advantage of their newfound freedom by taking away the freedom of others. Carthage soon possessed and controlled the entire North African coast, from the coast of Libya to the Strait of Gibraltar as well as Southern Spain at the same time that we gained full control of the Italian Peninsula. As would be expected, it was not long until Carthage grew incredibly wealthy due to trade. We required Carthage to pay us a unsurprisingly enormous amount of wealth in money and goods as well as handing over Sicily to help. Without a lot of hesitation, we conquered Sardinia in 238BC and Corsica, both from Carthage. The second Punic War took place between 218 and 202 BC. Hannibal of Carthage was the main cause. Since he was a child, Hannibal hated Rome, as all Carthaginian children were taught. Hannibal was the conquering general of Spain. He took his time, spending eighteen years in the process, 237 until 219 BC. When Rome allied with the insignificant Spanish town of Sagumtum, they broke their treaty not to expand their empire past the Ebro River. Soon afterwards, Sagumtum spread their politics through out neighboring cities, which, of course, deeply upset Hannibal. His extreme reaction was to demolish two Roman cities. After Hannibal marched 35,000 men and 37 elephants over the European coast and Pyrenees, he led the attack on Italy. Within two months, Hannibal conquered the full Northern Italy. His victorious battles brought him 50,000 interested Gauls. Rome elected Quintus Fabius Maximus as dictator. He cleverly outsmarted Hannibal by launching an attack on Carthage, requiring Hannibal to return to Carthage. In doing his duty, he ceased to fight us and arrived at his home too late to save it. In Italy, he put up an excellent fight allying with Gaul, Sicily and Greece to kill 80,000 Roman soldiers. We borrowed the highlights of our conquered cultures, especially the Greeks to make ourselves the most interesting culture. The Mediterranean became a Roman Lake! Rome became the most powerful nation on Earth! |
| Carthage Capitulates; Rome Rules |