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The Punic wars were a set of three wars that stretched from 264 - 146 BCE. They were fought between the Romans and Carthaginians over trading and land disputes. Basically, two quickly expanding empires came in contact with each other and war was inevitable. There was a fierce competition of trade goods, which formed a strong rivalry between the two powers. Carthage was a city that had been formed by the Phoenicians from Tyre in the 8 th century BCE.
It was the strongest city in the Mediterranean by the 3 rd century and its wealth was caused mainly by success at trade. Carthaginian merchants traded from end to end in the Mediterranean, the citys fleets were huge, and its army was one of the best in the ancient world. Rome was a budding republic, soon to be empire that was gaining large amounts of territory through military conquests. With these military conquests came booty plundered from conquered lands and trading rights of certain sea-lanes. Sicily was a land of plenty and was a valuable island to have under control. In 264 BCE, in the port city of Message, there was a conflict between two factions controlling the city.
One side called on Rome for help, while the other called on Carthage. Both thought it to be a local squabble and thought nothing of it. Carthage sent a small fleet to aid the locals and hopefully win an important city with good sea-lanes. Rome then sent a fleet larger then the Carthaginians to aid their side. The Carthaginians retreated back to Carthage. But, they responded with a much larger force, which forced the Romans out.
The Romans sent in a consular army, of about 20, 000, and hoped for victories across the island. The Carthaginians responded with a force of 50, 000. Again, the Romans brought even more troops and here s when the fighting began. The Romans won quick victories in Sicily, Sardinia, and Corsica, but needed a navy to support their army. They hired Greeks to captain Roman ships and fought a battle of attrition on land and sea. For 20 years they fought hard until both sides were nearly exhausted.
With Rome controlling Sicily the Carthaginians pulled back to Carthage and sued for peace. Carthage remained under its own rule and prospered in trading despite their defeats. In 244 BCE, Rome is now starting to resemble an empire in that they had a large army and navy, and is conquering lands. Soon they will take over foes to expand their influence in the Mediterranean.
The treaty set up by Rome was impossible to follow with strict guidelines and high reparations to Rome. Carthage needed to fight to regain its empire and once again flourish. When Hamiclar Barca came into power of Carthage, he set out conquering further into Spain and Gaul, (modern day France. ) His ultimate goal was the destruction of Rome for the way it treated his homeland in the first Punic war. Hamiclar realized that he wouldn t see the destruction of Rome in his time, so he raised his son Hannibal to hate Rome and to stop at nothing to see it fall.
Hannibal grew up hating Rome and planned to exact his revenge on the empire. Hannibal knew that Rome had most of her forces in the south and was prepared for a sea invasion of the south. He planned to march from New Carthage in Spain with 27, 000 men and attack from the north, catching the Romans by surprise. He also knew that Rome s strength lay in her almost everlasting reserves of troops acquired from her allies.
If Hannibal was to have quick victories in north Rome, he may convince some allies of Rome to side with the Carthaginians. But first he must travel 1500 miles, crossing the Alps in the dead of winter with elephants and 27, 000 men. Then he must beat a superior force in their homeland, quite a gamble. Somehow Hannibal managed to pull it off. He marched from New Carthage in Spain, across the Pyrenees.
Then he continued on through southern Gaul, where he floated his elephants across the Rhone river in air bladders. When he finally approached the daunting Alps. Occupying the Alps were many tribes willing to fight anyone who entered their land. He also battled the dead of winter with heavy snowfall. 1, 000 men and most of his elephants died here due to exposure, but he crossed and entered northern Italy with 26, 000 men and 24 elephants.
He claimed the Gallic tribes who lived in north Italy to be liberated, but few united with his forces. First he must prove himself in the field of battle. The Romans sent a large army of 40, 000 to crush the Carthaginians. The Romans took up positions along the Trivia river and waited for Hannibal to attack them. Hannibal outsmarted them by leaving a few men behind to bang pans, talk loudly, and keep the fires burning. While the few men stayed behind and confused the enemy, the majority of his army crossed farther upstream and approached the Roman rear.
Hannibal trapped the Romans against the river and slaughtered the troops. 10, 000 Romans limped back to Rome, while few of Hannibal s men died. Now the Gallic tribes believed Hannibal and sided with the Carthaginians. Rome thought its only chance was to force Hannibal in an open field battle where they could simply out number the Carthaginians and overwhelm them. This is exactly what Hannibal wanted. The senate voted for 70, 000 men to carry out the task of destroying Hannibal. This put the Romans at a 2 to 1 advantage in manpower.
The field at Cannae was wide and offered no surprises. The Romans marched in mass at the Carthaginian lines; the Carthaginians fought, then withdrew sucking the Romans into a pocket. While the Romans were marching forward, exploiting the Carthaginian retreat, Carthaginian cavalry surrounded the Roman foot soldiers. The retreating Carthaginian foot soldiers turned and advanced. With no place to retreat the Roman lines scattered and there was an absolute rout. 10, 000 men survived and returned to Rome. This is a classic maneuver called a double-envelopment and worked superbly for Hannibal.
Hannibal had defeated 8 consular armies, of 20, 000 troops each, in a matter of two years in their home territory. Learning of the defeat at Cannae, Capua, the second largest Roman city, defected from Rome. Hannibal also acquired the city of Tarentum but lost Capua when Rome recaptured it. Hannibal was right outside Rome, and Rome was in absolute panic. The senate gave the order to raze the farmlands and cut down orchards to attempt to starve out the Carthaginians. The Romans avoided an open battle at all costs knowing Hannibal s genius and his troops loyalty to him.
Hasdrubal, Hannibal s brother, was fighting in Spain at this time. Hannibal wrote to Hasdrubal requesting his assistance in the destruction of Rome. Hasdrubal proceeded to slip by the Romans, cross the Pyrenees, cross the Rhone river, and cross the Alps with elephants, like his brother. Hasdrubal marched down through Italy and was within 2 days march of Hannibal when the Romans engaged him and won at the Me taurus River. In the battle Hasdrubal was killed. Hannibal retreated south and wanted to maintain his army and protect Carthage.
If the Romans were to invade Africa at this time, it would weaken the defending army so much that Hannibal could demolish Rome with ease. It was a stalemate between the two powers, both waiting for the other to crack. Scipio Africanus was Rome s man to get the job done. He was a trained general with experience fighting Carthaginians in Spain. He ran for consul with the idea to invade Africa with a group of volunteers so he wouldn t weaken the defending army. Once Scipio landed in Africa, Carthage immediately called on Hannibal to come back to Africa.
Rome wanted to catch and surround him from the sea with the navy and by land with the army while he was in a port city waiting to depart. Or better yet catch Hannibal s transports out in the open sea. After two years of Hannibal maneuvering, he evaded the Roman armies and navy once again. He returned to Carthage with his 20, 000 -man army intact. He raised more local troops and turned to meet Scipio at the Battle of Zama.
Both generals had 25, 000 men. Scipio had better cavalry, they brought along Spanish stallions. Hannibal was on home grounds and had elephants. Hannibal was relying on his elephants to win the battle for him. He put the elephants in front of his infantry and charged en masse at the Romans. Scipio did much like what Alexander the Great did against King Polos in the Indus river valley.
Scipio instructed his men to bang metal together and to create alleyways. Scipio hoped the elephants will run through the alleyways where Roman archers can shoot off the riders and the specimen can run-though the elephants. It worked and the elephants were defeated. Scipio also uses the same tactic that Hannibal used in the battle of Cannae.
First Scipio orders his infantry to retreat and his cavalry to flank the Carthaginians. The Carthaginians fought hard but were beaten so badly that Hannibal immediately returns to Carthage and advises them to surrender. Carthage surrenders in 202 BCE and is once again given outrageous treaty; Carthage must give up her entire empire besides the main city of Carthage. Carthage is also forced to disband her military and navy and becomes a client of Rome. A ditch is dug around Carthage, if any armed Carthaginians cross this ditch, this means instant war with the Romans. At the conclusion of the second Punic war, Rome was now becoming more imperial.
Rome had a huge empire, a large army, and a large navy. The third Punic war was mostly the work of Cato the Elder. He was a senator in the Roman senate. Cato would end every speech, no matter the subject with, Carthage must be destroyed!
Cato saw that Carthage was once again flourishing in trade and feared that another major war may take place. The surrounding African tribes learned that Carthage couldn t cross the ditch with armed troops. So they begin raiding Carthage and retreating just past the ditch to safety. One time Carthage got fed up and broke the treaty, they crossed the ditch to defend themselves and brought on the full fury of the Roman empire. The Romans invaded and siege Carthage for 3 years. The citizens fought viciously and once the Romans tore down the city walls, it took a week of street fighting to clear out the defenders.
Once the Carthaginians had surrendered, the Romans went from house to house and killed all the adult males and sold the rest into slavery. Carthage was torched and was no longer a threat to Rome. Bibliography 1) Punic Wars. web 3 / 5 / 200 2. ) The Punic Wars. web 8 / 16 / 00 3. ) Hannibal Barca. web 5 / 12 / 98 4. ) Roman Navy.
web 12 / 05 / 99.
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